Can a fox be owned as a pet in Canada?

[virgilaug]

Are foxes allowed to be owned as pets in Canada?

[sgsmith]

Are foxes allowed to be owned as pets in Canada?

Not in Ontario...unless you have the appropriate qualifications and MNR permits.

[virgilaug]

Bummer, foxes are such cute animals.

[sgsmith]

Bummer, foxes are such cute animals.

Cute does not mean nice....

[MichaelAngelo]

Still would make an... interesting pet. I don't see how they could be too friendly. I think they're solitary animals in the wild, aren't they?

[mdl.tor]

Bummer, foxes are such cute animals.

I think you have been watching too many Disney movies.

Have you ever seen a fox in the wild? Their pelts may be beautiful, but they are what I would call a harsh looking and mean animal (one step above a raccoon). They are not meant to be domesticated. They need territory, and they like to kill things.

There are plenty of great choices for pets without having to look for something "different". I know people who have bought large or exotic pets who then discovered the pet is highly active, will damage things in the house, and will generally not be a good domestic pet. They then either get rid of the pet or put it in a cage whenever they are not around (which can be 20 hours a day if they cage it at night too). Sounds like pet hell to me.

If you want to get a pet, go figure out how much time you really want to put in. Not the first week, but every day for the next 10-20 years of your life. Then go visit the shelter often til you find a nice little mutt that actually likes people and is not psychotic (harder to find than you may think). Going to shelters is educational when you see the pets that many people are getting rid of.

[MichaelAngelo]

There are plenty of great choices for pets without having to look for something "different". I know people who have bought large or exotic pets who then discovered the pet is highly active, will damage things in the house, and will generally not be a good domestic pet. They then either get rid of the pet or put it in a cage whenever they are not around (which can be 20 hours a day if they cage it at night too). Sounds like pet hell to me.

If you want to get a pet, go figure out how much time you really want to put in. Not the first week, but every day for the next 10-20 years of your life. Then go visit the shelter often til you find a nice little mutt that actually likes people and is not psychotic (harder to find than you may think). Going to shelters is educational when you see the pets that many people are getting rid of.

Take the advice above seriously, it's very truthful. I've had very unique pets like a chicken and water monitor lizard. The novelty lasts say up to a year, then it's annoying to take care of an animal not meant for domestication. It takes dedication to change a dirty water bin every single day.

[virgilaug]

Take the advice above seriously, it's very truthful. I've had very unique pets like a chicken and water monitor lizard. The novelty lasts say up to a year, then it's annoying to take care of an animal not meant for domestication. It takes dedication to change a dirty water bin every single day.

A Chicken, LMAO.

[700mb80min]

My area is infested with fox and i know a place where a fox stays on their their porch and then brought back a litter . I don`t feed them but they are always in my area along with pheasant , owls , moose , deer , coyotes and others .

[virgilaug]

You guys aren't giving foxes a chance.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxNSYBFZpoo

[virgilaug]

I wouldn't mind these wolves as well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xti4TcrwBYY

[MichaelAngelo]

A Chicken, LMAO.

See for yourself lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pa7KvAWUws

[mathu83]

are you talking about a Fennec Fox or normal red fox????????

[Shaner]

are you talking about a Fennec Fox or normal red fox????????

I would imagine most people don't even know what a Fennec Fox is, so I'm guessing he meant a regular ol' red fox.

[sgsmith]

are you talking about a Fennec Fox or normal red fox????????

Fennec fox or normal fox....they both have musk glands & are pretty unreliable when it comes to house training (either for outdoors or a litter box) just for two examples. Both videos the OP posted in support of his/her silly idea are from wildlife care & rehabilitation organizations....that should be a clue as to suitability.

As for the dear Fennec fox, they may be cute but they are not 'easy' animals.

[Amoux]

It could depend on the province and even the city. In Vancouver foxes are prohibited, and don't believe they are allowed in BC either unless you can get a permit to keep just the one.

Foxes tend not to make great pets. They are still to be considered as a wild animal. It wouldn't be so much does a fox suit you as do you suit a fox? Do have a lot of time, money and commitment to spend? Do you have the patience to train one? Foxes can come across as neurotic, destructive and very smelly. They have instincts to tear things up, cache food, get into everything of interest and scent mark. They can be very playful, mischievous and loud. They can be difficult to housebreak. Depending on the fox, despite how cute it may have seemed while young, if it has a strong instinct to flee it can become a very stressed animal. I've read that gentler foxes that have been selectively bred as pets for a few generations are easier to manage, but then it can be tricky to find one. When it comes to exotics how do you know if you have a good breeder or someone only looking for profit? These are things I particularly recall involving red foxes.

Someone used to breed Fennec Foxes on Vancouver Island. They're tiny and adorable and they seem to be much more manageable as a pet but still will have instincts to dig, scent mark and potentially could have fragile nerves or prefer to be mellow on its own.

