Foxes have a den under my shed. How do I get them to leave?

The kindest way is also the easiest: let them leave on their own, then make sure they cannot get back in. Foxes often use a den under a shed to raise cubs, and the family tends to move on once the cubs are big enough to roam. Your job is to wait, check the den is empty, and close it up properly. You do not need to harm them, and you should not try.

Never block a den with animals inside. Cubs trapped underground will die slowly, and adults will dig frantically to get to them. In many countries causing a wild animal unnecessary suffering is an offence. Rules on foxes vary, so if you are unsure, check with your local wildlife or animal welfare body before you act.

First, make sure it is foxes

Foxes leave a strong, musky smell, scraps of food and bones near the entrance, and in spring you may see cubs playing outside. A camera or a quiet look at dusk will usually tell you. Smaller holes with fresh soil and droppings could be rats instead: see holes under my shed, is it rats?

Also rule out badgers. In some countries, the UK among them, badgers and their setts are protected by law, and interfering with a sett is a serious matter. Badger holes are usually wider than they are tall, with big spoil heaps. If you think it might be badgers, leave it alone and ask your local wildlife body.

If there are cubs: wait

Foxes have one litter a year, and the cubs stay close to the den for a few months. Disturbing a den with young in it can push the mother to move them somewhere worse, or leave them. So unless the den is causing real damage, the best move is to put up with it for a while, keep pets away from it, and enjoy a view most people never get.

While you wait, take away the extras: no food left out for pets or birds near the shed, bins lidded, compost closed.

Check the den is empty

1. Loosely block each entrance with a few sticks crossed over it, a scrunched sheet of newspaper, or a scatter of loose soil. Nothing that would stop an animal pushing out.
2. Check every morning for several days. If anything has been moved, pushed out or dug through, something is still using it. Put it back and keep waiting.
3. Look for other ways in. Foxes often have more than one entrance. Check all sides of the shed.
4. Only when every entrance has stayed untouched for several days in a row, treat it as empty.

Close it so they do not come back

1. Fill the holes with soil and firm it down.
2. Fit strong mesh around the base of the shed. Fix it to the bottom edge, run it down into the ground, then bend it outwards in an L shape under the soil. A fox digging at the wall meets mesh and gives up.
3. Close any gaps where the shed meets the ground with timber or mesh. Our sealing gaps guide covers materials that hold up outdoors.
4. Do the same under decking and other raised spots nearby, or they may just move next door.

If you cannot wait

If the den is damaging the shed or you need the space urgently, call a humane wildlife service and ask how they handle foxes and cubs where you live. A good one will check for young first and will not trap, poison or seal animals in. Ask what method they use and whether it is legal locally before you agree.

If you find a cub alone, do not pick it up. The mother is often nearby. Watch from a distance, and if it still seems alone, hurt or in danger, call a local wildlife rescue. More on living alongside foxes is in our garden visitors guide, and if they are digging up the lawn too, see how to stop foxes digging up the lawn.