I had never seen one of these before [actually, never even heard of]…until today. Turtles are one of my favorite creatures on the planet, and this one just topped my list…
If you have suddenly seen a fox in the yard near your home, there is a good reason for this. It is denning season. Between the end of March and early April, a mother fox will give birth to between 4 to 5 kits (a baby fox is called a kit). A coyote will often find a fox den, dig out the babies, and kill them. A mother fox knows this and will frequently choose a den site close to people, away from where coyotes generally go.
A fox will often den under a porch, shed, garage, barn, or side of a hill, trying to keep her little family safe.
Please offer them a short-term rental because this is not a permanent situation. If you are lucky enough to see how beautiful an adult fox is, or witness the kits playing (at a distance of course), you will be glad you did! It is not uncommon for Red Foxes to change dens several times during the season, so you may not see them for long.
Kits are slow to develop and will not leave the den until they are about a month old. Foxes do not live in a den year-round, only when a mother has babies. During the summer as the kits grow older, you will see less and less of them, and by September everyone will have packed up and moved on.
Please do not call a service to “relocate them”, they will often be killed. If you see a fox during the day, it does not mean she is rabid. A mother fox works tirelessly to feed her kits and will often be out during daylight hours foraging for food.
Foxes are omnivores, generally feeding on berries, grasses, and small rodents. They are solitary and prefer to be left alone. They do not want to hunt and eat your children, mate with your dog, or kill your cat. A fox just wants a place to raise her family safely, please allow her to do that.
Did you know a Box turtle only roams 1 mile its whole life? If it is removed from its area/home then for the rest of its life it will roam aimlessly stressed out… trying to find “home” until it dies a very sad death.
Please do not remove turtles. Do not take them home as pets. If a turtle is in the road you can help by moving it directly across the street in the direction it was heading.
Many people think it is harmless to let their children take home a docile turtle to play with and release it someplace they see appropriate. I was once that kid.
