Looks like he outfoxed you.

They should try foxing him with Mickey to get him back.

What a fox

Sorry to go off topic but yeah, I have a pet tortoise and a wild fox the size of a full-grown labrador tried to attack him the other day. So yeah, I don't like foxes anymore.

OP: I'm so sorry, that must be terrible. I've always wanted a pet fox, too.

This 'domesticated' fox will likely die a short wild death due to OPs ignorance, and for all her passion for animals her only regret lies in the fact that she spent so little time with it. And she's NOT a dumbass?

Hahahaha ydi foxes wild animals lets try to fence it in lol

You need to do more research on how to keep a fox outside so it doesn't dig out and run

Seems like some people got the kit for fox puns

Cry about it with that Tzofi girl.

We had a "pet" alligator once! Every day he'd sit in the backyard waiting for some food and once you fed him he'd just sit there and let you pet him and stuff. Obviously we didn't try to keep him all caged up or anything. I guess that's not really a pet but close enough.

Listen Doc, there is such a thing as "domesticated foxes" just like cats and dogs had to be domesticated through breeding, training, and human interaction. If you do your research like OP did you would know that domesticated foxes make better pets than most cats & dogs because they have the best traits of both. If anything I blame OP for not installing a deep rooted fence because foxes at notorious diggers.

It's like you could easily make the argument that cats as dogs are "not 'meant to be kept as pets" but as domesticated animals it works out and yes they sometimes run away

22- True! In Russia, a group of people raised and bred foxes. They eventually learned to answer by name.

There are actually breeds of domesticated foxes in Russia that are EXTREMELY pricey. How do you know she didn't get one of those?

Thank you SpamPam. I suppose you fall into the same dumbass camp as OP. How did that turn out for OP anyway? Right.

You're a pretty mean individual to talk to people like that. Do your research and yeah I already said that OP was in the wrong for not having a proper fence prepared for having a pet fox. Again, please do your research before calling people "dumbasses"

They've actually bred one for about 40 years in Russia as a genetics experiment, and essentially domesticated it.

Actually Doc, yes there are domesticated foxes and there is a facility in Russia dedicated to them. People might be surprised to find they are legal in some states. I've done my research for years as well and plan to get one (I've even contacted reputable breeders and an exotic animal vet.) It also depends on which OP got. I'm more inclined to grey foxes (easier to train) than say, a fennec. It takes immense dedication to get one, which is why I haven't yet and I'm waiting. These are also foxes who may not survive in the wild (just like a dog or a ferret, etc.) and shame on OP for CLEARLY not doing as good of a job on research as they thought. Silver foxes usually are more apt to digging than others, so perhaps that's what s/he got. I am also going to assume s/he got an older one, and not a kit (which is more advisable.) I feel bad for this fox for not getting a well-informed owner who may have just cost it its life.

DocBastard getting buried. I never thought I would live to see this day. My life is complete. I can die now. Fulfilled.

Honestly, even if there are domesticated foxes I agree with Doc here. Foxes are wild animals and guys, be honest to yourself - the only reason you want to have one is because it will make you "special" and you think cats and dogs are boring. "Look guys I've got a ******* fox as a pet I'm so awesome." That's just as ****** up as those rich people buying tigers and putting them in a cage. It's just disgusting how humans want to ******* own everything there is. OH my god foxes are so cool I NEED ONE AS A PET! People shouldn't even have started domesticating them. And YES, I know "Cats and dogs were wild animals too". But well they were domesticated thousands of years ago, so it's a bit late to change that right?

Um...no, actually. I've wanted a fox for many years, just because. It has nothing to do with statues? Now you're just making assumptions. I have dogs and past cats (actually I have six dogs - I'm a small canine rescue - and a ferret, two turtles, a hamster, an asshole horse, and two lovebirds.) I simply have a love of animals, basically. And I can tell you all my animals are fat and happy (well...my horse is overweight tbh, but I'm working on that lol.) I have a deep respect for foxes, and I'm well aware of what getting into so thank you, sir, for making an assumption about me.

