In the wild the silver fox is a red fox with melanism However, when we refer to the silver fox as a pet, we are referring to some animals raised on specialized farms that are dedicated to generating and perpetuating animals with the melanism gene that produces such beautiful animals.
Obviously, farmed foxes cannot easily integrate into nature because they are not trained to deal with it. Similarly, a wild fox will never get used to captivity and will be very unhappy.
On our site we will show you the main characteristics of the silver fox as a pet. However, we already told you that we do not consider the silver fox to be a suitable pet. If you keep reading you will understand why.
Little Pet
When I say that the current specimens of the silver fox are not very "polished" pets, I refer to their still surly and elusive character The farms that raise these animals try to sweeten and tame their character through crosses and hybridizations. Without a doubt, one day they will achieve their goal, but today they have not yet fully achieved it. For this reason it is a lottery that your exotic pet is affectionate and does not try to run away from your home, after having paid a fortune for it.
Born Destroyer
The silver fox absolutely needs to live outsideYou need a cubicle or kennel similar to that of dogs. It should never be located inside a flat or house, except if you want to demolish it quickly and for free. It should also not be confined in a cage, since then you will observe a possessed animal, which will probably die insane.
If you want to have a silver fox as a pet and you have considered the possibility of keeping it confined, even if it is only for a few hours a day, ask yourself the following question: would you force a dog to live in a cage? ?
Very strong smell
Foxes give off a very pungent odor. They have a gland in their tail that secretes a civet - animal scent secretion - very powerful.
This, together with the stench of their urine and feces, is one of the reasons why the silver fox, or other foxes, have not been considered pets by humans during the course of their lives. history. Don't you think that these beautiful and intelligent animals suffer from some problem that makes it very difficult to live with them, and for this reason nobody has thought of domesticating them until now?
A fox can theoretically be trained similarly to a dog, but if it comes up to you and you hug it… you'll smell like a fox all over you in no time!
Incompatible with other pets
The silver fox is incompatible with other pets Foxes are exterminating predators, that is, they kill for the pleasure of killing. It's their nature. Everyone knows that when they sneak into a chicken coop they kill all the chickens and take only one to eat. Small dogs, cats, birds, fish! They are all in danger if a fox lives in the same enclosure.
With very large dogs, it may happen that it is the dog that kills the fox, since its scent will cause an aggressive reaction in the dog against the smell of an atavistic enemy.
Leak Master
Obviously, the garden where the silver fox lives must be suitably fenced However, this is not a guarantee that your fox will not try sneak out. Foxes are expert sappers and prodigious jumpers. If they conclude that they cannot escape underground or by jumping, they will study and learn the movements of the personnel to take advantage of the slightest carelessness.
The moment of taking out the rubbish, leaving the gate open, or the moment of leaving the garage with the car, will be propitious moments for the silver fox to escape. Most likely, it will not return, either due to some mishap or because it detects the scent of a wild congener. We must bear in mind that there are foxes very close to human settlements, although we hardly ever see them.
When we want to adopt an animal from the wild, such as the silver fox or the fennec fox, to offer it our home, care and affection, we must ask ourselves if with this adoption we intend to make the animal or ourselves happy. With this article we hope to have resolved your doubts about why it is not advisable to have a silver fox as a pet, as well as to create a little more awareness about the importance of preserving nature and its fauna.
