Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Size:

• Head-body length: 60–90 cm (plus tail 30–50 cm)
• Shoulder height: approx. 35–40 cm
• Weight: 5–9 kg (depending on region and season)

Look:

• Reddish-brown fur with a white underside
• Characteristic bushy tail with a white tip
• Triangular, erect ears
• Slender build, tracks like cats (no claw marks when walking slowly)

Way of life:

• Nocturnal, partly crepuscular
• Solitary individuals outside of the young-rearing period
• Service life of a building: many years
• Intelligent, shy, learns quickly from human behavior

Reproduction:

• Mating season: January–February
• Birth: March–April
• Litter size: 3–8 puppies
• Reared in the fox den, the young animals leave after about 4 weeks.

Nest locations:

• Fox dens in forest edges, embankments, under sheds or in gardens
• Common in villages and towns in Switzerland, especially in Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Winterthur

Nutrition:

• Omnivore
• Main food: Mice, rabbits, birds, eggs
• Additionally: fruit, berries, waste, insects
• Rummages through garbage cans, eats pet food

Behave:

• Adaptable and quick to learn, sometimes with little fear of people.
• Use fixed territories with marked boundaries
• Stool is conspicuously placed (territorial behavior)
• Sometimes active during the day in quiet areas
• Makes characteristic sounds: whining, barking, screaming

Building damage:

• Insulation material, cables, and insulation are destroyed.
• Scratch and bite marks in attics and walls
• Noise pollution from nighttime activity
• Feces and urine cause odor nuisance and material damage.

Hygiene problems:

• Feces, urine, and prey remains in buildings can cause disease and odor problems.
• Transmission of roundworms (Baylisascaris procyonis) is possible.
• Contamination from foraging in garbage or animal feed

Disease transmission:

• Fox tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis): Parasitic zoonosis – dangerous for humans (liver infestation)
• Rabies: Eradicated in Switzerland since 1999, still monitored in border regions
• Sarcoptic mange: Skin disease – transmissible to pets (e.g., dogs)
• Transmits fleas, ticks, roundworms, salmonella (via carrion and feces)

Property protection:

• Seal compost, waste and leftover feed
• Do not leave food scraps outdoors.
• Regularly remove feces, especially in kindergartens and playgrounds.

Building:

• Block access to terraces, sheds and hollow spaces
• Fencing off gardens (at least 1.5 m high, buried at the bottom)

Farm animal welfare:

• Lock stables at night
• Reinforce aviaries with wire, secure doors and floors