There's a difference between rescuing an animal and keeping it or holding it captive for your own delight. Anyways, I may add your reason to the list why people would get a fox - love of animals. There's nothing against that, but if people actually loved them they would leave them where they belong and not start breeding them so they can have them all for themselves. I don't mean to offend you, again, there's nothing wrong with rescuing an animal and giving it a home.

People get foxes because they are better than both cats and dogs. They are loyal, teachable (can learn tricks), respond to their names, like going on walks, and yipp (like dogs) They can also use litter boxes, purr and like to cuddle (like cats) they are also very social and get along very well with both cats and dogs!

I wish ninetails were real right now or vulpix.

Wow docbastard, you really sounded like a douche. Clearly she did research and thought it'd be ok. Saying "I hope lost money" just sounds like an asshole. I know I'm gonna get thumbed down but just wanted to say that.

I hereby apologize for using such a harsh tone of voice. I did not mean to offend anyone, even though I obviously did. There are just some things in this world that make me lose my temper, but that is just me and from now on I shall rather write a comment, but go for a five minute walk, then read it again before I post it. Let's just agree on the fact that there's different kinds of people in the world and we will never all be of the same opinion. Even though it definitely sucks for OP, as pet foxes are very expensive, it is my personal opinion that it somehow is her own fault. And maybe somehow nature's black humor telling us to leave them where they belong.

SpamPam - You can stop telling me to "do research". I'm very good at it, thanks. My point (that you seem to have missed yet again) is that OP did "years" of research, and the fox RAN OFF. How's that for research?

I get your point. Lets just agree that it doesn't have to have "dumbass" attached to it :)

That's a really bad idea, 20. I live in Florida in an area surrounded by alligators. The #1 thing you never want to do is feed them. They start to associate people with food and when they find a person who doesn't have any... That's when they attack.

Any animal you've ever has as a pet was wild at some point in it's lineage. Horses were originally wild, as were dogs and cats. Parrots, hamsters, rabbits, etc., were all wild originally. I've always wanted a pet fox, but I don't think they're legal in America. :(

They are in some states :) Just do extensive research, and don't end up like OP! (Who thought they did research but clearly not if they made a rookie mistake like leaving a new fox out long enough to dig; the least they could've done was perhaps have someone else supervise it if they had to go do something...)

Actually, there is domesticated foxes. Look it up, there was a Russian project that tried to domesticate foxes and they were successful.

I'm a bit late for this conversation, but I wanted to say that I don't consider keeping domesticated foxes a bad thing. The foxes in Russia, for example, that have been domesticated over generations and are now as tame as dogs and cats...well, I don't think it's "wrong" to keep them, because they're domesticated and happy living with people -- since those particular foxes aren't WILD anymore. At some point in time, EVERY animal we consider pets now had to be domesticated.

Foxes can be domesticated, but depends on the kind.

I have a pet triceratops.

Actually dumbass, you can own a pet fox. I have seen a few people with them before and they were all good pets. It's like with a dog, cat or any other animal, it's all about how you raise it.

Actually doc this was not your original point so spampam did not miss anything. Your original point was that OP should not have gotten a fox as a pet because according to you they are not domesticated pets. Way to backpedal after trying to be a smartass about something you clearly know nothing about. Dumbass.

Bad day? Your comments are usually so intelligent Doc, but this time you are in the wrong. There definitely are such things as domestic foxes, and if you know how to care for them they make great pets. SpamPam did say that OP was negligent. I'm sure somewhere on your blog you have a entry complaining about people who don't actually have the information to support what they're saying or don't listen to reason. Oh wait, was that today's post :)

look up pet foxes. please, you sound stupider than you could possibly imagine.

Some people enjoy having wild animals. And it's not up to you to judge them!! If OP wanted a fox then she has every right to!! Foxes are adorable and awesome! But OP better find because it might be in danger or harm someone one.

My husband and I are planning to raise one eventually. Anyone who knows these animals know that they are the best of both worlds of dogs and cats. Anyone who doesn't know these animals, quite frankly should keep their opinions to themselves. As a snake hobbyist I see this all of the time, people who have NO idea what I do or anything about these animals forming opinions based on animal planet and old wives tales that their grandparents told them.

