My Pet Fox

Hello. Here are answers to your questions.

I stumbled upon your blog “My Pet Fox” while doing a search for rabies vaccination for foxes. You seem to have concluded that a rabies vaccination for foxes is not readily available at this time, nor known to be effective. I’m just guessing that you have done some research on the topic and was wondering if you know of any current research in the field/good starting place. I will be rooming with someone who recently got a pet fox and I’m trying to help out with that because it is something that is pretty important to me. I’m sure you get these types of questions all the time and if you can’t/don’t have time to help me don’t worry about responding :)

I would like to say that I found your blog to be helpful to my search and that I do plan on reading through it just to get an idea of what living with a fox will be like. :)

Thanks! What I mean to say is that nobody has invented a rabies cure that is specifically to be used on foxes. There is one for canines. There is one for felines. However, both of these could harm your fox if administered. My vet vaccinated Swiper with the rabies vaccine that is known to kill the rabies infection in ferrets. Until more tests are done on fox vaccinations, we don’t have a “pet fox” rabies vaccine. As always, it takes an experienced exotic vet to tell you what’s best for your pet fox.

So I have a question that I hope maybe you could answer or possibly help me come up with a solution for the issue I am having with my 6 week old red vixen
….Ok so she apparently has this weird/evil like obsession with towels, she sees them folded on the shelf in the bathroom and attacks them. Acting as if she is trying to kill it while growling ( not a play growl either ) and if you try to take it away from her she goes nuts growling, squealing, flipping around and all that. This morning after washing my hair I wrapped it in a towel and came out and sat on the couch and she climbed on top of my head and began to attack the towel on my head. I had to turn my head upside down to get her and the towel off….So then I went in and dried my hair with the blow dryer and came back out and sat down again, this time she tried attacking the hair on the top of my head, I grabbed her before she had a chance to bite my head and she growled at me.

Now any other time ( no towels involved ) she will just come up to me and either curl up on my chest or even on my shoulders under my hair lol.

Any suggestions? I don’t really know how to go about this, I mean I don’t want her attacking my head all the time now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

o__o Well, first of all, I would try and keep the towels in the linen closet and away from her reach.
This is something pretty new to me. Is it really JUST towels? Like … she’s fine with blankets and t-shirts… but when the fabric is an absorbent rectangle, she goes crazy? I guess there are a few ways to try and approach this. We want her to LIKE the towels and DISLIKE destroying them. I would try introducing a washrag or small piece of a towel to her while she is calm. See how she reacts. If it doesn’t bother her, keep demonstrating that the towels aren’t trying to harm her and she doesn’t have to kill them. Another idea would be the introduction of a Squirt bottle. Most foxes like to avoid getting wet. If you catch her terrorizing your poor towels, give her a spritz. She’ll start to realize that she gets sprayed every time she rips into a towel. Now you just have to hope she retains that lesson!

I’m not sure if you’re still accepting these or not but I really found your blog informative. Although I’m not at the time in my life where I’m ready to own a fox I definitely want to get one in the future. I’ve done a ton of research but am still curious of the smell. I want an Arctic fox and they’re know to have the same musty smell as a Red fox but the opinions of it seems to differ depending on the individual. Whether the fox smells or not I plan to get them neutered ( which is also known to decrease the smell drastically). I just wanted to know if lighting candle or air freshener could alleviate the smell for a while that a guest may come over? I could live with the musty smell of a fox, it really wouldn’t bother me, but I wouldn’t want the smell to ruin having guest over.

I’m sorry to say… your fox will almost certainly ruin your dinner parties. The natural fox smell we’re talking about here is so pungent that you could compare it to a skunk. No amount of candles or smelling salts could cover the malodorous stench that will come from a fox/fox excrement. We’re talking entire-house-smells-bad. This is because of their scent gland that I talk about all the time. If you get your fox fixed, this shrinks the gland by ~80%. Although domestic foxes imported from Russia come neutered and virtually scent-free. Hmmm… decisions, decisions…

…My dream is that one day I would be able to own a fox (maybe even two :p) when I’m about 22 and out of the nest and I wouldn’t care for which kind of fur it has, although my ideal would be a red fox ( and a white fox (probably a polar one) but I think those aren’t meant to be pets(but I could be wrong :) )) I would care for them deeply till the day they die. Also I wouldn’t want a dog like I had before, because it would make me feel like doing the dog wrong, because I would be searching for her in the new dog and that wouldn’t be fair. She was the best dog ever in my opinion :).

