We use disposable plastic trays from the supermarket to feed the foxes. When we take out one dish, we bring in the other, but lately the dishes have been disappearing. Obviously, the critters are carrying them off into the “back forty”. The Gas and Electric company hasn’t been mowing back there for a while, and a large fallen tree has prevented us from getting there ourselves. I’m not keen on traipsing through knee-high weeds to find a plastic tray, but it’s frustrating.
No idea why the foxes are carrying them off, but The Squire thinks maybe they are using them for shingles on their den. Whatever it is, at this rate they’ll have a service for twelve in black plastic.
If I could figure out how to shrink this picture it would help. Anyway, this is the tree that prevents The Squire from mowing the back forty. Just below the split in the tree you can see a small break in the grass; that is the path the animals have worn going back and forth. We call it the “Fox Trot”.
The dish was gone again this morning. I’m going to stop at the thrift store and see if I can snag an angel food pan. Pound a stake into the ground and drop the pan over it, and that ought to keep the little dickens from carrying it away.
thisendoftheswamp 
Let me know how the angel food pan works. We feed feral cats and the raccoons come by to clean up. In their haste they take off with the dishes, We have had to resort to using heavy bowls that are designed for preventing dogs from using their bowls as toys. It has worked for us.
We started out using Blazer’s old heavy aluminum dish, which got carried off. One night I had some leftover juice, which for some reason I didn’t want to mix with their food, so I left it in a soup bowl, and THAT went missing! Now, we’re all out of plastic trays, so we’re just dumping the food on the grass. As long as they don’t start digging up THAT we’re OK.
Sounds like a plan else you will have lots of empty plastic trays out there in the woods. Wily little foxes – smart critters aren’t they!