There's just about every species of an animal domesticated, **** face.

at #148, some people enjoy having wild animals. So with that point then they should be able to own any wild animal? How about the species of asian lemur on youtube that everyone is gaga for that gets tickled? it is endangered and there is a big illegal pet trade for it, oh and that reaction to being tickled is a defense mechanism, it hates it. How about owning cheetahs again? If you get them as babies and raise them, they are more loyal than dogs; but oh wait, the are endangered. Or how about the idiots that raise, what was it, chimps or some sort, that were such loving companions, then ripped someones face off. There has to be limits to what we humans take home and try to domesticate because 'omg! so cute!'. Yes there are the russian fox that were part of an experiement to look at domestication in animals, they also looked at genetic traits of aggressiveness. Guess what happened to the foxes that were bred with aggressive to aggressive and so on down the line and kept the hyper aggressive traits and could not be domesticated???

Doc getting buried? 'Bout ******' time he got taken down a peg. Honestly I'm sick of people thinking that just because they're popular on the site that they can get away with making all the dickish comments they want.

Is that a pic of your X-Ray, Doc?

I have a pet hedgehog, am I a dumbass then too? because they should be outside right? ha yeah i got a lot of shit like OP did people need to grow up and realize all animals were once wild animals.

#164, And so the aggressive foxes are not domesticated. Their existence only serves to further demonstrate that the traits which we consider domestic are hereditary, and that the gentle foxes are inherently thus. I agree that people shouldn't take animals out of the wild and keep them as pets, but the domesticated foxes are not wild.

I agree, "domesticated" foxes aren't wild... They are however, a by-product of the fur industry. And who would support that?

#182 That part does suck. A lot. My point is just that the foxes are genetically domesticated. If we knew what caused domestication back when we first decided dogs were great, I'm sure it could have only taken 50 years to domesticate them as well.

I wonder who pissed in Doc's Cheerios.

your not alone if I ever get one totally naming it flareon or vulpix

sorry that was to #85

you can buy a pet fox. they take the most calm and relaxed ones and breed them together so after a while they can become domesticated. they even loose the camo qualites and have more distinctive qualities

@197 a domesticated fox, obviously

I don't like Doc anymore..

I agree with Doc here. Just because an animal can be domesticated doesn't mean you should keep it as a pet. Raccoons can be domesticated, but you don't see many pet raccoons around for good reason. Same with elephants and wolves. Dogs and cats are kept as pets because they work well as pets. Foxes, raccoons, elephants and wolves do not work well as pets.

#209, I think you're confusing domestication with tameness. Dogs and cats are domesticated, and so are Russian foxes now, too. Bringing a wild animal into your home doesn't domesticate it - that would be an attempt to tame it. When people bring wolves and raccoons into their homes (or wild foxes), that's taming them. Which is very different. Tame = pet wolf, domestication = pet dog (which was a wolf, but then we domesticated it) Anyone who tries to argue that we shouldn't domesticate foxes is about 50 years too late.

Actually I know plenty of people with wolves or wolf hybrids that are great pets

#31, in Russia you don't breed foxes. In Russia, foxes breed you....

DocBastard you used to be funny and one of my favorite commenters. Now you are just snotty and stale. You accuse and judge on subjects you know nothing about.

#188, I don't know about genetically... I would think that the allelelic variation in the domesticated/tamed population would be much lower than in the wild population due to inbreeding, but that the two populations would still share a greater number of DNA markers than say, the wolf and the dog would. I don't believe that 50 years is enough time for species differentiation to take place, which would mean that the DNA markers would need to mutate to the point where they have very little in common with each other, and therefore the tame fox and the wild one are probably genetically indistinguishable. I don't think we'll be seeing the species Vulpes familiaris soon anyway. (Dog= Canis familiaris. Wolf= Canis lupus. Different species.) Source: Masters degree project: Genetic diversity. Rebuttals should preferably consist of peer-reviewed and published studies.

Doc when did you become such a dick?

#209- Coons? Well raccoons tried to get in our back porch, Momma just chase em off with a broom!

