Hobby Foxes Make Great House Pets

Hobby Foxes Make Great House Pets AG WORLD Ag World 18-6-19 "They're cute and make fantastic house pets," says Ron DeArmond, Grand River, Iowa, about the Fennec foxes he started raising last spring. DeArmond, who's a broker and importer of exotic animals, has just two pairs of Fennec foxes but says he plans to have as many as 16 by next year. He bought his first pair last spring as pups from a domestic breeder and recently imported another pair from Egypt during a 45-day grace period. Fennec foxes are native to North Africa and to the Middle East, where their habitat is being destroyed. They weigh about 3 lbs. and are sand-colored, with big ears, long legs, and a small head. They're a desert animal that preys on insects, rodents, rep-tiles, and sometimes eats plants. They can dig very quickly to catch prey or escape an enemy. "Fennec foxes have been in the U.S. for 15 or 20 years, but there are only about 300 pairs in the U.S. - not nearly enough to meet demand," says DeArmond. "They're great with kids. My wife and I don't have to worry about leaving them with our 3-year-old daughter. They're full of energy and chase each other around the furniture for hours. If you're in their way, they'll run right over you without missing a stride. "They're smaller than a Chichuahua dog. When fully grown they reach just above the ankle. They have a small, bushy tail similar to an ordinary fox, but not as thick furred. They can leap through the air as gracefully as a gazelle and have excel-lent hearing because their big ears work like little satellite dishes. "We let one pair run around the house as pets. They can easily be litter box trained and will even allow us to wash them with soap and dry them off with a hair blower. We feed them cat and dog food, and small amounts of vegetables. They really like raisins - they'll dance on their hind feet for one. They also love grapes on the vine. "They don't breed well in a house so we plan to move them outdoors. Females breed at 8 to 12 months, and average gestation period is 54 to 60 days. Average litter size is two to four. You can get two litters per year if you bottle raise them or one litter per year if you raise them naturally. We'll trade some of the offspring we get next year for breeding animals. We'll keep one of the males indoors for a pet." DeArmond says he plans to sell the kits for $2,000 each. For more information on Fennec foxes, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, J & R Exotic Animals, 118 Adams, Grand River, Iowa 50108 (ph 515 773-5548).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.