How to Feed Pet Foxes

Keeping a captive-born or hand-raised fox as a pet is similar to owning a small to medium-size dog. Foxes and domesticated canines both have varied diets based on plants and different kinds of meat. Both groups can make for loving, social animals, and you can train both with patience and positive reinforcement. Still, it's helpful to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, foxes have yet to gain all the adaptations that domesticated dogs have developed over thousands of years. As such, it's best to stick to a strict, specialized diet for your fox, cutting no corners in making sure that your animal's nutritional needs are met.

Things You'll Need

  • 3 lbs. ground beef, raw
  • 2 cups rolled oats, cooked
  • 3 chopped hard-boiled eggs
  • 3 powdered eggshells
  • 3 lbs. boneless salmon, cooked
  • 2 1/2 cans of "no salt added" green beans
  • 1 tsp. ground flax seed
  • 3 tbsp. baker's yeast
  • 1 tsp. wheat germ oil
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Small feeding bowl
  • Freezer bags
  • Food scale
  • Medium-size dog food, canned
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Instructions

    • 1

      Mix all the ingredients listed under Things You'll Need together in a large mixing bowl.

    • 2

      Divide the ingredients into 16 individual portions (about .6 pounds per serving).

    • 3

      Place each serving in a freezer bag, flattening the mixture to allow for quicker freezing. Seal each bag and place it in the freezer.

    • 4

      Thaw food one to two days in advance of feeding. An adult fox will normally consume 1 to 1.5 lbs. of food a day, depending on the animal's activity level as well as the seasonal temperature, so prepare to feed about one serving of food twice a day.

    • 5

      Offer the food in a small bowl at room temperature, as if you were feeding a regular dog.

    • 6

      Offer medium-size dog food (wet, canned) if you're in a pinch. These foods cover most of the fox's nutritional needs, though the diet might not be best for long-term care.