*Ironically looks up stupider in the dictionary* Nah... Definitely not seeing it here....

#176 Yep, you pretty much are a dumbass. What do you do to it? Cuddle it? Sleep with it? Teach it ricks? It's a bloody hedgehog. Like a stick insect, snake, lizard, etc you only own one so you can brag and so you can watch it for your amusement. I'm not a PETA freak, but owning a pet just to watch it is kind of a dumb thing to do.

68, do you not understand domesticated means? They are not wild. There are breeds of foxes that are bred to be pets and most likely wouldn't be survive in the wild - just like cats and dogs. Seriously, do your research before being a douche.

500-800 dollars is not pricy at all. Even in pounds. For a beautiful pet thats nothing.

For a fox iv heard its 8000 dollars which is still nothing for a fox which loves to be cuddled.

I heard at least $5000

Funny how people are calling Doc a dumb ass yet he's a doctor. not that I agree with anyone in this, I'm just saying.

He said to get a ******* pet alligator and scratch the inside of the mouth. Something tells me he wasn't being serious. Anyone else get that feeling?

I havr lost all respect for Docbastard. Didn't know he was such a dick.

#2, foxes can be pets too, the real problem is that OP didn't take precautions and should've secured the fences more. You are a dick for saying you hope OP lost money though.

227 the Russian experiment foxes are showing some traits not found in the wild mainly fur patterns and ear types. If Im remembering it correctly. And it's worth mentioning that its way easier to get a "tame" fox then a domesticated Russian fox. And foxes may be cute and cuddly but the smell.

I know I'm going to be down voted but I agree with Doc. 30 or 50 years is not enough to be domesticated and taking a wild animal, shoving it in a cage, and forcing it to reproduce only to do the same to the calmest babies is a sick thing to support for someone who loves animals. I've watched the documentary on the Russian experiments. Steel bar cages lined up and stacked on each other. And top not even have enough sense to realize a fox digs and then leave it unsupervised long enough for it to dig out and escape is a dumbass move

The only reason I want a fox is because I don't like dogs and don't have all the time for the cat. A fox had traits of cats and dogs. They are domesticated. If you where to let one go in the wild, they would die. They don't know how to be wild. It's just how it works.

So were dogs at one point. Ever heard of wolves? Or cats? Or sheep? Or cattle?

#287 no worries you talk a lot of sense. As does doc, though he phrased it harshly (probably for laughs). 50 years is a millisecond in evolutionary terms. Cats and dogs have been living with and bred by humans for many thousands of years. If you took a bunch of taller-than-average people and cross-bred them you wouldn't have a race of giants five generations later. They'd just be on the tall side, but not drastically different. A bred fox is tamer than a wild one but it will simply not be as domesticated as a cat or dog, however much we may love them. And that's exactly why they're such a massive commitment. And why some people do consider this sort of breeding cruel and unethical - since these animals have a strong tendency to run away but poor survival skills in the wild. Hence this sort of breeding is not widespread despite the appetite for exotic unusual cute pets (evidenced in this thread).. You're all great but that's the truth of it.

#287 you talk sense. As does doc, though he phrased it harshly (probably for laughs). 50 years is a millisecond in evolutionary terms. Cats/dogs have been bred by humans for thousands of years. If you took a bunch of taller-than-average people and bred them you wouldn't have a race of giants 5 generations later. They'd be on the tall side, not drastically different. A bred fox is tamer than a wild one but it will not be as domesticated as a dog, however much we may love them. That's exactly why they're a massive commitment. And why some people consider this sort of breeding cruel and unethical - these animals have a strong tendency to run away but poor survival skills in the wild. SO this sort of breeding is not widespread despite the appetite for exotic unusual cute pets... You're all great but that's the truth of it.

Clearly, you've never heard of domesticated foxes.. "wtf" were you thinking when you commented?

4- Do you realize that at one point in time even dogs, cats and farm animals were not domestic pets, but purely wild animals? They were slowly domesticated centuries ago, just as foxes are being slowly domesticated now. Pet foxes are not even all that uncommon. Why don't you learn about something before you make rash judgements and rude comments. They only hurt people's feelings and make you look ignorant.

