I don't know if you guys can tell by the name, but I love foxes. I hear how they are hard to take care of, but I still wish to own one, I came to the conclusion that I would keep it outdoors, and not indoors, so it can tear up the yard, and not my home. Idk, what should I do?
>>2158030
If you actually love foxes do not try to own one. Volunteer at a sanctuary.
Not a good idea unless you have the funds and space for it. They are called wild animals for a reason
So do all foxes a favor, and just dont impulse buy ok?
If you really want one, just do LOTS of research and make sure it's what you actually want. Don't get ahead of yourself. Be patient and make sure you are prepared to take care of the fox.
I don't think there's anything wrong with owning a wild animal of any sort, so long as you have the capacity, willingness, and ability to provide proper care for the animal.
So yeah, if you really want to own one, make sure to read lots, talk to other people who have owned foxes, make sure you really know what you're in for, and have all your equipment, enclosures, etc. set up before you get your fox. No pet should be gotten on a whim, but it's especially important to really think things through with a wild animal that requires specialized care.
Whatever you choose, good luck!
>>2158140
Only do this if you don't actually care about foxes and just want to own a wild animal because you think it's cute.
The only foxes that can be made pets are the Belyaev foxes, but prepare to put down tens of thousands of dollars at the very least just to get one. Any fox outside of a Belyaev fox has not been even partially domesticated.
>>2158030
> I have a void in my life I am too cowardly to repair so I'm looking to acquire an animal to fill it
> I'm not interested in the actual companionship and temperament of a domesticated pet, but rather I've created a fantasy in my mind that a fox is perfect for me, based on its looks
> foxes seem have a spirit that I connect with, judging by the anthropomorphic characters in the cartoons I watch to escape reality
Just get a fucking regular dog
>>2158175
>Only do this if you don't actually care about foxes
If someone can actually, legitimately, adequately care for a wild animal, and they want to, why not? Why should providing proper care to an animal indicate that you "don't actually care" about said animal? If it's not hurting the animal, what's the problem?
>>2158208
Because it's a WILD animal. It is supposed to live in the WILD; hence, wild. As opposed to DOMESTICATED animals, which are supposed to live with people; hence, domesticated.
>>2158208
another anon.
a wild animal is not fit to live domesticated.
it can take care for itself and suffers in captivity.
How can you enjoy a pet that does not want to live with you and would run away given a chance?
>>2158208
It's called "proper care" for a reason. If the proper care is not taken the animal suffers through malnutrition, lack of exercise, poor mental stimulation, etc.
Don't give a fox depression because "but I want it." It's time to stop being a spoiled child
You can volunteer your time to a sanctuary/rescue or adopt a fox that someone bought and couldn't care for.
With proper care foxes can be happy in captivity, but most people vastly underestimate the amount of care needed.
>>2158226
>>2158231
>suffers in captivity
If given enough space, a proper enclosure to suit its needs, and specialized care, the animal doesn't "suffer" in captivity.
Stop anthropomorphizing. If an animal has all the right stuff and space and food to keep it healthy and enriched, it doesn't give a fuck about the arbitrary concept of "freedom" or "wildness."
>>2158255
So if OP CAN and WILL provide proper care, and the animal is happy and healthy, what's the problem?
>>2158844
>Stop anthropomorphizing. If an animal has all the right stuff and space and food to keep it healthy and enriched, it doesn't give a fuck about the arbitrary concept of "freedom" or "wildness."
That's not the issue. Everyone says they have infinite patience for nature, but foxes are wild animals and will test your tolerance past the point of most people. Unless OP has experience handling wild animals before, getting a fox would just result in an inevitable catastrophe.
>>2159423
>That's not the issue
Mostly what has been said seemed to boil down to "it's bad because wild animals are supposed to be wild!" which isn't really saying anything.
And yeah, if OP fails to provide appropriate care for the animal, that's bad. A fox (or any wild animal) is a big commitment of time, effort, and energy that most people just can't do. Hence why it would be very bad to get a fox without having done a lot of research, preparation, and really thought it through.
I'm not urging OP to go get a fox. I'm urging him to really consider whether or not this is something he can--and wants to--do. If he can and will actually provide proper care to the animal, I see no problem.
>>2159603
You're misunderstanding what they are saying. It is not that he should not get one because wild things should be wild. It is because wild things need so much more and different care than domesticated animals that 99.9999% of people are unable to give the proper care needed for them to be happy and healthy. Chances are OP is one of the people who can't. If he can, then good, but otherwise he should give up and realize that he needs to do the right thing for the animal
>>2159646
Yeah, but that was pretty much my point the entire time: Wild animals require a lot of specialized care and if you're going to get one, you need to be prepared for that and able to provide that care.
>2159668
Yes, but you severely underestimate the stupidity of the average person who wants to get a fox.
Only obsessive furries who are absolutely loaded have been able to give foxes a decent life, and even then they're obsessive furries so what's going on between them in their foxes is questionable.
>>2158129
How many foxes were tortured and killed to create those "domesticated" foxes?
>>2159976
You don't need to torture them to make them domesticated. I'll teach you how domestication works in three easy steps.
1. Breed animal
2. Cull animals that are aggressive towards humans
3. Repeat for hundreds of years
You're essentially using expedited evolution to breed out their fear of us.
(Obviously this is oversimplified and ignores all the socialization needed but you get the point.)
>>2159976
Hello, PETArd.
Good bye, PETArd.
>>2160018
>Cull animals that are aggressive towards humans
So thousands of animals have to die for the fun of having pet foxes.
Great.
>>2160095
Dmitry Belyaev was one of the fathers of modern genetics, providing the world with data that can help us understand the history of domestication. Come back when your granola ass actually does something other than bitch and maybe then you can finally justify your "holier than thou" attitude.
>>2160095
Well, you don't actually have to kill them. Just don't breed the ones that show aggression.
>>2160152
Not previous anon, but what exactly would you do with the ones you didn't breed? You'd have to feed them, house them, and as you breed more domestic ones you'll keep accumulating more and more and more and run out of space or money or both.
So you'd be left with tons of feral to semiferal foxes that chances are you can't take care of. The choice is keep them (and risk bankruptcy and/or being shut down by animal control for bad conditions); release them (which seems kinder but leads to animals that don't know how to survive in the wild starving to death, and harms native wildlife), or kill them (which is effective but obviously unpalatable.
There isn't really a good or easy solution unless you have boatloads of space and money. Even the people who were domesticating foxes for the fur industry ran out of money.
>>2158030
Theres no way you could keep fox out of your home, multishine shield pressure at tas level : your door has no chance.
http://www.koryoswrites.com/nonfiction/three-ethical-considerations-for-exotic-pets/
>>2158034
Secon this. If you really love foxes you should not own one. We alrealdy have enough domestic animals.
>>2158231
>How can you enjoy a pet that does not want to live with you and would run away given a chance?
Thell that to reptile owners
