Dad Leaves A Detailed Feeding Schedule To Keep This ‘Random’ Fox Happy While He’s Away, His Daughter Thinks He Lost It
We all know that dads might say that they might not want to have a pet, but they quickly fall in love with them. Like one dad who freaked out when he lost his daughter’s hamster. Or all the dads who have ever said they don’t want a dog but ended up best pals with them.
In this case, we’ve got a great foxy story for you. A story about a dad and his newfound love for a wild fox. Amy MacMillan from East Kilbride, Scotland, shared that her dad has “lost the plot” because he adores his new fox friend so much that he’s feeding it extravagant meals (and expecting everyone else to do the same).
Not only that, he hung up a schedule for divine food to be left out for the fox by the family while he’s on holiday. True friendship between a man and a fox? Or a tad over the top? That’s for you to decide, dear Pandas!
Image credits: Patrick van IJzendoorn (not the actual photo)
Amy’s dad went on holiday and posted a schedule to feed the random fox that he became friends with
Image credits: amymacmillanX
Image credits: amymacmillanX
The fox eats better than some students we know
Image credits: amymacmillanX
Amy’s dad wears the fox keyring she gave
Image credits: amymacmillanX
The wild fox has been experiencing gastronomic delights for the past few months now. Amy’s dad feeds it two meals per day: dinner and supper.
The choices for dinner are chicken or chicken drumsticks. While for supper we have an excellent selection of dog stick chews with a handful of biscuits to accompany them. With the culinary attention this fox is getting, you’d think it was related to those food-loving, constantly-ravenous hobbits from ‘The Lord of the Rings.’
Amy even bought her dad a fox keychain in case he misses his wild fox buddy on his holiday. Naturally, he sent her a photo where he’s attached it to his backpack.
Ma pal just sent me this am lost for words pic.twitter.com/hBeYs44p55
— Amy Macmillan (@amymacmillanX) December 27, 2019
Like any other wild animals, foxes can cause some problems in civilized areas. For example, they’re known to raid trash cans, mark their territory, and dig up flower beds. And they can even gobble up smaller pets.
So if you want to keep your chrysanthemums and pet bunnies safe, the first thing you need to do is not leave food outside for foxes.
You also need to have trash cans made of tough materials that also have tightly secured lids, so that animals can’t get in. And if you absolutely have to keep small pets in your backyard, use welded mesh, not chicken wire for the enclosure.
What do you think of Amy’s dad’s friendship with the fox, dear Readers? Do you think that it’s fed well enough, or is that just the right way to treat any foxy-buddy? Do you think that Amy’s dad will keep feeding it after he comes back from holiday? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Twitter users adored the friendship between the man and the fox
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When I was a teenager, I was at a boyfriends house, talking to him in the kitchen. He said "He's back." I said "Who?" He said "This raccoon. He's hard to feed. We've left bologna out for him, baked chicken, bread...he doesn't want any of it." I said "Put a raw egg out there." He said "Ok..but he won't eat it." Sure enough the little bugger broke it open and started lapping it up. Shocked, my boyfriend said "How did you know about that?" I said "You're probably going to laugh..but I learned it from watching Little House on the Prairie..." He laughed.
That's an awesome story, haha. I was just thinking about that show the other day, too.
Load More Replies...Sweet story, but...I have two foxes that visit my back yard regularly. I never, ever feed them. It's the worst thing you can do. They get more than enough food from the mice, voles, and the random rat we get once in a while. They're wild animals, they can take care of themselves. Beautiful creatures, I would never do anything to harm them.
In this current world, habitats are stolen so they cannot live on the usual diet of wild " pests" because people poison them or take over areas and purge it of anything they had to survive. Searching in areas that have been violent humans is risky enough. A bit of kindness and a meal is a small price to pay to keep them in existence.
Load More Replies...I am sorry but please do not feed wild animals. In this case a fed fox is a dead fox. The same goes for bears, etc. The wild animals become accustomed to being around humans or those areas the inhabit and eventually there is a clash and the animal is killed either accidentally or must be destroyed by wildlife officers. The animals may be cute but feeding them is not. The best thing you can do for the animal is to discourage them from coming around humans.
100% AGREE! I house sat in the burbs and across the street was a dilapidated shed. A fox and her kits lived under the stairs. There were large signs to leave them alone, don't feed them, and don't try to get their attention or pick them up. If a human tries to pick up a "fluffy cute fox" and gets bitten or scratched, bye-bye fox. A fox who stop looking for food will likely become food.
Load More Replies...I feed the opossums here to keep them near my house. I now have a tick-free yard.
And in London we beg people not to feed them because they are literally taking over. Digging over everything in the garden, screaming at night and just generally being a massive pain in the a**e. You can't go round the corner at night without seeing at least one.
I am confused. what is the issue. Her dad seems perfectly normal.
