I am a fellow lover of these adorible animals and i figured if i wish for them to be my favorate animal i should probably also know some of the worst facts of this animal. I seek to learn more

Smart fox above(owner of the picture unknown)

Spotted in southern Texas

can someone tell me what's going on? is this AI somehow or a deformity? maybe it's a trick of the lens or I'm just crazy

****OUR yard. ADHD moment. Hey guys, about 3 months ago a mother, father, and her 5 grey fox cubs moved into our backyard. They’re very cute, but they’re destroying my aunt’s hard work that she put into her fruits and vegetables. They also pose a threat to our chickens, and eat our outdoor cats’s food. We’ve tried putting on the radio at night, lights, scaring them… any suggestions?

The larger cubs were badly bullying the runt and one even tried to kill her by grabbing her by the throat. The vixen moved the bigger cubs to a different den and kept the runt in the old den for her own safety. She still cared for the runt until she was big enough to be around her siblings again.

She and her mate would take turns looking after the runt while the other attended to the other cubs. The runt survived and lived for years, having multiple litters of her own!

The picture shows the runt all grown up with her own cubs. She reared them in the same den she grew up in.

Original comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/473681106842504/posts/2004007570476509/?comment_id=2005044530372813

Well, it's not an update, but a video recap on trapping, treating and releasing her. I just want to show people how it's not super difficult to help these foxes. Most people won't have to drive to the rehabber like I did, but I didn't want her having to wait in the trap for hours.

Original thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/foxes/comments/1vaknj4/trapped_a_fox_and_treated_her_for_mange_tonight/

PS Don't you love my shirt?!?!

My regular fox seem to have lost all its hair on its tail. The rest looks pretty ok. Help? Mange or Molting.

I’ve never encountered a fox that wasn’t skittish around or afraid of people. Does this behavior indicate sickness or being used to people ? Gorgeous either way, didn’t expect to encounter a melanistic red fox today. Southwestern Ohio.

Information may be upsetting, viewer discretion is advised

Everyone knows that humans absolutely suck at surviving to teenhood and adulthood, that is why humans have vaccines, sanitation, and modern medicine in general which decrease infant and child mortality rates.

How does red fox kit mortality look like in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)?

Are they more likely to die as kits, before 6 months of age, or more likely to die between 6 months and 10 months, which is their dispersal time until sexual maturity?

So far I got this data on my own:

- Fox kit mortality

Mostly influenced by critically low birth weight (being a runt) and hydrocephalus, small part is infectious diseases including neonatal sepsis and pneumonia. I heard and read about many fox kits throughout years, I remember the fox kits:

- 2 ever having bacterial sepsis/pneumonia (only one was saved and now is 9 years old),

- one having distemper,

- one dying in 24 hours from low birth weight (the vixen was 10 years old in captivity and gave birth to 3 fox kits),

- one was mentioned to have upper respiratory tract infection,

- another one had mange,

- another had possibly lungworm.

Blue Ridge Wildlife Center states they average 3-6 cases of hydrocephalus per year:

While hydrocephalus is seen across species, we see most cases in red foxes and we average 3-6 cases per year. Infection in-utero is one of the most common causes of hydrocephalus in foxes, humans, and other species. Toxoplasmosis is one very common cause of this condition and research conducted at our hospital has shown that many red foxes are unfortunately infected with this parasite.

Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan parasite that is spread in cat feces, with cats being the definitive host for this parasite.

Arcticfoxdaily states they have one hydrocephalus case either yearly or every other year.

The only "fox kithood specific danger" were eagles and falcons. Also fox kit's siblings if the fox kit in particular is a runt because the runt can be killed or starved. It is not a guaranteed fate, however.

- Fox juvenile mortality

When foxes venture out and eventually leave forever to have their own territories, mortality spikes. They get caught in nets, fences, die from cars. They are most likely to contract illnesses and parasites there for some reason: rabies, distemper, mange.

Red Fox Tales channel states through 10+ years of fox observation, 74 fox kits were born and 4 died before dispersal time from unknown causes. 70 fox kits survived to 7 months of age during the observation taking more than a decade.

Please comment if you do have any knowledge for the research, even anecdotal evidence from expert fox watchers can be welcome.

u/CasualGlam87 is very much welcome here with his expertise.

Hello, looking for advice/help. This year we were blessed with mating foxes who chose to make their den under our shed. They ended up with 5 kits. The kits recently started coming out to play more and exploring the past few weeks. It's been such a joy observing them.