I do have some questions though: (do you have reliable sites on where :))

1. I can find where it is legal to have one?

2. where I can find breeders from all over the world?

3. How is it like owning a pet?

4. What made you want one and how did you get one?

Well, I’m so excited I can only think of boring questions>.< I’m sorry!:/…

1. Google. (JUST TRUST ME ON THIS.)

2. See above.

3. Stressful and rewarding. Almost like having a baby. You need to be a selfless person to give a fox a good home.

4. I’ve always loved foxes. And challenges. Once I fell in love with Swiper, there was no going back.

I like your attitude toward animals. This was a thoughtful email and I wish you the best of luck!

Hi Lupe
Im very interested in getting a pet fox in the future and would love to ask some questions. I live in -removed-. Does this mean I can legally get a fox? Also, I have no room outside for an enclosure, so I am wondering if a fox can be kept inside. I haver multiple rooms I could dedicate for the fox, and all the time in the world to take the fox outside to play. I have only seen videos of foxes with outdoor enclosures. I know a place to put the fox is vital in training and living, so Im thinking a very large cage inside a room? I would be scared to leave the fox in the room alone I don’t want it taring a whole in the wall! Maybe with proper toys in the room and things it can climb on it would not resort to this while I am gone? I would really love a fox but I want to make it thrives in its surroundings. Thank you so much for your time

While I like foxes very much, I’m not very good with individual state and county laws. That’s something you’ll have to do your own research on, friends. If you’re serious, get proactive and contact state wildlife officials. Those guys have great answers.

Now… your fox might like it inside. But that still doesn’t mean you should try to make your pet an indoor fox. They can be very destructive to property when they are bored/restless. I don’t really condone the idea of an indoor fox because I watched Swiper react to his new surroundings after we moved. He no longer had a huge fenced backyard so I frequently had to take him on loooong hikes so he could work out his pent-up energy.

I recommend a large outdoor kennel with a roof and reinforced floors & walls. It might not be in the cards right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for the future. :)

…So I own an arctic fox, about 2.5 months old. She has an outdoor pen, but we let her in the house all the time. She’s amazing, cute, cuddly, and a great pet. She seems happy, and loves attention. The only issue is, of course, I can’t seem to potty train her at all. I’m a bit lost on it. Do you go the dog route or the cat route? She has a litter box, which she pees in, but refuses to do anything else with it. She’s skeptical about walks.

Do you have any advice, as a fellow pet owner?

Fox pee seems to be a real issue. (heh.) I went the cat route with Swiper. Introducing him to the litter box was a quick and resounding success. He learned the litter box within his first week home. But I know others don’t have the same success. Does she get rewards for using the litter box? Like small training treats or affection? Remember to always reward her for doing good, and keep AT LEAST 2 clean litter boxes around for her to use until she warms up to the idea.

love your blog and see that a lot of photos come from instagram.
Does mypetfox have an instagram?

Sadly, no. Swiper is a hipster. He doesn’t use Instagram. He only uses Hipstamatic… but you probably never heard of it. *flips hair and sips soy latte*

Hello Lupe!

First off I wanted to say, thank you for your awesome blog site. I really enjoyed reading it. I know it isn’t recomended, but I’ve been looking into getting a fox. I’m not asking where to get one or anything like that, I promise. I’m going to wait for a couple of years until I can better provide for it for years on end and give it the attention it deserves. I realize it is tons of work and I’ve written about a mini-book of notes on fox care. I just had a few questions if you don’t mind.

1. I know all foxes are different, but as far as you know, are foxes different in behavior when it comes to gender? You described how Swiper can be at 5 months of age when wild foxes leave their mother. You mentioned it was a male thing, does this mean females don’t do this?

2. Is Swiper afraid of anything like thunderstorms? I had a pet once who would go crazy when thunderstorms would occur and would frequently pee during those times. Again, all foxes are different, but what have you heard?

3. Speaking of accidents, it doesn’t sound like Swiper has too many. My dog still wets sometimes when she is scared or excited. Odd question, but does Swiper lift his leg or squat or anything when he uses the bathroom?

4. In your opinion, why do you think red foxes are illegal? I know because in some states, you can’t have local pets like red foxes. Why do you think that is?

