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Post by tonib on Feb 12, 2014 22:47:34 GMT
Not quite a pet but this came to my OH's attention today on facebook. Its from Nuneaton & Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary (admittedly a year old). They said
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Post by migsy on Feb 13, 2014 13:51:08 GMT
They are so beautiful.
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Post by lotsofcats on Feb 13, 2014 15:00:51 GMT
Dawn the fox is lovely - such a shame she can't be released in the wild.
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Post by bubbles87 on Feb 20, 2014 15:46:08 GMT
There is a fox in our local wild life rescue who is the same it got brought up in a family home then kicked out back into the wild after it apparently smelled or something not 100% on all the details but was later found when it turned up to someone's BBQ looking to be fed poor soul now thinks its a dog, sleeps in a dog bed & plays with dog toys. It would be great to experience being that close to a beautiful fox but in the same sense its really sad to see :-(
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Post by vonnie on Mar 6, 2014 20:28:53 GMT
Foxes can be and are kept as pets, though it is illegal to take them from the wild for this purpose of course! There are breeders in the UK. The one I know is very very very strict as to who is allowed her cubs. She has all the below including Arctic. She is an expert.
The common pet foxes are;
Fennec
Corsac
Red and silver (these are the same, just colour variant)
They take a LOT of special care. They are hyperactive to start with! They require a special diet that contains taurine. Cat food is not enough as they need a lot more so a correct diet is a must! The red and silver can be harness trained ans taken out for walk but not all dogs like foxes so going out for a walk may not be do-able. The smaller foxes (corsac and fennec) are often a prey animal so although they can be harness trained, they will only want to hide under bushes and will be very nervous.
They require a lot of stimulation! It is not appropriate to keep them as an indoor pet, they need more than this. Most people who own a fox have spacious outdoor enclosures with different levels and tree trunks to climb up (foxes are good climbers) and other interesting things. However, fennec foxes are so tiny they need heat so keeping them indoors is ok but have an good size outdoor run for them to enjoy air and a but of sun.
They do get on with dogs and cats, the smaller foxes usually are scared of cats. It isn't wise to leave them alone but some play happily under observation.
They smell. They can be litter trained but it is not easy to train them and some breeds impossible. Corsac are the least smelly and are more litter trainable. Corsacs are also are active during the day and so are the only fox to have round pupils instead of slits like cats.
Some species can be shy and if not had a lot of human attention can become human shy quickly. A good breeder will socialise like a good dog or cat breeder does. This does help but sometimes you may only be able to hand feed and never get to pet or cuddle.
You should expect to pay £1500 for a pair of Corsacs, similar for Red or silver and £2000+ for a single Fennec!
Think that's as much as I know on them. Not a pet for anyone, you really have to know them to provide a quality life and do a hell of a lot of research. If you get things right they can be a rewarding animal to keep. There are more out there then you realise! But then it is amazing what pets you can get now. Racoons, sugargliders and skunks are more and more popular. African Pigmy hedgehogs have exploded onto the pet scene. My feeling are mixed. If the owner looks after them correctly and it is not taken from the wild and is not rare/ endangered I see no issue. I am dead against monkeys as pets. Most are endangered and few people can take care of them properly.
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Post by smilesbetter on Mar 6, 2014 22:16:32 GMT
Aghhh I HATE this video. I have I would have thought that people working in a rescue centre would be aware that the fox wagging its tail and showing its belly is being submissive and is clearly terrified. Then they go and ignore its "white flag" and actually touch it, which makes it even more terrified. It starts whining high pitched which is another fear signal, and it nips at them as a warning to get them to leave it alone. It's ear (The one not pressing agains the pillow) is flat back too. This fox is displaying SO MANY signs of distress and fear, and yet these people who are apparently working in a rescue centre completely ignore this and treat her like a dog. She isn't tame, just perhaps less aggressive than other foxes but still blatantly petrified of people (Who are by the way, standing over her in what a fox would see as a very aggressive stance), and could have been rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
Sorry haha, I love learning about animal body language and behaviour and it shocks me that those working with wildlife would be so careless and also deny a foxes chance of being returned to the wild due to them misreading its signals. How many other wild animals have been denied their freedom because of people like these? Surely people working in wildlife centres should be required to be trained in wild animal body language etc.
