First Experiences

[Nekiko]

Hey, I'm just sitting around studying (foxes instead of psychology) and I know this doesn't really help with my research too much (because "Every fox is different" - Tamagirl or Ash or Pat [I don't remember who said that, sorry] )
but I'd love to hear anyone (everyone)'s experience with their first fox, picking them up, him/her growing up, how your life changed and how you adapted to and lived with your new fox! Some pictures would also be nice, but that's ok if you don't.

[Lara]

It is fun to hear about peoples experiences!

I got my fox when he was somewhere around 12ish weeks. The whole thing was pretty sketchy, and he was being fed some cheap dog food brand, without fresh food or taurine. I brought him home and switched him to blue buffalo since I wanted him off the original stuff but didn't want to shock his system by doing fresh immediately. He was originally pretty aggressive, nipped a lot, was malnourished, and stunk worse than any fox should. As I spent more time with him, he warmed up and really shocked me with how smart he was. He would learn new tricks in a few days and loved to anything active.

It was weird having a pet that lived outdoors, but it was also so much fun! He was always so happy to see me and would roll onto his back for belly rubs, which was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. The one thing that wasn't fun about having a pet fox was the smell. I'm not sure if he smelled more or less than a normal fox, but it was strong. He never litter trained though, so that was probably part of it.

Overall, it was incredible learning how to take care of him! It was a huge learning curve since I had never had an exotic, and a lot of time, but so much fun.

[Nekiko]

Wow, can I ask, did u get the fox from a rescue or something? 12 weeks, most people it's recommended to get one at 6.

[Lara]

I got him from this sketchy, unqualified guy who, though he might have cared about his foxes to some extent, knew almost nothing about them. I really shouldn't have taken him, but the kit just looked so bad... I was pretty young too, so part of it was the excitement of getting a fox. Nevertheless, it turned out great! He never socialized well though, which was the one major effect of his age.

[Nekiko]

How young were you? I know it's a really personal question but I'm really interested in that. Also, your fox still doesn't associate well with guests at adulthood?

[Lara]

I think I was twelve when I got him. I wouldn't recommend getting such a demanding pet to most kids, but I was homeschooled and able to spend most of my day with him. I don't have him anymore, but he never got to the point where I would just let him meet guests. He was usually nice but cautious with other girls, but hated my dad and any other adult males.

[Nekiko]

Wow, 12, that's incredibly young! I'm glad you were able to help your fox find a good home with you. What was his name? (Also if anyone else would like to share their story, I'd be happy to read it!)

[linseylou]

I got my first baby at 3.5 weeks. He was an arctic, and when I got the call that he'd be ready in a few days I almost cried. I'd been calling the breeder once a week since March and arctics are born more towards June lol. So we planned our trip to indiana and took a week off vacation from work so I'd have plenty of time with him. When we got there to get him I couldn't believe how tiny he was and how wiggly lol.we hung out with the breeder asking questions and such for way longer than we planned. riding home(hubby drove) with a tiny wiggly guy was harder than I thought and he ended up going in the floor board.. with my first red fox she slept and cuddled the first 2 weeks I had her home, and she was 6 weeks when I got her, but my arctic baby was always on the move and didn't want to be held.

[Lara]

Yeah, it was pretty young to have that much responsibility, but it was great! His name was really dumb, it was just Zorro, Spanish for fox

[Nekiko]

I got my first baby at 3.5 weeks. He was an arctic, and when I got the call that he'd be ready in a few days I almost cried. I'd been calling the breeder once a week since March and arctics are born more towards June lol. So we planned our trip to indiana and took a week off vacation from work so I'd have plenty of time with him. When we got there to get him I couldn't believe how tiny he was and how wiggly lol.we hung out with the breeder asking questions and such for way longer than we planned. riding home(hubby drove) with a tiny wiggly guy was harder than I thought and he ended up going in the floor board.. with my first red fox she slept and cuddled the first 2 weeks I had her home, and she was 6 weeks when I got her, but my arctic baby was always on the move and didn't want to be held.

I'm not entirely sure of the arctic foxes, but 3.5 weeks old is incredibly young wow! I'm surprised you were able to get him so early! Arctic was super hyper haha

[linseylou]

Allot of breeders will sell kits at 4 weeks, and we'd spoken tons and were confident that we could handle him that age. He was eating wet puppy food mixed with fox milk so that was easy. The breeder I go to now gives them their first vaccines so they don't leave until 6 weeks

[Nekiko]

Ah I see. Yeah, I was surprised because my research had stated that foxes should not be handed out until 6 weeks or so

[Nekiko]

Just a reminder, I'd always love to hear anyone's experiences with their exotics (cough Foxes cough)!