The following are some frequently asked questions about pest animals. You may be able to find more information about some of these questions from the relevant species page or by searching the database on this site.

Frequently Asked Questions about foxes

Q. When do foxes breed and how many young do they have?

A. Vixens only breed once during the annual breeding season, which runs from July to October in south eastern Australia. Peak breeding is in August. The average litter is four with a maximum of 10.

Q. Do all sexually mature animals breed?

A. Both sexes become sexually mature at about 10 months. The number of breeding females is highly variable. Non-breeding females are common in areas where there is little control, but there are few non-breeding vixens in populations where fox mortality is high. It is thought that dominant females suppress breeding in other foxes in dense fox populations. Non-breeding females may help breeding vixens to raise their cubs.

Q. How far do foxes move?

A. Foxes usually live in family groups with non-overlapping home ranges. Home range size in Australia varies from 30 hectares in some urban areas to about 500 hectares in alpine areas. The size seems to depend on the availability of food and other important resources such as den sites. Adult foxes rarely travel more than 10 kilometres in a day although under exceptional circumstances, dispersing foxes may move 100 kilometres or more in search of a new territory.

Q. Do foxes readily move into new areas?

A. Young male foxes are the greatest dispersers, usually in late summer through to the start of breeding in winter.

Q. What do foxes eat?

A. Foxes are mainly carnivorous, but they will take a variety of food including live prey, carrion, insects, fruits and berries. Across NSW, sheep, mice and rabbits were found to be the major food items of foxes. They even raid rubbish bins in major Australian cities. Although diet studies showed that native animals were found to be relatively uncommon in fox diets, foxes can nevertheless have a significant impact on them, especially rare native animals.

Q. What are the main causes of fox deaths?

A. The fox has few natural enemies although cubs can be taken by birds of prey and dogs. However, there is a rapid turnover of most fox populations. Most fox deaths are believed to be caused by humans, mange and the impact of drought on their primary prey, rabbits. Up to 80% of foxes die in their first year.

Q. What diseases do foxes carry?

A. Foxes can carry a number of important diseases and parasites including dog mange, hydatids and rabies. Foxes do not seem to have an important role in the cycling of hydatid disease in rural Australia although the situation for urban areas is less clear. Also, it is unlikely that the form of rabies carried by foxes would establish in Australia. Mange is a different matter. Foxes readily carry the mange mite and at times it causes major reductions in fox populations. Equally, foxes could assist in transmitting mange to other animals including dogs and wombats.

Q. What is the danger to non-target animals from fox control?

A. Several non-target animals may be at risk from 1080 poisoning for foxes. They include farm dogs, bandicoots and native tiger quolls. The risk to non-target animals should be carefully assessed before baiting. The risk of non-target losses can be minimised by strictly following recommended baiting procedures including using the appropriate bait and quantity of poison and by burying the bait. Free-feeding with non-poisoned bait and checking the tracks around the baits can help determine whether non-target animals are at risk.

Q. Do foxes bury (cache) baits for later?

A. A study at Boorowa, NSW found that like dogs, foxes will often take several baits and bury the excess for later. Approximately one third of the baits were cached. Most of the cached baits were retrieved by foxes within three days. However, the study showed that the recommended intensity of baiting would kill most susceptible foxes in the area even if they cached several baits.

Q. How long do poison baits remain effective?

A. 1080 poison breaks down through bacterial and mould action. Pen studies showed that baits would still kill foxes after 2 weeks in dry soil, but baits only contained about 25% of the original poison after 2 weeks in wet soil.

Q. What other fox control methods are available besides poisoning?

A. Several other techniques have been used to control foxes including shooting, fencing and trained guard dogs. Shooting does not seem to be an effective long-term control method. Shooters mainly take young foxes. The older animals that probably do most of the killing soon learn to avoid shooters. Fencing is also of doubtful value. Foxes are excellent climbers and it virtually impossible to keep foxes out except with expensive, well designed and maintained electric fences.
Some farming practices have shown promise such as using smaller lambing paddocks placed close to the farmhouse and shed lambing. Overseas, sheep and goat farmers have had considerable success with Mediterranean guard dog breeds.

Q. Are foxes a threat to native wildlife?

A. Recent studies have shown that foxes can seriously threaten some native wildlife, especially those in the critical weight range of 55g to 3.5kg. They include many small mammals, rock wallabies and ground dwelling birds including mallee fowl. It should be remembered that foxes are only one factor affecting the conservation of these native animals. Loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation has undoubtedly been the primary cause and also has probably given foxes better access to native shrub and to the native animals it contains. Often these other factors need to be addressed as well as fox control.