Help! I Found a Fox or Coyote!

Pennsylvania is home to red foxes, gray foxes and coyotes. They generally have litters of five to seven pups once a year, and both parents work to raise the young. Although they historically have a bad reputation, foxes and coyotes are actually non-confrontational animals that naturally help keep pest populations under control.

Foxes and coyotes are both Rabies Vector Species (RVS). Any mammal (including humans) can get rabies, but cases are most commonly reported in the RVS–foxes, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, and bats–or in stray cats or dogs. You should avoid handling RVS, but if it is necessary, always handle it with caution by wearing thick gloves. RVS cannot be relocated in PA. If trapping for any of these species, they must either be killed or released on the property where it was trapped.

Remember: It is illegal to keep and raise wildlife

Myth: Foxes and coyotes are not good to have around your home.

If You Find a Fox/Coyote That:

  • Is in an undisturbed den and is too young to walk or still has its eyes closed with no parent around

  • Approaches people or is excessively vocal

  • Appears sick or injured

  • Is sleeping in an exposed area

  • Has been in human care for more than 24 hours

  • Had both parents killed or trapped and removed

  • Was hit by a vehicle

  • Cannot evade humans and seems to have mange

This is an emergency. Receive immediate support here or contact your local wildlife rehabilitator.

If You Find a Fox/Coyote That:

  • Is in a disturbed den from human activity/excavation but the parents are still alive

  • Is in an undisturbed den

  • Has its eyes open and is outside the den playing during the day

This is normal! There is no need to intervene! Fox/coyote parents will relocate their young to a new den site if the previous one was destroyed. For more solutions to common problems with foxes or coyotes in human spaces, visit this page.

How To Save Baby and Juvenile Foxes and Coyotes

Never handle a fox or coyote with bare hands. Young pups that are smaller than an adult cat should be handled using thick Kevlar or leather gloves with a thick blanket placed over and around their body. Immediately transfer the pup to a designated container that allows them to breathe. Do not offer any food or water to any animal, even the babies.

Foxes and coyotes are known to occasionally relocate their young from one den to another. If a young fox or coyote is found outside of their den but a parent was recently seen nearby, leave it be! Watch the baby from a distance for one to two hours to allow a parent to return and finish relocating their babies. If a parent does not return after several hours, contact a wildlife rehabilitator.

This is a healthy Red Fox pup! Young foxes and coyotes, once their eyes open, start to explore outside the den. Really young pups will stay close to the den and should run back home when they spot people or pets. Older pups may be a little bolder and explore farther away from home.

Both fox parents care for their pups. Even if one parent is known to be deceased, as long as the pups are no longer nursing and one parent is alive, the pups will still be cared for. In late summer, pups will begin to hunt on their own.

How To Save Adult Foxes and Coyotes

Foxes and coyotes are opportunistic feeders that often find themselves in residential areas searching for an easy meal.

  • An adult fox/coyote that is seen roaming during the day but can escape humans is normal

  • An adult fox/coyote that is unable to escape humans is an emergency

  • A fox that/coyote has contracted severe mange needs medical attention from a wildlife rehabilitator.

We often receive calls about foxes or coyotes that appear to have mange. Although not impossible, it is highly unlikely that the mange would transfer to a healthy human or pet that has not been sleeping in the same area as the affected animal. Mange can come from a traumatic injury, such as predator attacks or being hit by a car. Both foxes and coyotes are considered Rabies Vector Species (RVS) in Pennsylvania, and capturing them presents a high risk of injury to humans, so direct contact should always be avoided.

If you believe a fox or coyote has mange, capturing them is a process that requires time and patience. A live trap and bait are needed, and the process can take several days to achieve. If you need to capture an adult fox/coyote, call your local wildlife rehabilitator for specific instructions. DO NOT attempt to medicate the animal in the field. For more solutions to common problems with foxes/coyotes in human spaces, visit this page.

Do you still have questions after reading the information above? Contact us or a local wildlife rehabilitator!

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Resources

  • Answering the Call of the Wild by Erin Luther. Toronto Wildlife Centre.