Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Pet Fox Enclosures: Choosing The Location

The first two things to consider when building a fox enclosure are size and location. For a red fox, an absolute minimum of 100 square feet is needed. If multiple foxes are to be kept in the same enclosure, start with a base of 100 square feet, and then add an additional 50 square feet for each fox in the enclosure (so an enclosure to keep 3 foxes should be a minimum of 250 square feet.) Keep in mind that these are the absolute minimums. If at all possible, your fox’s outdoor enclosure should be much bigger. The more room you can give them while keeping them safe and secure, the happier they will be.

The enclosure should be in a safe location. Ideally, it should be protected by a privacy fence, and invisible from the road, to discourage curious passerby or those with bad intentions. Inspect the area you’re considering turning into a pen. Avoid marshy ground or standing pools of water, as these indicate drainage issues that will not be easy to fix. If you build the enclosure on a slope, keep in mind that foxes love to dig in well-drained, sloped soil, so you will need to take even more precautions against dig outs.

The last thing you need to consider about location is exposure. Your pet will need to be sheltered from the elements. Consider if your chosen location has a windbreak and a source of shade; if either of these things is lacking, you will need to come up with a means of providing them.

Now that you’ve got your location picked out, it’s time to build! Be sure to come back next week when I start to discuss the actual construction of the enclosure.

13 comments:

  1. Hello, my name is Phill. I have spent an exstensive amount of time researching, learning, and understanding what they are, need ect. The fennec is NOT for me. If i wanted something that screams like a demon i would have a child. That said. I know they are...energetic. I was curious to whether a red or grey fox would be better for me. I'm a single 22 year old guy living alone in a 1200 square foot home. I live in Texas. I'm aware of the legality with them being native here. Ive still yet to get a concrete yes or no. but im taking the fact that there are no breeders in Texas a sign..id still like a yay or nay answer. But i digress i would like to know if im looking for one that is not ALWAYS running 900MPH which one would you suggest. i would like to sit on the couch and relax and him be able to be content with that as well. any additional info you could tell me would also be mossssst appreciated. Thank you sir and i apologize for the novel of a comment

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  2. Reds or greys aren't typically as noisy as fennecs are, but they still have a pair of lungs on them and can really screech when they're in the mood to. Gizmo likes to holler when he gets a new toy, or her thinks the cat is picking on him.

    As a general rule, pet foxes of all species like to spend their time as motion blurs. They are an incredibly high-energy animal, and while they can be cuddly it is entirely on their terms.

    If you can't tolerate screeching and you don't want a speed demon, then a pet fox probably isn't for you.

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  3. Hi there, I don't own a fox and don't know very much about them, but I'm very eager to learn. I'm curious though, if a fox can be trained to use a litter box why do they need to be kept in an enclosure? I apologize if this is a stupid question, just wondering!

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    1. Foxes are destructive and cannot be left unsupervised inside a house for any length of time. They also have a very strong odor that many people find unpleasant.

      And, unlike a dog, a fenced-in yard is not sufficient to contain them.

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    2. As for the Odor, i have read if you fed them cherries it would help with the urin smell. Just an idea.
      i have also read that if you get them neutered it would bring down the smell like 80%. (no clue if the neutering thing is true, like i said i read it somewhere and been meaning to ask someone if its true.)

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  4. I think Il buy a artic fox, but they are bigger than the normal foxes(maybe just because of the fur,anyway).How big is the outdoor enclosure for them?

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    1. I'm assuming that by "normal fox" you mean "Red Fox". And if you think an arctic is larger than a red fox then you have a LOT more research to do before you ever consider buying one.

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    2. i actually been having trouble finding out about the different sizes. some sites just say "this breed is bigger or biggest and of course Fennec's are the smallest". Would anyone happen to know? some sites give weight but that don't really help for figuring out the SIZE height wise.

      How tall is Gizmo?

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  5. Will the artic fox and a normal fox get along if they grow up together?

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  6. RED* fox. there's no species called "normal".

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    1. Normal known for his/her area most likely is what they where thinking when they typed that. For my area we have wild reds, and gray foxs that are normal for our area.Normal is the ones that are most common i think.

      I know of the grays, reds, silvers, and artics. I was very suprised to see that there are ALOT more than i had thought at first, like Calico, amber, pearl, Marble, Cross, Cinnamin and one i JUST recently seen that i consider quite pretty called MoonGlow(these are RARE tho and i only found out couse i accidently landed on a site where people was asking about moonglow foxs for fox pelts.Ugh)

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  7. This is the best site i have found so far with helpful info and a few visuals.(LOVE VISUALS!! You have NO idea how much those help!)
    I have a few questions. I don't own a pet fox but i have been thinking i would like to get one in a few years. Already know about the permits and legality of them in my state and area. still need to look around for a vet but have time for that. where i live we have like 15 acres of land.(some is being used for farming but we still have ALOT of yard.)

    First Question, would it be fine to have a doggie door that leads STRAIGHT out into the Kennel/enclosure from the house? So they can go in and outside as they like and need to play or use the bathroom? Or do they need a kennel/Enclosure AWAY from the house? (and Yes I know about being able to litter train them lol)

    Just so you know, I DO plan on having a top to the kennel/enclosure becouse where I live we have EVIL Turkey Buzzards that will and have been known to swoop in and fly off with a small dog like a Pomerainian. I have 3 Poms an one is a Toy Pom. My dad had my oldest Pom Spazz outside with him just the other day and 2 buzzards swooped in sizing him up!EEK!!! Dad seen that an desided to pick Spazz up and put him back in the house.
    I will have chicken fence put in the for the floor becouse i do know about diggers. Used to clean kennels for grandparents and I cleaned them every 3 days for them and EVERY time I went the stinkers had redug out the holes I had filled in that they had dug.

    Second Question, For the Gate door, I know having them flushed to the side is a MUST, but what I am wondering about is does the top of the gate door also need to be flushed to the side of the gate?(like I said I used to do kennels and they had that issue with the buttom of the gate so had a piece of wood placed down there to cover the gap, not pretty but effective.) just wondering since I haven't seen anyone say anything about fox's climbing fences. But what do you think? I have seen some gates that are flushed with the frame at the buttom but curved at the top. Is why I figured id ask.heh

    And I love the idea for a inside pin you made for gizmo. We have a big basement so i can probably have a corner set up like that.
    Like i said tho, i am not getting one soon, i have 3 dogs and need to be down to at least 1.So this will give me time to prepare and make sure the kennel/enclosure i will be having put up will also be good for whenever i get the fox.

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    1. A doggy door straight into the enclosure is fine, so long as where the enclosure meets the house is secure enough to prevent any escapes (And you don't mind the fox having free access to your house. They get into everything.)

      All sides of the access door should be flush with the door's frame. Foxes can run right up chainlink, and have even been known to hang upside down from fencing used for ceilings.

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