Domesticated foxes do exist, yes, but let's not pretend they are as domesticated as dogs and cats. A domesticated fox is more like a ferret or dingo. Perhaps not even as domesticated as that. They can be kept as pets, but their wild instincts are very strong, and they WILL burrow and run away if they are given the chance.

147- so will many dogs. what's your point?

#172 - Way to miss my point. It's that sort of attitude that leads to situations like the OP's. Foxes aren't domesticated dogs and just because they do things similar to some dogs, that doesn't mean they don't need more care and attention than the average dog does. They are still classed as an exotic pet and people who own them need to take that into consideration. SOME dogs will dig and SOME run away. MOST foxes dig and run away. It's in their nature to dig. They live in burrows. And that sort of behavior is almost impossible to train out of a fox, because their domestication isn't as far-along as dogs and cats. That's why it is recommended that domesticated foxes always be supervised when outside, and kept in an escape-proof pen when they aren't being supervised. They are a lot more flighty than most domesticated dogs.

Domesticated foxes aren't "predominately wild."

#120: Yes, they are domesticated, but that doesn't mean they are 100% tame. I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but fox owners need to accommodate a fox's behavior and accept that a fox isn't just another breed of dog. They will burrow, they will dig holes, they will run away if given the chance. They are more difficult to train than a dog, and some can't even be trained at all. That's not to say they don't make good pets. But if someone wants to own a fox, they need accept that they do take more effort than a domesticated dog or cat generally will.

The tame foxes that America's breeders sell are like that. But seeing as OP saved emphasised the fact that she spent alot of money on her's, I'm willing to bet that it's an actual domestic Russian one. If she had spent more than three hours with it, it would never run away. They are more dependent than cats are, and some dog breeds too.

You have obviously never heard of domesticated foxes or done any research on them.

You might be astonished to learn that domesticated foxes have been around longer than you'd think - I should know, as I've done my own research for one (and definitely better than OP - never leave them unattended, especially when you first get them.)

"domesticated" foxes are like "domesticated" lions, they haven't been domestic for enough generations to breed the wild instincts out. Some will go with what they know, but the more dominant will still revert to form and either attack or attempt escape. They make cuddly pets, but wild foxes are cuddly and friendly too, so take proper precautions if you want one as a pet, as they are likely to attempt escape if they get bored.

Seriously. Why can't OP just watch them jump on a trampoline on YouTube like a normal person?

Where do you think dogs and cats and pigs and hamsters come from?

They were bred for domestication long before they were actually domesticated. Do you really think that putting a wild animal in a domestic setting is all that's required to tame it?

Quick question, adding on to the previous comment, think about this one for as long as you need: do you believe that cats and dogs and whatever else you consider a good pet just came into existence already domesticated? Because if so, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you...

Outer space. Duh. Haven't you seen the Kia commercial about the interstellar traveling babies? Get with it 21.

There are certain animals that were domesticated for specific purposes, like dogs that had specific roles thousands of years ago, but overtime have become pets. What the **** are you going to do with a fox though.

Have fun with them?

For companionship, like cats and many small breeds if dogs were domesticated for? You want a pointlessly domesticated animal? Hamsters. You don't eat them, they don't cuddle, and they don't do much. Yes they are used for testing in laboratories, but they were no domesticated for it. By your logic, no one should keep hamsters as pets.

146- Who said you can't eat hamsters?

Honestly, I think the domestication of foxes is great. Here in Australia, foxes are one of the country's worst pests. It is legal to hunt foxes and it's common for council's to offer money rewards for fox skins. People use all sorts of horrible ways to get rid of them (shooting, fox traps, poison, etc). So I'd rather see foxes be domesticated and living in loving homes, than see them being killed just because they had the unfortunate luck of being born a fox.

159: I never said you CAN'T eat hamsters. I was just getting at the fact that it doesn't seem particularly common to do so. If someone cooked one for me, I'd probably try it, if only for bragging rights.

What's with your profile pic ...

It's a screenshot my friend took of the pic I sent her on snapchat. I was stopped at a red light but it was a response because she was blowing up my phone.