Routine health care is an important part of pet ownership.
Animals are adept a hiding signs of injury or illness and foxes are no different. Less is known on the health and behaviour of captive foxes compared to other pets, so it is extra important they are checked daily for signs of ill-health.
Before bringing a fox home you should ensure there is an Exotic Pet Vet willing to register you and your specialist pet. Book an appointment for an initial health check as soon as you get home, and make arrangements for any vaccinations, parasite protocols and treatments the vet may recommend.
Training your fox to tolerate handling from a young age will not only help to secure the bond between you and your fox, but it will also aid you in conducting thorough daily health checks, which will help you build an understanding of what is "normal" for your particular fox.
It is important to remember that a fox's environment and emotional well-being are interconnected with their health and behaviour. A suitable diet, enclosure and plenty of species specific enrichment go a long way to ensuring your pet remains healthy!
Vaccinations For Foxes
Vaccination safeguards you, your fox and any other pets in the household from nasty diseases that can cause pain and suffering and in some cases, even death. It is important to note that there are not always treatments available, where treatments are available, they can be expensive and in some circumstances even prove unsuccessful. It is for this reason that preventing disease through vaccination is strongly advised.
Vaccinations are given at intervals over specific time-frames, which vary depending on the vaccine in question. They contain a modified form of the virus or bacterium that causes a particular disease and work by stimulating the body's immune system in a safe way. Should your fox come into contact with a disease, the immune system 'remembers the vaccine' and is stimulated into fighting off the disease before it can take hold.
In order for vaccines to provide protection, it is advised that they are given before the animal is allowed to socialise with animals from outside of the home. The ability to socialise with other animals from a young age is essential for the normal social development of a young fox, so for this reason it is vital they are vaccinated as soon as possible.
Vaccinations recommended for captive foxes in the UK include:
Canine Distemper
Canine Infectious Hepatitis (Canine Adenovirus)
Canine Parvovirus
Leptospirosis
Note: Lyme Disease and Canine Influenza Virus vaccines are now available for dogs in the UK. It is not yet clear if these are suitable (or recommended) for use in pet foxes.
Visit, MSD Vet Manual for more information.
Parasite Treatment For Foxes
Captive foxes, like other pets, require regular treatments to help prevent them from suffering parasite problems. Your exotics vet will be able to provide advice about what products to use, how effective they are, and how often to use them, but depending on the product, schedules are usually every 1-3 months.
Parasites such as worms, ticks, fleas and mites present a disease risk to both humans and animals, so it is important not to look over this aspect of health care. Ticks, fleas and mites are known to carry many different pathogens and can easily transmit disease between wild animals, domestic pets and humans, if these pests are not kept in check. Sarcoptic mange mite infestations are one of the most common afflictions of UK wild foxes.
Infections to consider when keeping foxes include:
Coronaviruses
Brucella Canis
Borrelia (Lyme Disease)
Bartonella (Cat Scratch Disease)
Toxoplasmosis
Tuberculosis
Tick-borne Encephalitis
Tuleremia
Anaplasma
Rickettsia
Ehrlichia Canis
Leishmania Infantum
Giardia
Toxocara Canis
Echinococcus Multilocularis
Trichinella Spiralis
Angiostrongylus Vasorum
To keep parasite burdens down ensure you stick to a regular parasite schedule, that bowls, bedding and litter boxes are kept clean. Remove and unwanted leaf litter from enclosures, keep weeds and plants trimmed back and ensure cats and rodents cannot enter your fox's enclosure. "Deep Clean" your home and animal enclosure once a week and check your pet daily for ticks, fleas and other parasites.
If you find your fox is suffering either internal or external parasites, it is important to seek veterinary advice. Remember to treat not only the animal, but other pets in the home, the animals enclosure and bedding, and your home (should your fox have access). Your vet will be able to recommend products that are safe and effective to use.
Suggested Veterinary Treatment Schedule:
The prevention of flea, tick and mite infestations often requires monthly control measures. Veterinary products that control such parasites include Stronghold, Frontline, Advantage, Advantage II, Advantix and Effipro. Seresto collars can also be used, lasting 8 months.
Worming is suggested every three months and should cover roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, whipworm, heartworm, lungworm and flukes. Veterinary products that control such parasites include Drontal, Droncit, Milbemax, Prazitel Plus+, Advocate or Panacur.
For the home and enclosure, veterinary products such as Indorex can be used. 1 application provides up to 1 year of protection.