Amy, stop worrying about your dad's sound mind and join the fight against extremely cruel blood sports, like the fox hunting.
I love this story! I don't have a fox in southeast Texas but I have strays I feed, along with a couple super fat raccoons. And when we're away, you better believe they're still fed properly! I also have a couple places around town that I leave food for the feral cats. My town has them all over.. Some ppl think I'm crazy, and I also get thanked a lot.. my fav part is to see the cats that brought friends.. It's like they told them where to get food.. lol.. Thanks for the story. I love to know how kind ppl are around the world!
We do the same here in London! A huge tin of dog food for foxy and family. There really is not so much to eat around here, but at least our cats are safe.
I have a squirrel I feed every day. A very specific number of peanuts (2 handfuls), almonds (4) , walnuts (3 halves) and pecans (3 halves). He also get 1 ear of dried corn and 2 handfuls of sunflower seeds. If I had to go away, I would expect someone to follow exactly this.
BRAVO anytime a human helps one of HIS animal friends you score points in Heaven.
if you feed them, then they wont tear your garbage apart looking for food.
I adore foxes, BUT FEEDING THEM CAN ENDANGER THEM. Foxes are wary of humans with good cause. Those who become "friendly" with humans risk running afoul of those who are scared of foxes or who might try to pick them up, get bitten/scratched, and the fox pays the ultimate price. It also sets up the fox not to find its own food.
Considering that our local wildlife is being depleted due to massive areas of land being built over, I see no problem in feeding wildlife. And to all of the cat owners on here who believe that they are the responsible ones for keeping cats indoors - no, you’re not. Cats are not here just to amuse us. They deserve to have a fulfilling life where they can roam free. My cat loves exploring the garden, sleeping in the greenhouse and roaming the woods. My neighbours love him. He’s timid and hides from people he doesn’t know, but that’s the way he’s been since he was a kitten and it’s good because it makes him very wary of strangers and cars. To me and my family, he can’t receive enough attention. He will keep squawking (that’s how he meows) until I give him kisses. There are reasons to keep cats indoors, for instance, when they can’t defend themselves, or blind, or if you’re in an area with endangered species of birds etc. However, I am a responsible owner too.
If you did that in Australia, I think you'd be heavily fined. They are a pest here.
When I go away, I make certain all the outdoor critters have food and water, as well as. Sting for my indoor cats and plants, my house sitter feeds outdoor birds, opossums, raccoons, Fox, coyotes, and feral cats ( also have warm outdoor shelters for them in bad weather . If I can stop any from being road kill and such, it's good peace of mind. I have a wonderful person who knows and cares as much as I do, so all is well if we are away.
Not sting... autocarrot, caring for...!
Load More Replies...What is wrong with you people!! Never feed wild animals. Or write "adorable stories" about people feeding them and give idiots of the internet the idea to do the same. I thought this was an obvious fact, but apparently not?
Stop overreacting. He has a right to live without people screeching at him for every kindhearted descision he makes.
Load More Replies...We have a busy road near my house that people love to speed down. This of course leads to a few animal deaths. There is a fox who lives near me, and understandably would get spooked when he saw a human. This is would be fine, if it didn't mean that getting spooked could mean running into the path of a fast car. I haven't fed it, but I do seem to have developed a sort of connection with the animal- now that it knows that I am not a threat, it will run by me to escape the busy road. If a piece of food has been left on the ground next to me, the fox has no problem approaching me and taking his snack. This started a few years ago. I've done this with various animals (cats, deer, etc), and a few more foxes. I'm sure by now that my first fox friend has passed away, but it is nice to know that the animals now know that I am not a bigger threat than a fast car or heavy truck.
As a responsible cat owner, screw anyone who lets their cats roam outdoors.
Load More Replies...When I was a teenager, I was at a boyfriends house, talking to him in the kitchen. He said "He's back." I said "Who?" He said "This raccoon. He's hard to feed. We've left bologna out for him, baked chicken, bread...he doesn't want any of it." I said "Put a raw egg out there." He said "Ok..but he won't eat it." Sure enough the little bugger broke it open and started lapping it up. Shocked, my boyfriend said "How did you know about that?" I said "You're probably going to laugh..but I learned it from watching Little House on the Prairie..." He laughed.
That's an awesome story, haha. I was just thinking about that show the other day, too.
Load More Replies...Sweet story, but...I have two foxes that visit my back yard regularly. I never, ever feed them. It's the worst thing you can do. They get more than enough food from the mice, voles, and the random rat we get once in a while. They're wild animals, they can take care of themselves. Beautiful creatures, I would never do anything to harm them.
In this current world, habitats are stolen so they cannot live on the usual diet of wild " pests" because people poison them or take over areas and purge it of anything they had to survive. Searching in areas that have been violent humans is risky enough. A bit of kindness and a meal is a small price to pay to keep them in existence.
