Pet foxes

[AquaEyes]

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Supposedly, that skunky smell was diminished in the domesticated foxes. It was another consequence of breeding selectively for tameness.

 

[patandchickens]

It is an extraordinarily cool and informative experiment (the Russian thing that originally produced the 'tame' foxes and is now selling off the culls as pets to fund the continuing program).

But I have heard from dog people in Europe, where there are some reasonable amount of these research-line pet foxes in circulation among the general public now, that they stink to high heaven, still having the strong urine smell of wild foxes.

Pat

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I'm planning on getting fennecs someday, somehow! I live in California where pretty much any mammal considered remotely exotic is banned, so I'm not sure how things will work out, but I'm determined. I've done a lot of reading on them and their care and I think I could live very happily with them even with the difficulty of keeping them. I've rehabilitated wildlife for years, so I'm familiar with how it works, caring for something that is not domesticated. (Though of course fennecs are more domestic than the animals I work with.) Someday, when I own my own house and I'm settled, I will have fennecs and a whole room set aside for them!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

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I saw something like that a while back. I think they were in Russia. I thought it was very interesting.

 

[AquaEyes]

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If they were talking about the research facility in Siberia, they didn't capture wild foxes. They started with captive-bred foxes from fur farms, which were still very wild in temperament. Look through the links I put in my first post and you might find a clip from the special you saw. It's fascinating how so many physiological traits were connected to the selection for tameness.

 

[AquaEyes]

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That's very interesting to know. I was having doubts myself about how much the "stinkiness" had been diminished, but heard the claim only from people connected to the research facility, or on www.sibfox.com where they are being sold to the US. The "stinkiness" factor was something that drew me to the fennec, besides how adorable they are, and how much easier they are to keep in a home.

 

[NewHopePoultry]

I used to have red foxes as pets. They arent for everyone, but for the right people they make good pets.

 

[AquaEyes]

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That's how I feel about almost any species. Humans are the more intelligent species, yet too often we expect our pets to be smart enough to live the way we want them. If humans want to truly enjoy a species in captivity, the goal is to prepare an environment where that animal's natural behaviors can be appreciated, not bent to fit them into someone's ideal. Some animals can work in a home, provided there are outlets for natural behaviors, and provided the owners are able to modify their own lifestyles to suit their animals. If you're unwilling to see, hear, smell, or otherwise "deal" with an animal's natural behaviors, then you shouldn't have any kind of pet. That's not a judgment against people but a dose of reality. Why have something if it's going to make you and the animal miserable?

But if you're one of the "weird" people like myself who find yourself getting lost in the joys of finding new and creative ways to make a pet animal happier and healthier despite restrictions on your own behavior that others may seem as "over the top" (like not going away on vacation, or keeping certain foods or plants out of the house because they might be toxic, or arranging the furniture in your home with your animal's needs and behaviors in mind, etc.), then go ahead. This applies to dogs and cats as well, but exotic pets have more specific needs. Learn what a species needs in order to be happy and healthy, and decide if you are realistically able to meet those needs.

That's just my philosophy.



~Chris

 

[AquaEyes]

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Good luck with getting a fennec in California! It's very difficult for a non-zoo to get a permit. My suggestion, if getting a fennec is that important to you, is to move to another state. California is very strict about keeping a lot of animals (even ferrets!) and it's for that reason alone that I'll never live there. I was thinking of moving to the Savannah, Georgia area after grad school but nixed that when I learned that some of the species I'd want to have aren't legal in that state. Florida became my next choice. They have a permit system, but I agree with it for the most part, being based on learned information and experience. I will agree with those who say that exotic pets are not for everyone, and I like a system that weeds out uncommitted people from buying them. Plus, if I go VERY south in Florida, I won't have to deal with frost anymore.....YAY!



~Chris

 

[Akane]

Last I knew california did not allow gerbils much less more exotics. Not the place to live if you love exotic animals. Half the stuff I've owned wouldn't be allowed. Currently our sugar gliders would be illegal.