You might hear a fox calling after dark or catch one trotting across a garden late at night, but by the time morning arrives, it seems to have completely disappeared.
So where do foxes go during the day?
Foxes don’t simply vanish when the sun comes up. They usually spend the daylight hours resting somewhere quiet and sheltered, often surprisingly close to people.
Are Foxes Nocturnal?
Foxes are often described as nocturnal because they are commonly seen at night, but this isn’t quite the whole story.
Red foxes can be active at different times of the day. Many are particularly active around dusk and dawn, when there is less human activity and they can search for food with less disturbance.
In towns and cities, foxes may become more nocturnal because nighttime offers them a quieter environment.
This means a fox seen during daylight isn’t automatically behaving unusually.
Where Do Foxes Sleep During the Day?
During the day, foxes usually look for somewhere quiet, sheltered and relatively undisturbed where they can rest.
Depending on where they live, this might include:
- Dense bushes or thick vegetation
- Woodland and scrub
- Long grass
- Under sheds or other garden buildings
- Beneath decking
- Overgrown areas
- Embankments
- Quiet corners of industrial or railway land
- Fox earths and underground dens
A resting fox doesn’t necessarily need an underground den. An adult fox may simply curl up in thick vegetation or another concealed spot where it feels safe.
This is one reason foxes can live remarkably close to humans without being seen very often.
Do Foxes Live in Dens During the Day?
Foxes use underground dens, often called earths, but they don’t necessarily spend every day sleeping underground.
Earths are particularly important when foxes are raising cubs. A fox may dig its own earth, enlarge an existing hole or make use of another suitable underground space.
Outside the breeding and cub-rearing period, adult foxes can have several different resting places within their territory and may move between them.
So the fox you see crossing your garden at night might spend the following day under thick bushes rather than inside a traditional underground den.
Where Do Urban Foxes Hide?
Urban foxes have become extremely good at finding quiet spaces within human environments.
A garden that looks ordinary to us can contain excellent hiding places for a fox. Thick hedges, brambles, spaces beneath sheds and areas behind garages can all provide shelter.
They may also rest on unused land, in parks, along railway corridors or anywhere that offers enough cover and relatively little disturbance.
In fact, a fox may be resting only a short distance from houses while remaining completely hidden from view.
Why Do Foxes Come Into Gardens During the Day?
Seeing a fox in your garden during daylight can be surprising, but daytime activity alone isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.
A fox might be out during the day because it is:
- Searching for food
- Moving between resting places
- Returning to its territory
- Feeding or caring for cubs
- Taking advantage of a quiet area
- Simply accustomed to human activity
Foxes adapt their routines to their surroundings. If an area is peaceful and they don’t feel threatened, there may be little reason for them to wait until darkness.
Do Foxes Sleep All Day?
Not necessarily.
Foxes rest for significant periods, but their daily routine isn’t as simple as sleeping throughout the day and waking at night.
They may wake, move around, groom themselves, change resting locations or search for food before settling down again.
Their activity can also change with the season, availability of food and whether they have cubs to care for.
Do Foxes Return to the Same Place Every Day?
Sometimes, but not always.
Foxes generally have territories containing several useful places for resting, shelter and food. A particularly safe location may be used repeatedly, while at other times a fox may choose somewhere different.
If you regularly see a fox disappearing behind the same hedge or crossing your garden along exactly the same route, your garden may form part of its normal territory.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the fox lives there permanently.
How Can Foxes Disappear So Easily?
One of the reasons foxes seem to disappear during daylight is that they are extremely good at using cover.
A patch of brambles, long vegetation or a thick hedge that doesn’t look particularly substantial to us can provide enough concealment for a resting fox.
Their reddish coat may appear conspicuous in the open, but among vegetation, leaves, earth and shadows, foxes can be surprisingly difficult to spot.
They also learn the quieter routes through their territories and can move between gardens and patches of cover without attracting much attention.
What Should You Do If You Find a Fox Sleeping in Your Garden?
In most cases, leave it alone and give it space.
If the fox has chosen a quiet corner of your garden to rest and isn’t causing a problem, it will often move on by itself.
Avoid approaching, cornering or attempting to touch a wild fox. Dogs should also be kept away from a resting fox where possible.
If a fox appears seriously injured, trapped or unable to move normally, contact an appropriate wildlife rescue organisation for advice rather than attempting to handle it yourself.
So, Where Do Foxes Go During the Day?
Usually, not very far.
While we’re going about our daily lives, foxes may be sleeping beneath bushes, resting in woodland, hiding under a shed or curled up in an overgrown patch only a short distance away.
Their ability to find quiet spaces and adapt their behaviour is one of the reasons red foxes have become so successful at living alongside humans.
So the next time you hear a fox outside at night and wonder where it disappears to when morning comes, remember:
it could be spending the day much closer than you think.