5. Last, I know my rights, but I tend to get nervous at times when questioned. I will get a fox that is completely legal and well cared for, but what exactly do you do when an idiot like that cop tries to take your fox away? I mean, you protested and such but is there anything specific you said besides that he wasn’t a red fox?

Thank you SO Much for your time and answers in advanced. I hoped I asked questions you don’t get as often. :)

1. Honestly, the females do tend to linger around their homes to help provide for their families and kits (aww.) But mature males often venture out to different territories to meet new foxy ladies. This helps avoid inbreeding. (eww.)

2. Swiper heard fireworks on the 4th of July and got pretty nervous. Other than that, he is pretty adventurous. He’s the adventurous type of animal that will try anything at LEAST once.

3. I’ve heard a lot of owners have trouble with foxes peeing at inappropriate times. Swiper did that for a while. I thought he would pee when he got nervous… but he grew out of it eventually and got really good at the litter box. Of course he would still “mark” anything he found interesting, but to answer the important question: SWIPER SQUATS LIKE A GIRL, HAHA. (sorry, Swiper.)

4. Why are they illegal? Rabies factor. They are susceptible to infection and most humans would only end up hurting themselves. It takes an experienced handler to work with a fox. They’re just as cunning as Aesop’s fables said.

5. Fantastic question. It’s hard to remember that the officer in front of you is just another human who is capable of making mistakes. It will boil down to knowing the exact law that states that your fox is legal. Find that law and write it down. Carry a copy of the printed document with you. If an officer bothers you, show them the law. Just make sure you’re right!

Thanks for writing, guys! I have a few more emails that didn’t make it to this post, but I’ll add them in an edit later if I can.

- Lupe V.S.

text Your questions … ANSWERED?!?

We meet again.

You guys have been sending me fantastic emails with questions, requests, praises and death threats. Now it’s about time you got a response!

So go ahead and send in the emails this week. Rest assured that if you’ve already emailed me, your messages have been read and I will post responses here within the next week!

No foolin’!

On another note: I really miss Swiper. <3 Everybody hug your pets for me today. :’)
(ESPECIALLY YOU, JOE!)

Send in those emails soon!

- Lupe V.S.
LupeVS@mypetfox.com

text Happy 3rd Birthday to Swiper!

Look at him. He knows that cake is going straight to his hips.
He just doesn’t care.

Swiper’s 3rd birthday was on April 9th and he had very reason to celebrate!

Thankfully, Joe made sure Swiper got to enjoy the festivities:

Swiper celebrated his third birthday on 4/9/13! His cake came a little late this year, so he didn’t get that until 4/11/13 (better late than never!) As you can see, he just helped himself. He did also get another rubber toy bone for his real birthday, 2 days earlier (you can see it on the ground behind him). Anyway, Happy third birthday, Swiper!

Hooray!! For anybody who might be wondering: It’s not a regular cake that the handsome little stinker is eating. Here’s the info straight from Joe:

The Original Pup-pie, made by the Lazy Dog Cookie Co. It’s all organic, and wheat and corn free. (I actually tried a little taste once, and it reminded me of the organic carob brownies they sell at health food stores). I always get one for the foxes or my dog, Missy, for their birthdays and adoption anniversaries.

Now that’s how you take great care of your pets! <3

Swiper wasn’t the only one with a birthday this April. Joe’s fox Aurora also celebrated her birthday this month! This is not really a coincidence. A lot of foxes have birthdays in April! in case you were unaware: The Red Fox will reproduce once a year. Most kits are born in the spring.
The more you knowwww~

Here’s one more note from Joe about how Swiper’s doing these days:

Swiper is doing well, and he loves the snow. It does make it a lot more difficult to clean his kennel, though - now I understand why Elise waits until Spring to clean her kennels. It’s just impossible with the snow - everything’s either buried or frozen to the ground. Anyway, Swiper does still do the biting thing. It’s only if I come in his kennel with treats or food that he’s friendly with me. Yet, I can pet him through his kennel from the outside with no trouble and he loves it. I just wish he’d meet me halfway at some point…

It would be cool if you came for a visit this summer. It’s really a lot nicer in summer than spring, a lot less muddy. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since you visited!

- Joe

I wish he’d stop biting you, too. What a brat! :[
At least he takes bribes.

It has officially been a year since I saw Swiper last! We have GOT to do something about that!

Pics of Swiper and BONUS Aurora + Bday Cake under the cut. Thanks again to Joe for all these beautiful pictures!!!