The fennec fox is a beautiful, clean, friendly and affectionate animal that can be easily tamed. However, it is not correct to pretend to adopt this beautiful creature The fundamental reason is that the animal will die very quickly in the new habitat of our home.
If he survives, he will most likely lead a miserable life, no matter how much love and care we try to provide. Additionally, the keeping of fennec foxes is illegal in many countries. The main reason is that the fennec is an animal native to the Sahara desert and those existing in the Arabian Peninsula.
Keep reading this article on our site to find out more about the fennec fox as a pet. Image from staticflickr.com
The importance of habitat
The habitat is essential to trace the master lines of the evolution of the species of fauna and flora that adapt to the environment. And precisely the radical nature of the atrocious desert climate is the main factor that has shaped the physical structure and customs of the fennec fox for millennia.
Would we have an emperor penguin as a pet in our home? Would we perhaps have a vast frozen rocky area at a temperature of -40º, whipped by endless blinding blizzards? I think it would not be possible. Not even in a zoo can they optimally recreate such a habitat.
In the same way we cannot recreate the desert in our homes The fennec fox can be an excellent pet in a village near an oasis located in the middle of the desert or on its limits; but all of it, all of its body, adapted to survive advantageously in the perpetual Saharan heatwave, will degenerate in our temperate climate.
Morphology of the fennec fox
The fennec fox is the smallest of the canids, even smaller than a chihuahua. Its weight is between 1 and 1.5 Kg. And it measures no more than 21 cm at the withers. An adult fennec does not exceed 41 cm, and its tail is between 20 and 30 cm. It has furry footpads to prevent burning in the hot sand.
However, the physical characteristic that most distinguishes it from other foxes is its pair of spectacular hyper-developed ears. Such ears are right, the first to ventilate the heat accumulated in his small body. Secondly, they serve to capture even the smallest sound produced by its prey.
The dense fur of the fennec fox is sand-colored on its back and flanks, while its belly is whitish-grey and sparser than its back.
Habits of the fennec fox
The fennec fox has nocturnal habits Its diet consists of rodents, reptiles, insects, eggs, birds, and also fruits such as dates, blackberries and berries. It has a considerable jumping capacity that helps it in its hunting and in the escape when its predators attack it.
The caracal and the African owls are its main adversaries. It lives in underground burrows (up to 10 meters deep), where the temperature is lower than outside. In the wild it lives approximately 10-12 years.
Image from nationalgeographic.com
The Domestic Fennec Fox
In the case of committing the irresponsibility and the big mistake of adopting a fennec fox, because you have seen it in a television commercial and you find it very "cute", you should know that the fennec fox is strictly nocturnal. If you confine him in a cage overnight, he will die
If you let him loose he will make his life: he will pierce the cushions to hide food or make a hole to turn the uninhabited sofa or mattress into his burrow and feel comfortable and warm in the iceberg that for him it will be your home.
The fennec fox has the ability to drill up to 6 meters of earth per day. If you keep it in a garden, it will most likely escape and any dog will kill it. If you have him in a flat it will be worse for him and for you. The fennec fennec has a great jumping capacity and can climb on any table or shelf, destroying everything that is on them.
Enjoy the fennec
If you want the fennec fox to be a part of your life, take an interest in it Read, enjoy watching documentaries, and collect photos of this beautiful animal. So small and at the same time so huge, surviving in places where many animals, and even human beings, would perish without remission if they tried to emulate him.
Dream of the day you will be able to travel to the desert, and under the most star-filled celestial vault you will ever see, you will be able to hear and see the fennec foxes in their natural environment.