Load More Replies...I am sorry but please do not feed wild animals. In this case a fed fox is a dead fox. The same goes for bears, etc. The wild animals become accustomed to being around humans or those areas the inhabit and eventually there is a clash and the animal is killed either accidentally or must be destroyed by wildlife officers. The animals may be cute but feeding them is not. The best thing you can do for the animal is to discourage them from coming around humans.
100% AGREE! I house sat in the burbs and across the street was a dilapidated shed. A fox and her kits lived under the stairs. There were large signs to leave them alone, don't feed them, and don't try to get their attention or pick them up. If a human tries to pick up a "fluffy cute fox" and gets bitten or scratched, bye-bye fox. A fox who stop looking for food will likely become food.
Load More Replies...I feed the opossums here to keep them near my house. I now have a tick-free yard.
And in London we beg people not to feed them because they are literally taking over. Digging over everything in the garden, screaming at night and just generally being a massive pain in the a**e. You can't go round the corner at night without seeing at least one.
I am confused. what is the issue. Her dad seems perfectly normal.
Amy, stop worrying about your dad's sound mind and join the fight against extremely cruel blood sports, like the fox hunting.
I love this story! I don't have a fox in southeast Texas but I have strays I feed, along with a couple super fat raccoons. And when we're away, you better believe they're still fed properly! I also have a couple places around town that I leave food for the feral cats. My town has them all over.. Some ppl think I'm crazy, and I also get thanked a lot.. my fav part is to see the cats that brought friends.. It's like they told them where to get food.. lol.. Thanks for the story. I love to know how kind ppl are around the world!
We do the same here in London! A huge tin of dog food for foxy and family. There really is not so much to eat around here, but at least our cats are safe.
I have a squirrel I feed every day. A very specific number of peanuts (2 handfuls), almonds (4) , walnuts (3 halves) and pecans (3 halves). He also get 1 ear of dried corn and 2 handfuls of sunflower seeds. If I had to go away, I would expect someone to follow exactly this.
BRAVO anytime a human helps one of HIS animal friends you score points in Heaven.
if you feed them, then they wont tear your garbage apart looking for food.
I adore foxes, BUT FEEDING THEM CAN ENDANGER THEM. Foxes are wary of humans with good cause. Those who become "friendly" with humans risk running afoul of those who are scared of foxes or who might try to pick them up, get bitten/scratched, and the fox pays the ultimate price. It also sets up the fox not to find its own food.
Considering that our local wildlife is being depleted due to massive areas of land being built over, I see no problem in feeding wildlife. And to all of the cat owners on here who believe that they are the responsible ones for keeping cats indoors - no, you’re not. Cats are not here just to amuse us. They deserve to have a fulfilling life where they can roam free. My cat loves exploring the garden, sleeping in the greenhouse and roaming the woods. My neighbours love him. He’s timid and hides from people he doesn’t know, but that’s the way he’s been since he was a kitten and it’s good because it makes him very wary of strangers and cars. To me and my family, he can’t receive enough attention. He will keep squawking (that’s how he meows) until I give him kisses. There are reasons to keep cats indoors, for instance, when they can’t defend themselves, or blind, or if you’re in an area with endangered species of birds etc. However, I am a responsible owner too.
If you did that in Australia, I think you'd be heavily fined. They are a pest here.
When I go away, I make certain all the outdoor critters have food and water, as well as. Sting for my indoor cats and plants, my house sitter feeds outdoor birds, opossums, raccoons, Fox, coyotes, and feral cats ( also have warm outdoor shelters for them in bad weather . If I can stop any from being road kill and such, it's good peace of mind. I have a wonderful person who knows and cares as much as I do, so all is well if we are away.
Not sting... autocarrot, caring for...!
Load More Replies...What is wrong with you people!! Never feed wild animals. Or write "adorable stories" about people feeding them and give idiots of the internet the idea to do the same. I thought this was an obvious fact, but apparently not?
Stop overreacting. He has a right to live without people screeching at him for every kindhearted descision he makes.
Load More Replies...We have a busy road near my house that people love to speed down. This of course leads to a few animal deaths. There is a fox who lives near me, and understandably would get spooked when he saw a human. This is would be fine, if it didn't mean that getting spooked could mean running into the path of a fast car. I haven't fed it, but I do seem to have developed a sort of connection with the animal- now that it knows that I am not a threat, it will run by me to escape the busy road. If a piece of food has been left on the ground next to me, the fox has no problem approaching me and taking his snack. This started a few years ago. I've done this with various animals (cats, deer, etc), and a few more foxes. I'm sure by now that my first fox friend has passed away, but it is nice to know that the animals now know that I am not a bigger threat than a fast car or heavy truck.
As a responsible cat owner, screw anyone who lets their cats roam outdoors.
Load More Replies...
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