Fennec Foxes - Facts, Photos, Videos and Exotic Pets

The fennec fox is the smallest member of the dog family, weighing only three to three and a half pounds as an adult and having a body length of only nine to sixteen inches, not including the tail. The fox has a very distinctive appearance, with a tan and cream-colored coat, a small, pointed face and huge ears. Its tail is long and bushy, and is often tipped with black.

Fennec foxes live in the deserts and semi-deserts of North Africa. Their outsized ears contain numerous blood vessels near the surface of the skin and are used to radiate heat out of the fox’s body, helping to keep it cool in the hot desert. Fennec foxes are sometimes kept as exotic pets and are bred for this purpose. Keeping a fennec fox as a pet can be rewarding but requires a lot of work.

Wild fennec foxes are mainly nocturnal and hunt at night, when it's cooler than in the day time, but they may come out of their burrows during the day as well. Their dense coat keeps them warm at night and cool during the day. The light color of the coat helps to camouflage the foxes against the sand when they're active during the day, and it reflects sunlight. Fennec foxes have thick hair on the soles of their feet which helps protect them when they travel over hot sand or rock. Their kidneys are adapted to conserve water and they can go for long periods without drinking.

A wild fennec fox generally spends the day in a burrow that it has dug in the sand, but it may come to the surface to explore, play and sunbathe. The burrow, or den, is often located at the bottom of a slope such as a sand dune and is lined with soft fur and feathers. The home is large and may be occupied by as many as ten animals, including the male and female, which mate for life, and their offspring. The den has several entrances, long tunnels and different sections that connect to each other.

At night fennec foxes hunt for rodents, lizards, birds, bird eggs and insects. They also eat plants, including leaves, fruits and roots. Their large ears are very sensitive to sound and enable them to hear small animals moving underground or over the sand.

Fennec foxes are good diggers. They can dig into loosely packed sand so quickly that it sometimes seems to observers that the foxes are disappearing by magic. They mark their territory with urine and feces. They are also very social animals and have a variety of vocalizations, including squeals, yaps and barks.

The foxes live for about twelve years. Their population size isn't known for certain, but since they are often seen in the wild it's assumed that they aren't endangered. They do have some predators, however. Humans catch them for their fur, and some wild animals hunt them for food, including the caracal (a type of wild cat), jackals, striped hyenas and eagle owls, although fennec foxes are difficult to capture.

Wild fennec foxes mate in January and February. The babies are born after a gestation period of about fifty days. Fox babies are known as "kits". The fennec fox litter consists of two to five kits. At first the kits' eyes are closed and they are helpless. The eyes open when the kits are about two weeks old. When the babies are very young the female fox will not allow the male fox into the den, but eventually both parents help to rear and protect the kits.

Many people are attracted to fennec foxes by their adorable appearance. Fennec fox owners report that they can make good house pets, but they must be well socialized when they are young. They are energetic, playful and curious animals. They are also friendly and often enjoy being stroked, and like playing with other household pets. They can be trained like a dog to come when called and fetch items that are thrown, and they like to play with toys.

Fennec foxes can learn to use a litter box (although some foxes do have "accidents"). Some people take their fox for a walk outside the house with their pet securely attached to a leash and harness. Fennec foxes can run very fast, and if they escape they will be very hard to catch as they eagerly rush away to explore and hunt. Some fox owners believe that it's just too risky to take the foxes outside if they're not in a pet carrier, because if they become startled they may escape their harness and leash.

The foxes love to dig and need a digging area to play in. They are also excellent jumpers and can leap over barriers. It's often reported that they can leap to a height four times greater than their body length and can dig twenty feet in one night in their natural habitat. If the fox has an outdoor enclosure the walls must be extended below the ground, or the fox may dig under them.

Although videos of foxes playing are very cute, fennec foxes are not domesticated animals. Breeders have to remove the cubs from their parents at a very young age, usually before their eyes open, and hand rear them in order to socialize them to humans. A pet fox must get regular attention from humans, and daily exercise is very important. Its high energy and urge to dig may be hard to deal with, and its bursts of energy may overwhelm other family pets. Fennec foxes are considered to be "escape artists", and enclosures, harnesses and leashes need to be designed with care and their condition regularly checked.

It's illegal to keep fennec foxes as pets in some areas. Even when it's legal, prospective owners need to do a great deal of research into integrating a fennec fox into the family and home. Keeping an exotic pet is a big undertaking and requires a lot of work and patience. Anyone who wants to purchase a fennec fox needs to forget about its "cuteness" factor and seriously consider whether they are prepared for the responsibilities involved.