FOXES

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The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) prefers to inhabit wooded areas and partially open brush land with little human presence, while the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) prefers woodland edges along open fields, meadows, and lawns. 

   About the weight of a house cat (10–12 lbs.), they don’t often attack dogs or people. Foxes are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, typically ranging one to two miles for a diet of mice, rats, rabbits, groundhogs, birds, fruits, and some grasses. 

   A common nuisance encounter with foxes is dens established underneath a porch or in a yard during the spring to raise pups. Foxes generally use more than one den to raise their pups and may move them  2–4 times. They will typically vacate the den by the end of June at the latest. These dens aren’t used during other seasons, but maybe returned to in future years. Fox dens may have multiple entrances, especially for dens used to raise young; entrances are about 7–9 inches in diameter. Fox dens can be distinguished by throw mounds, which are areas of trampled dirt, near entrances.

Foxes may carry Rabies, Distemper, and Mange.