we were once wild here,

Written by KaisWayRidge Silver Foxes, photo by Raffaele Esposito

THINKING OF FOXES THIS YEAR?

So fox cub season is nearly upon us and the “Talk to me about fox keeping!” and “Fox breeders wanted!” posts are coming in thick and fast.

A pet fox might sound like a dream come true but they really are not for everyone and it’s not as simple to keep them as you might think.

There are several factors to take into account and there is nothing more soul destroying for dedicated animal enthusiasts and keepers than seeing animals purchased on a whim and later sold on by people who did no research and bit off more than they could chew.

Silver foxes (as the semi-domestic ex-fur farm descendants are know to differentiate between captive stock and wild red foxes) are stunningly beautiful, elegant and fascinating creatures so its little wonder that they are on so many peoples bucket lists. But what are they really like to keep?

Lets get the cons out of the way first shall we?

Foxes smell really bad. Foxes have BO and pee that smells quite a lot like weed…  And when I say they smell, I’m not talking about the sort of smell that disappears so long as the enclosure is kept free of urine and faeces. I’m talking about a smell that is on par with ferrets in its ability to linger and transfer to every surface they touch and that it is the animal themselves that stink.

Temperament can be anywhere on a sliding scale of “soft and fluffy like kittens” to “HOLY-SHIT-GET-IT-OFF-MY-FACE!!!”

Foxes are noisy. They usually like to pick the exact moment you get into bed or someone walks past your garden or the bloke comes to read your electricity metre to decide to have a screaming session. They generally time their screaming for maximum embarrassment. Some foxes are noisier than others but most will scream in excitement, when they’re angry, when they’re hungry or just when the mood takes them to be a noisy bastard.

They are seriously destructive. If its not nailed down, they’ll try to eat it. If it isn’t made of granite, they’ll chew it. They don’t care how expensive or hard-wearing your carpet is, they’ll dig it up. This and the next bullet point are the main reasons they don’t make suitable house pets at all.

They really don’t litter train. Foxes are not animals that naturally pick a latrine area and stick to defecating there alone. Instead they pee and poo wherever they happen to be standing when they feel the urge to go. They pee and poo when they’re excited, when they’re annoyed and when they just need to evacuate. Which is often.

They go through what fox keepers refer to as the ‘Autumn/October Crazies’. This is caused by a huge spike in hormones and can make even usually placid and friendly foxes unsociable, extremely noisy, snappy and even downright aggressive. Most calm back down once their hormones settle but some never completely revert back to what was previously normal temperament. Some foxes will experience a hormonal spike every year but their first autumn is usually the worst.

They need a lot of space. Remember me saying that they don’t make suitable house pets? Because of this, they need a large outdoor enclosure that is a bare minimum of 100sq feet in size. It needs to have a solid or completely wired base to prevent them from digging out. It needs to have a roof to prevent them climbing out. It needs to have suitable enrichment and climbing opportunities. Don’t be tempted to cut corners and use chicken wire because they’re entirely capable of breaking through it. Use heavy gauge mesh of good quality.

Their bites SUCK. Cubs play bite just like puppies and kittens. They also resource guard. Expect this and deal with it as positively as possible. A bite from an adult is no laughing matter.

Not all vets will so much as look at a pet fox so be organised and find a willing vet BEFORE you take the plunge.

People are often judgemental twats and are highly like to be horrified to find out that you keep these animals. DON’T glorify fox keeping. DON’T.

So are there any pros to keeping them? Well, yeah, if you can get passed all of the above.

They can bond really tightly with their owner. They can be extremely affectionate and they are incredibly fun to sit and watch. With effort and dedication, they can be engaging, rewarding and fun animals to work with.