So if these animals were more common and less expensive, would you buy a domestic fox? Are there any ways a domesticated fox could be useful besides companionship, such as hunting?
no I'm pretty happy with cats as a pet. a pet fox could be useful for catching mice inside and pissing on everything.
>>2001422
They're domesticiated, but that doesn't make them good pets, so no.
>>2001422
Hell no. Just about everything a fox can do (besides appearance) a dog breed exists for it and will be better at it. I'd never get a fox.
![maxresdefault[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/67d6bwU.jpg "maxresdefault[1].jpg")
Get an Alaskan Klee Kai, it looks very similar to your picture, OP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o9VRIdbRXo
http://www.nextdaypets.com/for_sale/?breed=1100007
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaskan_Klee_Kai
Forgot to mention but do you think domesticating foxes would be a better alternative to hunting them for fur?
>>2001436
but that's wrong
that's like telling someone to buy a ferret instead of a snake, because ferrets are "like snakes with fur"
>>2001455
Foxes are shitty pets, and the only reason you'd want one is for aesthetics. He posted a picture of a better pet with similar aesthetics.
Foxes are generally owned by furries that most likely jerk off on them.
>>2001455
>foxes and dogs
>in the same family
>ferrets and snakes
>different classes
come back when you've got a proper analogy
>>2001459
These are specifically domesticated so they're friendlier around humans. Wild foxes are indeed shitty pets but the domesticated ones behave similar to dogs in most aspects.
No clue if they still piss everywhere though. If so you could just leave them outside.
>>2001464
Being domesticated doesn't mean they're suitable for ownership by the average owner. Consider dogs, and they've been bred by humans for tens of thousands of years. Domestic foxes still dig, yip, musk, and preferably need an outdoor enclosure to spend their days. Anya the fox needed one.
>>2001468
This. I'm not saying the determined person can't handle one, but treating them like a dog isn't going to work. In addition, they have more advanced nutritional needs too, you can't just throw them some cheap kibble. And you'd need to find a vet that works with them, which is actually harder than you'd need. Plus, you have to careful who you let your fox around because there is no FDA approved rabies shot. Sure, the dog one most likely works just fine, but you can't prove that in a court of law, which means if your fox ever bites or even nips anyone, and they go to the authorities about it, your fox will get put down.
tl:dr; it's way more than the average pet owner can/wants to deal with and a dog is much easier
>>2001462
shut up ugly
>>2001436
Klee Kais look nothing like foxes.
They look like retarded, inbred husky/chihuahua mixes.
>>2001436
That's cute but looks nothins like a fox.
They're domesticated and bred to be friendlier and tame with humans, but they still require more specialized care and still have a lot of "wild" behaviors that can be difficult to deal with.
You definitely couldn't get one and assume it'd be just like having a dog.
So no, I wouldn't buy one. The only reason I'd keep one is if there was one in need of a home/foster situation and was otherwise in danger of being put down. I'd never seek one out as a pet. They're cute as heck but I'm happy with normal dogs.
>>2001462
>in the same family
as if that means anything.
try keeping a coyote as pet.
No, I wouldn't get a fox. Why have a fox when we have dogs? Foxes offer nothing unique or better than what we already have except for them being cute and fluffy and on top of that, they are more difficult and require more needs than dogs. With that being said, I at least rather people own red foxes than fennec foxes.
>>2001451
How do you think we ended up starting to domesticate them in the first place? We already farm them for fur, which is where the domestication project started. They kept the ones with desired personality traits to breed and culled the rest of them.
Wild fox coats are pretty shitty unless it's their winter coat. Just about no one goes out of their way to actually hunt them solely for fur because they're practically worthless.
>>2001783
Have you kept a coyote as a pet? From what I hear they are notoriously distrustful of strangers and anxious of leaving their home, to the point of being very unmanageable.
Keeping wild canines/canids is not at all like keeping dogs.
>>2001788
that's the point.
it doesn't matter they're in the same family.
I heard from several fox breeders and owners that gray foxes are the best of you want an indoor pet fox. They have no musk gland and act like cats instead of crazy, smelly, destructive reds and arctics. And aren't as hyper and noisy as dicks like fennecs.
I've thought of getting one next year in spring. Not gonna be getting anymore ferrets, anyway.
>>2001918
Nah. Cats are cool.
>>2001924
It is not "literally".
>>2001930
I'm a cat expert. Trust me.
See wild reptiles are very popular cuz they can't run through the house. They prolly chew everything up and shit and piss everywhere and bite you if you try to touch em
DOMESTICATION TAKES HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
Don't fall for this trend.
>>2002535
They're domesticated thanks to some very intense artificial selection for docility regarding humans, even when the foxes have spent hardly any time around humans, and the foxes produce less cortisol.
>>2002538
I know you've probably seen the documentary where they change color & now you're an expert, but it's not that simple. It's a damn fad. Another "Exotic pet" selfish jerks can make money off of. Don't do it.
cute but i stick whit dogs
>>2002542
I haven't seen any documentary about the foxes and I have no interest in getting a fox, domesticated or not. My knowledge comes from research papers published. Color, floppy ears, and biannual estrus are the least remarkable thing about them. They are domesticated.
