How to Breed Fennec Foxes

Fennec foxes are adorable little desert foxes, with huge stand-up ears. Their adult weight is only 2 to 4 pounds. Fennecs are the smallest canids and have the largest ears of all canids. Although charming and cute, they are wild and need special handling and care in order to make good pets. Fennec foxes mate for life, and the male stays with the female throughout the pregnancy, whelping and raising of the kits, although he does not enter the den where the kits nest. Many breeders hand-raise the babies from around the second week so they will be more tame, so it is quite an undertaking in terms of time and work to breed these little foxes.

Things You'll Need

  • Den box
  • Bottles
  • Formula
  • PVC pipe tunnels
Show More

Instructions

    • 1
      Fennec foxes are wild animals; regulations vary from state to state.

      Check the laws in your state regarding keeping fennec foxes. They are illegal to be kept as pets in some states. You'll also want to be familiar with the regulations of other states, as you won't want to sell kits to people who live where the foxes will be confiscated and euthanized.

    • 2

      Prepare your kennel. The fencing must be sunk into the ground, as well as completely covered overhead, because the foxes can escape and are adept at burrowing and jumping. You'll need sand, a den box that the foxes can feel they are burrowing into and proper food. Alternatively, you can keep the pair in a room in your house if you can provide the proper tunneling and hiding places, perhaps in a large cat play-cage.

    • 3

      Take the breeding pair to the veterinarian for the necessary vaccinations and other health checks. Vaccinations are as important for fennec foxes as they are for typical house dogs.

    • 4
      Fennecs are adorable, but very labor-intensive.

      Take the babies from the parents to be hand raised when they are 10 to 14 days of age. Parent-raised foxes can become tame, but tend to retain more wild tendencies and are harder to tame. Hand-raising the kits will entail around-the-clock care, bottle feeding the kits every few hours, including overnight and cleaning, handling and socializing them.