I also do not believe in keeping any non-domesticated animals as pets, I think it's cruel. Domestic animals have evolved to be able to coexist with us, and many, including the ever popular rabbit, suffers horribly because of it. I had a red-eared terrapin dumped on me a few years ago, and while he is lovely, he does not have the quality of life he should have, and theres no way he possibly could have really in captivity. In most cases non-domesticated animals are terrified of humans, and the vast majority of owners and even zoos don't provide for all the animals needs properly. Nothing will compare to the animal being in the wild.
I would, however, adopt an adult non-domestic animal again if I felt I could give it better care and understanding that I felt it would get otherwise, and when my terrapin passes away I will definitely consider using his tank for one or two of the many adult terrapins I continually see waiting in rescue centres due to the owner not being able to care for them properly. My terrapin was not given a source of calcium when he was growing and so his shell is poorly developed. We weren't even completely sure he was a male as he is tiny for a red-eared terrapin and the bottom of his shell is totally flat, meaning he would be unable to mount a female haha. It astounds me that someone would decide to buy what is essentially a wild animal without researching enough to find out something as basic as the fact that a growing terrapin must have a source of calcium to help the shell correctly develop, but its all too common.
Sorry for the rant haha! As I said, I HATE that video!!
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Post by vonnie on Mar 7, 2014 16:56:21 GMT
Understand your points Smilesbetter but foxes really do wag their tails when their happy!!! Most fox breeds do and they make whining and other mad noises in excitement! Some of the noise you'd be amazed at.  As a shy beastie if a fox is scared or unhappy will run and hide, never roll over like that. I know that from the many I've looked after at the vets and in the wild...and from tame ones! I have a massive love, respect and interest in foxes, their behaviour, species and habits so I can honestly, hand on heart tell you this is a happy foxy. I would be honest if I thought it was not. Just don't want you to feel upset about the video although I appreciate your view on ex wild, captive beasties, even if my view is a bit different. I believe if a person can provide correct care, appropriate accomadation, company if needed and food for a pet then as long as it is not rare/ endangered or wild caught (I abhor this practise- should never happen in this day and age) or any kind of monkey then it's not too bad a thing. A tame animal is not neccessarily an unhappy one but the owner must be an expert in the beast to keep it. There are a lot of people who cannot look after a bird, dog, cat or rabbit etc properly (trust me, I deal with these people far too often at my vets where i work). I think it is more important to educate and/ or deal with these people then prevent good owners owning unusual pets. Although I do think exotics should be harder to get hold of, this would put a lot of people off. I get a lot of clients asking me about exotic pets (I'm the nurse who knows about things other than dogs and cats), none have yet known enough and I told them not to get that pet, giving them the reasons. They get caught up in the cute videos on youtube. But that's just my feelings and many people will disagree...I used to be like that until I learnt more about the animal and met some. I do think it's a shame it cannot be returned to the wild...they do look nicer there but it could still lead a very happy life. It's other option is to be euthanised, shame for a healthy animal. They won't release cos it is human friendly and will then approach people in the wild...not all people are fox friendly.  It is not ideal, but a life is a life. Looking at thing in a daft light I am in pain a lot, off work, almost housebound at the moment but I am happy...I wouldn't want to be euthanised! x x x Sorry, just wanted to add well done on taking care of the terrapin. With those sort of exotics people can get them cheap and have little idea on husbandry and how much they can smell, even with good hygeine! So many pet shops have them, they're easy to get hold of and many pet shop owners have no idea if the client has an idea on them at all (or even care if they do)! |
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As a shy beastie if a fox is scared or unhappy will run and hide, never roll over like that. I know that from the many I've looked after at the vets and in the wild...and from tame ones! I have a massive love, respect and interest in foxes, their behaviour, species and habits so I can honestly, hand on heart tell you this is a happy foxy. I would be honest if I thought it was not. Just don't want you to feel upset about the video although I appreciate your view on ex wild, captive beasties, even if my view is a bit different.
It is not ideal, but a life is a life. Looking at thing in a daft light I am in pain a lot, off work, almost housebound at the moment but I am happy...I wouldn't want to be euthanised! 