The only foxes that I know of that seem to bear up extremely well to being treated as pets are the silver foxes that were selectively bred in a Russian genetics experiment, where only the tamest foxes were selected in trying to create an animal that was easier for fur farmers to handle. After about 50 years they succeeded in getting tamer foxes, yet in various foxes their features had started to become more dog-like, involving features like floppy ears, curled tails and white markings. The fur farm aspect had failed but they learned some very interesting things involving genetics and domestication. Sibfox is the company that acts as the go-between for the Institute and general public for these "siberian foxes" and will ship them to North America, but it is all so very very expensive.

Another matter would be if you have any vets nearby or within a reachable distance who could treat a pet fox. What about neutering/spaying and vaccinations?

Here's a few handy links about keeping foxes as pets:
http://www.thepetfox.net/
http://sybilsden.com/caresheet/fox.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2046502_care-pet-fox.html
http://members.shaw.ca/petitepaws/fennec.html
http://aliciac.hubpages.com/hub/Fennec-Foxes-Facts-Photos-Videos-and-Exotic-Pets - danged cute videos
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/05/07/pet-foxes-aren%E2%80%99t-for-%E2%80%98neat-freaks%E2%80%99/

About the Russian foxes:
http://www.sibfox.com/
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/The-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Pet-Fox-Silver-Fox.htm
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/Sibfox-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Fox.htm

[tang0312]

It could depend on the province and even the city. In Vancouver foxes are prohibited, and don't believe they are allowed in BC either unless you can get a permit to keep just the one.

Foxes tend not to make great pets. They are still to be considered as a wild animal. It wouldn't be so much does a fox suit you as do you suit a fox? Do have a lot of time, money and commitment to spend? Do you have the patience to train one? Foxes can come across as neurotic, destructive and very smelly. They have instincts to tear things up, cache food, get into everything of interest and scent mark. They can be very playful, mischievous and loud. They can be difficult to housebreak. Depending on the fox, despite how cute it may have seemed while young, if it has a strong instinct to flee it can become a very stressed animal. I've read that gentler foxes that have been selectively bred as pets for a few generations are easier to manage, but then it can be tricky to find one. When it comes to exotics how do you know if you have a good breeder or someone only looking for profit? These are things I particularly recall involving red foxes.

Someone used to breed Fennec Foxes on Vancouver Island. They're tiny and adorable and they seem to be much more manageable as a pet but still will have instincts to dig, scent mark and potentially could have fragile nerves or prefer to be mellow on its own.

The only foxes that I know of that seem to bear up extremely well to being treated as pets are the silver foxes that were selectively bred in a Russian genetics experiment, where only the tamest foxes were selected in trying to create an animal that was easier for fur farmers to handle. After about 50 years they succeeded in getting tamer foxes, yet in various foxes their features had started to become more dog-like, involving features like floppy ears, curled tails and white markings. The fur farm aspect had failed but they learned some very interesting things involving genetics and domestication. Sibfox is the company that acts as the go-between for the Institute and general public for these "siberian foxes" and will ship them to North America, but it is all so very very expensive.

Another matter would be if you have any vets nearby or within a reachable distance who could treat a pet fox. What about neutering/spaying and vaccinations?

Here's a few handy links about keeping foxes as pets:
http://www.thepetfox.net/
http://sybilsden.com/caresheet/fox.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2046502_care-pet-fox.html
http://members.shaw.ca/petitepaws/fennec.html
http://aliciac.hubpages.com/hub/Fennec-Foxes-Facts-Photos-Videos-and-Exotic-Pets - danged cute videos
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/05/07/pet-foxes-aren%E2%80%99t-for-%E2%80%98neat-freaks%E2%80%99/

About the Russian foxes:
http://www.sibfox.com/
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/The-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Pet-Fox-Silver-Fox.htm
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/Sibfox-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Fox.htm


Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox

Also .. check out dogs decoded - a short Nova doc. It talks about the domesticated fox.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8NGDT1oPkY

[Lucky0810]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but are macaque monkeys allowed in Ontario? Anyone know people who've had one?

[joeyjoejoe]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but are macaque monkeys allowed in Ontario? Anyone know people who've had one?

You mean like the Ikea monkey?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/4421706-3x2-700x467.jpg

[.Jessica]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but are macaque monkeys allowed in Ontario? Anyone know people who've had one?

Animal ownership laws are generally only at the municipal level. Anyone wanting to own one would need to find an area without a bylaw against them and even so you'd have to keep it on the down low because anyone who finds out could complain and then a bylaw could writ added forcing you to move or give the animal up. That goes for any animal. Monkeys, foxes, snakes, bats, lions etc even things like rabbits, number of dogs and cats...

[CandiceMeegan]

It could depend on the province and even the city. In Vancouver foxes are prohibited, and don't believe they are allowed in BC either unless you can get a permit to keep just the one.

