If a fox is active during the day, is it sick or rabid?

One of the things that make homeowners wary about sighting a wild animal on their property is the possibility that such animals are carrying deadly diseases. One of the most revered diseases commonly transmitted from wild animals to humans is rabies. The worst thing about this disease is the fact that once left untreated and made to mature in humans and pets, it usually has no cure.

This is the reason why wild animals like foxes come to the top of the list of unwanted pests when it comes to rabies infection. Foxes are mainly nocturnal and coming out during the day is considered unusual behaviour. It should be noted that one of the symptoms of a rabid animal is unusual behaviour such as coming out during the day. 

This leads to the general misconception that all nocturnal animals sighted during the day are rabid.

This is however a wide misconception as there are many reasons why a fox may decide to venture out during the day. It may have to do with food shortage or other reasons. No matter the reason, it is wrong to assume that all day fox sightings are due to rabies. 

Fox Sickness

Foxes are not social animals and will typically avoid humans and other animals as much as they can, so they keep to themselves and hunt at night only, so it may seem a little weird to see them out during the day. However, as mentioned above, there are many reasons they can be out during the day. First, mother foxes may tend to go out more during the day because she has many mouths to feed and may not get enough chances to hunt at night. As a result, she makes up for it by going hunting during the day. It is not unusual for foxes to raid barns and animal keepsakes for little animals such as chickens.

Another reason why a fox may be out during the day is if it has somehow been displaced from its home and it is stranded with nowhere to return to. It is also not uncommon for baby foxes to wander out of their dens while the mother is not watching or sleeping. Usually, they find their way back to the den if they haven’t wandered far. Other times, they may wander around until they are sighted by a human being.

All of these reasons may make foxes come out during the day. It should however be noted that while it is not completely unusual for a fox to be sighted during the day, this does not rule out the possibility that it is not rabid. Therefore, caution should be exercised when a fox is sighted to prevent biting or scratching. If you do get bitten by a fox, you should seek medical attention immediately to avoid getting sick. Most clinics have rabies shots ready and you can get a shot within a few minutes. It is also a great idea to immunize yourself and your pets against rabies in case you have a run-in with a fox.

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