Other Diseases and Conditions of Foxes Include:
Fox Encephalitis
Dopey Fox Syndrome
Chaztek Paralysis
Hereditary Hyperplastic Gingivitis
Hediak Higashi Syndrome (Mansfield Pearls)
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Hydrocephalus
Limb Deformity (e.g. Growth plate disorders)
Dwarfism (as seen here)
Signs of Ill Health in Foxes
Your fox is not able to you when they feel unwell, but they can give you signs to indicate whether they are feeling under the weather:
Rapid or laboured breathing
Sickness or diarrhea
Abnormal weight gain or loss
Loss or increase in appetite
Drinking abnormal amounts
Lethargy or increase in sleeping
Unusual sores or swellings
Increase or decrease in toileting
Limping or weakness on limbs
Coughing, wheezing or sneezing
Abdominal distension
Bleeding
Scratching or chewing
Signs of pain (sensitivity)
Runny eyes or nose
Dull coat
Changes in behaviour (e.g. overly quiet, tame or aggressive)
If your fox displays any of the symptoms above, be sure to contact your veterinarian.
Grooming & Daily Health Checks
Grooming is not only important for maintaining and assessing health, but the process of allogrooming is an important social behaviour for foxes, contributing to both their physical and mental well-being. Silver foxes will naturally engage in allogrooming of their human carers and other pets in the home, if a strong enough bond develops. Training a fox to tolerate grooming and health checks, ensures you can create a good foundation for a strong social relationship to develop.
Like wild foxes, silver foxes go through a moulting season each year. Silver foxes were originally bred for the fur trade and have developed much thicker and fluffier coats as a result of the selective breeding, which can be a handful when it comes out in a moult, I recommend investing in a good brush, both for the fox and your floor! Alternatively, hand-plucking the moulting clumps of fur can be just as effective.
Silver foxes are in their full winter coats from Dec-March:
Microchipping
Microhipping is now a legal requirement for dogs in the UK and it is soon to be a requirement for cats also. While foxes are cat-like canids, they are not covered by this legislation, however, it is highly recommended that you get your fox microchipped at their first health check. This means that should your fox get lost or stolen, it can be identified and you can be notified.
While microchipping is helpful in reuniting lost pets with their owners, details must be kept updated for it to be effective, so remember to keep your details up to date.
Neutering Foxes
"It's Nicer to Neuter!" Dogs Trust Campaign Slogan
At Black Foxes UK we agree. Twice a year, during breeding season and again when young cubs leave their home territory to claim their own, foxes undergo seasonal behavioural changes and become much more challenging. During these times the dynamics of their social alliances changes, they become much more confrontational and are much more likely to attempt to escape.
Young foxes can be neutered from around 4-8 months and should preferably be done before sexual maturity begins at about 10 months. Neutering may help to reduce unwanted behaviours and can also help to reduce not only how strong your fox smells, but the strength and frequency of territorial marking. As with female dogs, it is advise to wait 12 weeks from a season to neuter foxes (foxes are in season for only 3 days of the year, during breeding season, somewhere between Dec-Feb).
Neutering also prevents unwanted and unplanned pregnancies and reduces the burden on exotic pet rescues. Most importantly of all, it ensures your pet fox's genes don't end up in the wild fox gene pool.
The Five Freedoms
Everyone responsible for an animal in captivity must comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The act states five needs that owners must ensure they meet. Breech of the Act can result in a fine, imprisonment and/or a ban from keeping animals.
1) The need for a suitable environment - Make sure you fox has somewhere suitable to live. Foxes require a secure enclosure with a minimum of a 100 square foot per fox. While there is no regulation on the size of enclosure anything less than this would not be considered suitable in meeting their needs. The enclosure must include several warm safe places to hide from view and bad weather, it must be escape-proof and it must be safe.
2) The need for a suitable diet - While foxes are carnivores, they are more accurately described as mesocarnivores (animals that consume 50-70% meat). The diet of a captive fox should include whole small prey items daily where possible. Other food items, such as; raw or cooked meat, fresh fruits and vegetables or complete commercial diets can be added to this to provide a balanced and nutritious diet. Do not feed anything that cannot be fed to dogs or cats. Foxes require a higher amount of taurine than dogs but less than cats. A balanced diet, complete with raw meat and whole prey items, will supply your fox's needs.
3) The need to exhibit normal behaviour patterns - Foxes have several natural behaviours that owners can easily accommodate. They are avid diggers, they also bury excess food in a behaviour known as "caching". Providing an area where your fox can dig safely will allow it to display these natural behaviours. Foxes are also great climbers and they enjoy taking in a view from a height, ensure your fox has platforms and climbing branches in their enclosure to allow them to behave as foxes need to behave. In the wild, foxes have to work hard for their food, so make sure you add food enrichment devices to your daily routine.
4) The need to be housed with, or apart from, other animals - Foxes are social animals, but they have a socially select nature which they manage and maintain through agonistic displays. The social life of foxes adapts and changes over time and while some prefer the company of others, some do not. It is important to monitor the social behaviour of foxes that are group housed for this reason, especially during breeding and weaning season. As with the case with cats, there is no welfare concern housing foxes singularly.
5) The need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease - It is your duty as an owner to ensure your fox and it's environment remains healthy. Ensure you are familiar with the signs of normal health and behaviour, if you notice anything out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to take action and contact your vet. Veterinary fee's can be expensive and there is little option for pet insurance for foxes, so ensure you are able to afford any costs that may occur over the course of your foxes life.
