I filled this out on request from EFExotics

RED FOX
Positive attributes of the species? Beautiful markings and fur luxurious to pet, they form a strong affectionate bond with their human family if you are interacting with him consistently.

Negative attributes of the species? Very skittish, like to bite and play-bite, very destructive to household items and wall and floor.

Anecdotes/stories regarding your experience with the species? You can 'communicate' with your fox by imitating the cute little sounds he makes; he uses his ears much like we do our eyebrows, very expressive gestures with their pointy fox ears! Also, whenever I come home into his room, he gets all excited, and wants to be petted, on his terms, and will even jump onto my back and shoulders, and sit on my head. Doing that seems to make him very happy, elated! But with his long manipulative fox claws, I had better have a hoodie jacket on or it hurts!

What is their average life span? They can live easily 10-15 years as pets (a big improvement over their average lifespan in the wild of 2-3 years).

How well do they interact with people? They will only interact with people they have grown up with or spent loads of time with. Anyone else comes near their room/habitat and they will hide in the corner and be afraid. They are great for a secluded house with few visitors or the best idea is building an outdoor habitat.

How easily do they train? Foxes do not 'train' like dogs, they do their own thing, more like your average cat's 'affinity' to training! They can learn to be walked on leash, but as an exotic pet, they are the ones that train you to live with them, not vice versa! You, the human, must learn what he wants and how to relate to him. Some fox owners have managed to teach some 'tricks.'

What type of housing do they need? Either a fox-proof room or part of the house (which means flooring and wall material they cannot rip off and electrical wires not exposed and only furniture that can get chewed and dug at), or an outdoor habitat about 10x20 feet approx. made of welded wire or chain link fence on all sides as well as over the top and over the ground or buried into the ground. Foxes climb easily and will climb over an 8 foot fence and can dig under a regular fence. Outdoor housing will thrill them as they LOVE to dig, and indoors mine has to settle for digging avidly in his litter box!

What do you feed them? A high quality high protein dog food, I used Purina ONE, but now use either EVO [link]
or Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry dog food. [link]
They will also love many other foods, even eggs and vegetables.

How do they interact with other household animals? I don't have any others, but I see and hear of many great fox-dog-cat situations that are very positive. Basically, they need to grow up together, and the other animals need to have a tolerance for the fox's endless energy and playfulness. Foxes love playmates and will play with anything; Sybil's Message Board recommends dogs as the best playmate for a fox.

How destructive are they for an average household (gnawing, climbing, etc.)? Highly destructive if left to roam the house, as I initially let him. He will rip the vinyl off the floor, the drywall paper off the wall, chew through plugged in wires and extensions, gnaw on faucets, and chew on furniture and bookcases. Hence you must fox-proof a room or part of the house to close off to him, an area he can wreck to his gusto; or else you can build the outdoor enclosed habitat.

Are there any problems associated with their nails? Foxes can use their claws almost like fingers (hence they climb very well). They are not a problem other than you need to have a hoodie or jacket on if you're gonna let him climb on your back and head!

Do they have any potentially offensive odors? Foxes are are famous for their 'stinky' odor; however, in my experience they do not release that 'musk' vapor unless they get very scared (like when I disciplined him, or when he freaked out; it's only happened 3 or 4 times in the one year I have had him). As pets, they are not tense and in danger all the time like they are in the wild, so they lose the constant musk odor as pets. Some people say their urine smells 'infernal' but I can't tell the difference between dog urine and fox urine. In my opinion, cat urine smells worse than fox urine; however mine does urinate all over the floor of his room.

How messy are their droppings and can they be litter trained? They can be like 80-90% litter box trained, but they still like to poop sometimes in other areas but their feces are very small and always nice and solid, easy to scoop/pickup. They urinate on the floor often, especially onto their toys/blankets and leaving puddles and squiggly lines over the floor when you come home and he gets excited and leaves streaks of urine all over the room as he is so hyper, so happy to see you.

What vet care should be expected? It is work to find a vet that will see them, but they are very low maintenance. My breeder recommends only a few meds for foxes, and dog and cat meds are not tested for foxes and could potentially cause more harm than good. You need only de-worm them periodically and dust them with 5% SevenDust to control fleas/ticks. It is ok and some say recommendable to spay/neuter them, but I decided the less surgery the better for my boy.

At what age would it be best to get one? The youngest the breeder will let you take them, the better, 2-3 weeks old is ideal. The ideal thing is for you to still be able to bottle feed it, as that is an important stage in early bonding, although not essential. I had surprise gallbladder surgery so I was a few weeks late in picking mine up, so I missed out on bottle feeding and for the first month that I had him, he was very hostile/scared of me, would not even let me touch him at all without violent biting. But into the second month and thereafter, he bonded with me and the bond grew stronger week by week. Now he longs for my company and loves to be caressed at the appropriate time. That to say, he would bond with you immediately if you get him early enough to bottle feed.

What personal traits should someone keeping them have? Flexibility is key, and willingness to sacrifice part of your house/possessions to the fox if you opt for indoors. Also, you must be subservient, allowing him to decide when to be touched and petted; never force-pet him or insist on picking him up or cuddling if he resists, since they generally do not like that. Also, you must be respectful; you have to behave as if your fox was your equal, not your property; you must respect him for what he is and not demand he be anything else.

Other consideration for owners of them? Give them lots of old towels and blankets, they will love them and carry them around their room/habitat. His favorite toy now is a solid natural rubber Kong ball, and he also loves small rawhide bones. The key is spending time, every day, with him, not necessarily petting him the whole time, but just being in there for him. Talk to him imitating his fox sounds, to sound like fox family. I recommend keeping children away from them, since they like to play-bite even with their best friends. This is a unique and almost mythological companionship, the cunning fox and the intelligent human being as mates/buddies, take the time and make the effort to fully appreciate it.