What would a red fox eat?

shotgunner11

shotgunner11

Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
7,809
Hello, I just found a sickly red fox hanging outside my house. Looks like he may have Mange, If I were to call the local animal wellfare people, they would likely put it down.

I know its not the best idea, but I'd like to try to get him back to health. What would be the best thing to feed this poor guy?

P.S. I'm not getting too close to him, staying out of range for him to get at me.

Thanks
 
Everything !!! I had a red fox take up residence here two years ago .A fine healthy one .He totally cleaned out mice, chipmunks, squirrels,woodchucks,and I assume lots of birds !! He would sometimes take his afternoon naps on my lawn ! Great hunters .Sorry to hear yours has mange. They can also carry rabies .
 
Dry dogfood will work fine.

Unless it's this kind of ReddFoxx, then maybe try Ripple. :D
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Shotgunner 11:

Your Fox probably has Sarcoptes scabiei. It is highly contagious to domestic dogs and cats, other warm blooded animals and man! It is a mange mite, and is considered fatal in the Red Fox. They will loose all of their hair and freeze to death. Many times they look pink in color with a tuff of hair left on the end of the tail. They also seem friendly because they are looking for food and a warm place to rest. If you can find a wildlife friendly veterinarian in your area you might be able to treat him with a drug called ivermectin placed in some food like raw hamburger or canned dog food ect. The dose to try is 200 ug/kg orally, 2 treatments, 2 weeks apart. You have nothing to loose he will die. You will not get the disease unless you touch the fox so don't get to concerned about contracting it yourself. But, don't roll around on the ground where it has been lying either. (LOL) Or, let your dog do so. You can feed him raw meat, chichen, dog food, cooked rice and left overs form the table.

BB
 
I admire your helpful and generous spirit, shotgunner. And I'm glad BigBelly posted before I did, because I would have said, shoot the poor thing!

In any case I think they can eat just about whatever they can find.
 
They love my chickens! :)

Good advice here. You won't save the animal by just providing it food, it's obviously sick and needs help. Find a wildlife vet to help diagnose and help the fox or shoot it now and don't force it to die in pain.
 
Thanks guys, I think I may contact a local animal preserve, they are no kill and would let this little guy live out the rest of his life on their property if he were no longer fit for the wild.
 
I would bet that purina probably makes a fox chow. They make rat chow, and foods for all the various zoo animals, so I would guess it would make sense that they probably make chow for fur farms as well. ie mink chow, and fox chow. Don't know for sure though.
 
Mink chow is mostly... mink! Or so I've heard... the ranches around here are big on recycling.
 
bigbcustom said:
I would bet that purina probably makes a fox chow. They make rat chow, and foods for all the various zoo animals, so I would guess it would make sense that they probably make chow for fur farms as well. ie mink chow, and fox chow. Don't know for sure though.
Click to expand...

They do make a fox chow for commercial fox ranches. But, it might be hard to find unless you live in an area where fox are raised commercialy for their pelts.

BB
 
Hey Guys....

I say if it looks really bad,, Zap it with the .22...
It may sound cruel,, but the real cruelty is it being sick and freezing to death...

Unless it is coming close,, theres a very good possibility you won't catch it in a live trap...

We once caught a Skunker in a live trap...

My wife says: " Now What ??" LOL

Hey GF..

GibsonFan said:
Mink chow is mostly... mink! Or so I've heard... the ranches around here are big on recycling.
Click to expand...

I watched a program about chickens...

Do you know what they do with all those baby chickens they hatch on these Huge farms ??

The baby chicks come sliding down this Huge stainless chute..

They are sorted by sex..

Females go down one chute into boxes with other baby chicks..
The males go down another chute,,straight into a big food processor and get blended into Goo...

It's then mexed with powdered dog food,, and pumped through a machine like a slurry and fed to minks...

Nice...


ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
If he's hanging out close to humans, he might have something worse than mange (rabies). I'd suggest having the appropriate local or state agency take care of it. It's the most sensible and safe thing to do for both domestic and wild animals, not too mention humans.
 
you don't happen to live in deptford near almoneson rd do you saw one limping across the road the other day.
 
Sorry to drift off topic, but...

I believe you about the chicken "waste" Normark... I'm not one of those PETA yahoos by any means, but an uncle used to work at a mink ranch and I visited him there once when I was a kid. He's the one that told me the mink are shredded up into feed once they're skinned. Seriously, it will turn your freakin' stomach :( Imagine veal in a tiny cage, except they're MEAN. And they stink. Again, I'm no bleeding heart, but mink belong in the wild not in a cage. Just my opinion, a million rich women can't be wrong I guess.

Sorry to sound cruel (not really) but unless a vet or qualified animal guy gets involved, I think the .22 is the most safe (for you and your pets) and humane (for the fox) treatment for that fox. Like I said, just my opinion.
 
In jersey you will have animal control office.
Call them.

Most likely they are going to set a live-trap, and tell you to call when it's caught. That is, after you catch a racoon, 3 stray cats and a possum.

If you say it's coming up to the hosue and hanging around, I'd put some savory meat out for it in a live trap.

Animal control will determine if it needs to be put down, and take care of it for you.
 
Shotgunner, try to get in touch with the local Audobon society. If they can't help you directly, they may have names of any wildlife rescue people in the area.
 
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