>>2001468
They're domesticated SILVER foxes. They don't musk. The runs are more for the owner's convenience than anything else as they're very energetic pets. They're like tiny huskies someone gave coffee when it comes to energy levels. Unlike a husky, however, a fox can use a toilet (like a cat). No snowy doggie bathroom breaks for the fox keeper!
Dogs bark, dig and need an outdoor enclosure or to be kept on a leash. Dogs need shots and tranining. Dogs can be super high energy (especially when small). Dogs are just like foxes except foxes are more newly domesticated and not widespread yet.
>>2002535
>>2002542
...and using modern genetic research and intense breeding we managed it in just under 100 years. These foxes have been in the works for many, many years. It's not some new lame designer pet. They started as a humane alternative for the fur industry but researchers grew to love them too much.
>needing to be so special you get fucking fox as a pet instead of a cat or dog
example of why so many exotic pet fags are attention seeking scum
>>2002740
> Forgetting that in Japan foxes and Tanukis were normal guy pets for hundreds of years.
> People with cats and dogs were status seekers
Different cultures, different rules.
That said, I'd want a fox because look at those fluffy little guys! It's all the best parts of a cat and dog in one package. Who wouldn't love a dog that cleans itself and can be litterbox/toilet trained? You don't need to seek attention to see that the idea of a domesticated fox is just plain awesome.
>>2002742
I think you're severely overestimating the effects of their "domestication"
>it's cute!
not a good reason
>can be litter trained
so can dogs
>>2002738
>They're domesticated SILVER foxes.
'Silver fox' isn't a species, they're still Vulpes vulpes, you gigantic retard. Silver foxes are just red foxes with a pigment mutation.
>>2002744
>'Silver fox' isn't a species, they're still Vulpes vulpes
And all dogs are Canis familiaris. So this means a Chihaua, an Akita, a Dalmatian and a Great Dane will be exactly alike physically... right?
Breeding can change an animal physically, mentally and emotionally. Saying everything of the same family is alike is silly. Domesticated foxes don't act like wild ones and have slightly different biology just as different dog breeds act differently and have slightly different biology.
>>2002743
And you have better reasons to own a dog? Show me your sheep heard, head of cattle, hunted wild game and/or your professional rat-catching business.
Frankly, any non-working dog was probably picked up because it's cute, you have the space/means/understanding to care for it, and you wanted a companion. Same would work for any animal that isn't a working animal, foxes included.
Domesticated foxes can't live in the wild. Period. They need humans to survive and are better suited to life with humans than wild animals are. People kept wild foxes as pets for hundreds of years with little issue. Domesticated ones are just a logical step up with better behavior and better biology for life among humans.
>>2002742
>Forgetting that in Japan foxes and Tanukis were normal guy pets for hundreds of years.
>People with cats and dogs were status seekers
>>2002748
>People kept wild foxes as pets for hundreds of years with little issue
Not arguing, but can you point me to some sources for this? I've just never heard of this and I'm curious and would like to read more about it.
>>2002742
>It's all the best parts of a cat and dog in one package. Who wouldn't love a dog that cleans itself and can be litterbox/toilet trained?
This is why people aren't taking you seriously. /an/ generally isn't opposed to people who keep more exotic or difficult animals so long as they acknowledge what they have and how to keep it happy and healthy. It's morons who think that wolfdogs and foxes are awesome because they're dogs ONLY BETTER that /an/ tends to object to because it's stupid and misleading and it sets the owners up for disappointment and the animals up for a shitty life. A few generations of domestication will not turn a fox into a friendly old Lab, and if you want something that acts like a lab and can be treated like a lab, you should probably buy a fucking lab.
If you actually do want a fox (and not just a fox-shaped animal that acts exactly like a dog and can be treated like a dog), awesome, so long as you know what you're in for. There are several bloggers that keep domesticated foxes and are very honest and open about the fact that they love their foxes, but they're very curious and destructive animals, they're not as cuddly as a dog, their urine absolutely reeks (and even domesticated, they're prone to marking) and they're not very trainable. They're absolutely possible to keep as pets, but you do need to acknowledge you have a fox and it has specific needs and is higher maintenance in some ways. You're going to end up with a trashed, stinking home and an unhappy fox if you get one thinking it's a dog with none of the drawbacks of a dog.
>>2001422
No. It's literally the worst pet you could get. Everyone that has had one advises against it.
>>2002742
>It's all the best parts of a cat and dog in one package
You don't know what you're talking about.
>>2002779
Source?
>>2002829
I can think of a dozen worse pets off the top of my head. Hippos, black widows, comodo dragons, mosquitoes, leeches, fungal infections, elephants, wife and children, sentient tumors, outdoor cats, whatever. Foxes are just very demanding dogs.
>>2001924
>Have a cat that is ridiculously friendly to everyone, doesn't piss on anything, is small and usually meows only when hungry or in response to a person
>Occasionally remember that cats are supposed to be dicks
>>2001913
>seen so many grey foxes go through the taxidermy I work at
I feel sad now.