Foxes tend not to make great pets. They are still to be considered as a wild animal. It wouldn't be so much does a fox suit you as do you suit a fox? Do have a lot of time, money and commitment to spend? Do you have the patience to train one? Foxes can come across as neurotic, destructive and very smelly. They have instincts to tear things up, cache food, get into everything of interest and scent mark. They can be very playful, mischievous and loud. They can be difficult to housebreak. Depending on the fox, despite how cute it may have seemed while young, if it has a strong instinct to flee it can become a very stressed animal. I've read that gentler foxes that have been selectively bred as pets for a few generations are easier to manage, but then it can be tricky to find one. When it comes to exotics how do you know if you have a good breeder or someone only looking for profit? These are things I particularly recall involving red foxes.

Someone used to breed Fennec Foxes on Vancouver Island. They're tiny and adorable and they seem to be much more manageable as a pet but still will have instincts to dig, scent mark and potentially could have fragile nerves or prefer to be mellow on its own.

The only foxes that I know of that seem to bear up extremely well to being treated as pets are the silver foxes that were selectively bred in a Russian genetics experiment, where only the tamest foxes were selected in trying to create an animal that was easier for fur farmers to handle. After about 50 years they succeeded in getting tamer foxes, yet in various foxes their features had started to become more dog-like, involving features like floppy ears, curled tails and white markings. The fur farm aspect had failed but they learned some very interesting things involving genetics and domestication. Sibfox is the company that acts as the go-between for the Institute and general public for these "siberian foxes" and will ship them to North America, but it is all so very very expensive.

Another matter would be if you have any vets nearby or within a reachable distance who could treat a pet fox. What about neutering/spaying and vaccinations?

Here's a few handy links about keeping foxes as pets:
http://www.thepetfox.net/
http://sybilsden.com/caresheet/fox.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2046502_care-pet-fox.html
http://members.shaw.ca/petitepaws/fennec.html
http://aliciac.hubpages.com/hub/Fennec-Foxes-Facts-Photos-Videos-and-Exotic-Pets - danged cute videos
http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/05/07/pet-foxes-aren%E2%80%99t-for-%E2%80%98neat-freaks%E2%80%99/

About the Russian foxes:
http://www.sibfox.com/
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/The-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Pet-Fox-Silver-Fox.htm
http://exoticpets.about.com/od/fennecfoxes/a/Sibfox-Pet-Fox-Tame-Siberian-Fox.htm

Bummer i've always wanted a pet fox...

[coyhunter]

they stink almost as bad as a skunk

[Parth]

a fox is pretty much a red dog
i bet you can domesticate it and most idiots wouldn't even know
just tell them that little sparky has big ears and was recently playing in ragu sauce and it is hard to clean out

[Vladimir]

A Chicken, LMAO.
What is so funny?
In kindergarten we had a project where we incubated some eggs, anyways once they hatched they told the class anyone who wanted it could take it home. So I asked my mom and we took 2 of them home as pets. They were awesome pets.. extremely social, just as much as a dog. They would go over to my neighbors and chat with them (cluck cluck cluck), then my neighbors would talk back, and they would sit there and listen, then start talking back.
They loved playing with the cats, they would go up to cat food bowl and try to eat just like the cats lol. Plus it was awesome having some fresh eggs to eat every day. We had them as outdoor pets (first couple months obviously kept them indoors)..After 2 years I think a fox might have got to them one day cause we never seen them after.

[Spidey]

We lost 2 cats the last 5 years due to foxes. Dont live in the city so just the way it goes.

There was a National Geographicn awhile ago abotu the domestication of dogs and had a lot of people that were domesticating foxes and wolves too.

A skunk I have heard makes a great pet, one you descent it. They are like a cat if you get them from very little

[HandsomeRob]

a fox is pretty much a red dog
i bet you can domesticate it and most idiots wouldn't even know
just tell them that little sparky has big ears and was recently playing in ragu sauce and it is hard to clean out

And a racoon is pretty much a black and white cat? Have you ever even seen a fox in the wild?

Just consider the disaster people are having trying to own Wolf/dog hybrids, after thousands of years of dog domestication. Not for the feint of heart, and everybody loses.

[Hambone]

And a racoon is pretty much a black and white cat? Have you ever even seen a fox in the wild?

Just consider the disaster people are having trying to own Wolf/dog hybrids, after thousands of years of dog domestication. Not for the feint of heart, and everybody loses.

I think he was trolling. No one can be that dense.

[cookerice]

they stink almost as bad as a skunk

+1

[fido1984]

I wouldn't mind these wolves as well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xti4TcrwBYY

Wow. its people like you...

[gheart008]

Bummer, foxes are such cute animals.

If you're just going off looks, and you want the look of a fox, just get a shiba inu.

http://cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/dog-images/kuma-the-shiba-inu-1_55279_2011-02-13_w450.jpg

[Homerhomer]

Could someone please give me one good reason to own a fox or a monkey as a pet?

[KevC]

relevant.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoB0pdhxfZs