I will admit, I want a pet fox. Bad. And I considered it for a long time before I decided to actually do research on the adorable animals. What I found was that foxes are amazing animals, but they are not pets.
Foxes are wild and have a lot of energy. They need lots of space to run around, climb, and dig. If you decide to lock something with this temperament up you’re going to have a messy house. Foxes are known to tear up carpet, eat through furniture, and mark their territory all over the house. And let me tell you, you do not want a fox to urinate in your home.
Foxes smell awful; a mix between skunk and ammonia. And there is no way to make the smell go away or prevent it from following the animal wherever it goes. The smell stains, and even the most powerful cleaning solution will never be able to completely get the smell out. Mix that with a diet full of raw meat and bones and your house is going to smell worse than a farm full of cows.
Even though foxes are incredibly smart, they do not do very well at potty training. Some owners will try to get their fox to use a litter box or to go outside but it takes a long time for them to understand what you are asking. Most won’t take the hint and will continue to go in the house their entire lives. And it is basically impossible to fully potty-train a fox. Ask any owner.
If you’re looking for an animal that is similar to a dog but a little bit more fun, look somewhere else. These animals are more like cats than dogs, but they have the energy of a puppy or a kitten for their entire lives. They can be moody and everything is solely on their terms. You want to cuddle? Only if the fox allows it. You want to play? Only if the fox is in the mood.
As each fox continues to age it’s going to have a lot more behavioural problems. The aggression towards other animals and specifically other humans will increase tremendously. Cats and dogs have been kept as pets for centuries and have become accustomed to being domestic, but foxes have not. People have only been trying to keep foxes as pets for about 60 years, and still only about 35% of the foxes born are really able to be kept as pets. Foxes have the instinct to run from humans, and if they can’t run they will fight. So if you force an interaction the animal will most likely try to keep the human as far away from them as possible.
If you ever consider buying a fox, you better do lots of research and understand what you are getting into. Foxes need large yards, lots of enrichment, and they need to forage for food quite a bit. That might mean burying the food, putting the food in something that they have to tear open, or even feeding live. In my opinion, foxes should not be kept as pets. I don’t blame anyone for wanting a pet fox but very few people can actually take care of one properly, even though many think they can. As for me, I will never get a pet fox.
And remember, foxes can jump up to 3 feet, make it over a 6 foot fence with ease, and has perfect claws for digging under. And if you lose your pet fox you can be in lots of trouble.
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Read this article to learn the background of domesticating foxes-
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/domesticated-foxes-genetically-fascinating-terrible-pets
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