# Bad Pet Fox Experiences?



## PygmyGoatGirl (Apr 20, 2015)

Don't start in on my about how foxes SHOULDN'T be pets. Please, I just want to hear some negative experiences, since foxes as pets is something I've heard about and was wondering about. After looking it up, I can only find good experiences, but I know there's got to be something, since foxes have only been domesticated for the last 50 years.
So if you know of any, thanks!


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

???


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I have read they can escape from anything and have more tendency to bite. You also have to be sure it's legal to own a pet fox in your area.


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## jaimn (May 16, 2015)

I only have a good story...
I met Sebastian a few years ago at the Weyerhaeuser Forest Learning Center at Mt. St. Helens. , Fox & Pomeranian cross.... red coloring, looked like a pup still. Fox got in the yard with Pom female. Owner said that Sebastian was helpful when her son needed nightly treatments - would get her up every few hours, etc. One of those "Super Dog" stories. A funny story is that someone offered her half a million dollars for him! She said no, he's family. He was 14 when I heard that story. Sorry, no bad experience story, just a really neat one. Maybe because it was a cross? Sebastian was adorable, probably make a lot of money on pups.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

State laws will vary on who can have a hybrid or full fox. So cross your t's and dot your i's.

The rabies vaccine is not approved in hybrids or full foxes so IF a bite happens you would be forced to euthanize. They cut the head off to test for rabies....  not something vets like to do, trust me.

Once while working at an ER someone's neighbor shot their dog because they thought it was fox. In this case the dog wasn't a fox or hybrid even. But looks can kill. I'd be concerned any farming neighbors would be quick to shoot your pet.

I would not get a first generation fox/or fox hybrid. I've read about how they bred domesticated ones that started having shorter tails, floppy ears, and other variations within surprisingly few generations when selectively breeding for temperament. I think it was in Russia maybe? They were raising them for their fur... Interesting information on genetics and the process of domestication.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

The only ones I've heard about that make somewhat plausible pets are those that come from the fur industry, where they've been captive bred for many generations and gradually selected to be tamer and calmer.
The best ones are bred in Russia, and I don't know if they've been allowed into the US or not.
I heard that they're extremely difficult to housebreak, but aside from the fact that our native foxes are wild animals (with all of the behavior issues that come along with that) I haven't heard much else.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

nicolemackenzie said:


> State laws will vary on who can have a hybrid or full fox. So cross your t's and dot your i's.
> 
> The rabies vaccine is not approved in hybrids or full foxes so IF a bite happens you would be forced to euthanize. They cut the head off to test for rabies....  not something vets like to do, trust me.
> 
> ...


Good advise. Check laws definitely. If you or any neighbors have birds, might be a little tough to teach it to stay away from them. It would be 100% your responsibility to keep it from escaping. Depending upon where you live, just about anyone with small live stock and a gun is going to to see it as a threat and deal with it otherwise. Here. If it has paws and is on my fence line, it has about 30 seconds to disappear before I dirt nap it.


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## PygmyGoatGirl (Apr 20, 2015)

Thanks! I'm not getting one (though that would be cool!!). Maybe someday when I can properly house it. I didn't know they could get out so easy. Are they worse than goats??

And because they have been domesticated for 50 years, yes, beginning in Siberia, I was wondering if they've come far enough to not be a bad idea. Personally I don't notice a smell; I know someone who breeds them.
But thanks! I just couldn't find anything bad about them besides stinking and being disobedient. 
But somehow I still think there's got to be something! They're still not fully domesticated. 
Maybe I'm just overly cautious.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I mean, the something that would be wrong with it would be prey instinct, escaping, lack of bonding with humans (not loyal like dogs at least), legal issues, house-training issues, and the expense.... I mean, foxes are like a mix of a dog and a cat, imagine trying to train your cat to stay in the yard for potty breaks and not chase a bird/goat/rabbit/cat. If they want out, they'll get out, and a fox hasn't been domesticated and selectively bred for long enough to have the desire to please a human like a dog would.


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