Animals

I’ve always loved animals and incredibly blessed to have badgers and foxes visit us.

Foxes.

I have several foxes visit us. Until recently I had one which I had been treating for bad mange. His poor back leg had crippled up and I felt I lose him. I patiently waited to give him his medicine and within 6 weeks he was looking better, sadly his leg never came back down. I nicknamed him Roo. He would wait in the bushes patiently waiting to be fed. Sadly its been at least 2 months since I last saw Roo.

Then there is Stumpy, a dog fox with a little Stubby tail. Stubby is unlike any fox I have never known, he is solid almost dog like, even his legs aren’t quite the skinny and fragile look of a normal urban fox. However having spoke to someone else who had known Stubby from birth, this was the way he was born. Stumpy has a beautiful wife, she has recently (in the last 5 weeks) given birth. She will wait on the pathway for me to put eggs down for her, she will then come and gently pick one up and run off to her Den

Next I have Olive, a young vixen, who will virtually come up to me, she hears my door and comes running down, knowing fresh chicken or eggs are going to be served she started to turn up later and later, and I haven’t seen her for q week.

Red, is a gorgeous boy, he’s only just started turning up and the other foxes have been less frequent. He watches me carefully from the road and will only venture near when the door has been shut. He will eat any dog food I put out and stand there eating or he will run off with 3 or 4 bits of chicken in his mouth.

Badgers

I have several badgers visit, they love the mealworm I put out or dog food wether it’s dry or tinned. I have a very young visiting. There is a family of 5, but most times its young one and two female badgers. The baby badger occasionally comes with his sibling, but the other young baby is more skittish. Very occasionally Brock the male will visit. If you have never heard a badger eat, they are very noisy and will tussle with each other using their bums to push each other out of the way.

We don’t have hedgehogs, if you have badgers visit and there are hedgehogs about, please do not feed badgers mealworms or peanuts.

I also have Ronnie and Reggie the magpies, they knock on the door for food and will annoy the foxes when they are eating. I have also recently got a young crow visiting. He sits on the railings near my cat, just slightly out of danger, but enough to annoy. Has the cat gets nearer he hops further away. It’s quite funny watching them interact with each other.