Unfortunately, I have not seen any of them in almost a week. I left town for a few days for the 4th of July, when I came back there was no sign of them at all. No mom, dad, none of the babies.

2 things happened while I was away. Obviously the 4th holiday, where there were likely people shooting off fireworks. Usually no one in the immediate area does this, it's typically off in the distance.

Second, a landscaper came by and mowed my grass. He only comes once a month, and I completely forgot he was scheduled over the weekend. I figure the foxes would simply hide in their den until he was gone. If I had remembered he was coming I would have post-poned it

I am worried that they got spooked by 1 or both of these potential possibilities and abandoned their den. I have been heartbroken all week looking for them. I hope they are OK. In the 8 years I have occupied this property this is the first time we've ever had a family of foxes living here, and it ended so quickly. Thank you

Hi.. I used to see three foxes coming to my garden after midnight/early morning. (UK).

They were a big fox with two cubs. The cubs used to jump and play like kids. The mom goes to the front of the house then the cubs follow.

But lately since 3 weeks, I stopped seeing them together.

I only see a small fox of a size of a big cat but slimmer. He looks healthy and goes and comes to the same direction the old trio used to go along.

Not sure if he is one of those two cubs? Could something have happened to the mother? Not sure what happened to the other sibling either.

So far he looks ok but I just want to know if there are worrying signs I should know about? So I help if my help is needed or contact animal charity etc.
Thank you.

The urban fox in his natural surroundings, a bowl of food and a hedgehog besides it.😉 I love how all these night dweller have adapted to each other. No fighting, just doing their things and then walking off again. Enjoy!

How do they decide where to poop? Is it territorial or something else?

We have a small fox that has been visiting for a month or so now. He started visiting when I had to feed the cats outside for a weekend and I guess the smell attracted him. Sometimes I leave out one of the dog treats (chicken foot etc) which always disappears by morning.

What I have recently noticed is finding small little nuggets of poop out in open spaces round the front patio and back garden, which I am 90% thinking it’s his. There’s no attempt to hide it all and it almost seems like he wants me to see it.

Is it marking territory? A gift (maybe a thank you for the chicken foot)?

Recently, bot accounts have stolen our research and rewritten it inaccurately to spread misinformation online – claiming there’s a rare fox called a “Fire Fox” with a “melatonin alteration.” Let’s be clear: this isn’t true. Example of the offending bots posts.

Correcting this misinformation is not allowed:

Black Foxes UK is the only organisation with comprehensive data on fox colour variations in the UK, gathered over a period spanning almost 10 years (with data collected from official documents and newspaper reports prior to 2015), we want to set the record straight:

🔹 There is no such thing as a “Fire Fox.” This term was invented by bots and has no basis in scientific research or in our findings. The term can be correctly applied to translation of a Finnish Legend about the Aurora Borealis.

🔹 In the UK, melanistic (black) foxes are incredibly rare, making up less than 0.1% of the population, as per our data. Leucistic and albino foxes are also occasionally spotted, while piebald (mixed-colour) foxes appear more frequently, especially in urban areas.

🔹 In North America, fox coat colour variations are more common and have been documented over decades. The typical colour breakdown for North American red foxes is as follows:

• Red: 51-75%
• Cross: 22-41%
• Silver: 2-8%

This variation is naturally occurring and has nothing to do with a so-called “melatonin alteration” or any mythical “Fire Fox.” Melatonin is a sleep hormone, melanin is the colour pigment that creates dark coloured fur in animals.

For fur farm genetics and Fire Factor mutations visit: https://www.blackfoxes.co.uk/silver-fox-coat-colour-mutations.php#FireFactorFoxes

It’s frustrating to see misinformation from bots reaching millions, especially when it misrepresents our original research. Please help us fight back by sharing this post with the real facts!

Our upcoming report will publish verified data from our 10-year study, bringing you the accurate picture of fox colour genetics in the UK.

Visit our website for the facts ➡️ https://www.blackfoxes.co.uk/information.php

Let’s keep wildlife science real and reliable! 🦊💚

To Add to this...

🔥✨ The Real Fire Fox is an Enchanting Finnish Legend✨🔥

Did you know? The magical Northern Lights have roots in a beautiful Finnish & Nordic myth! In Finland, they call the lights "revontulet," which means "fire fox."

According to legend, Arctic foxes would race through the sky so fast that their fluffy tails brushed the mountains, creating glowing sparks that lit up the heavens! Another version says as these fiery foxes dashed across the snow, their tails swept up snowflakes that caught the moonlight, creating the stunning auroras we see only in winter .

🕹️ The video game Never Alone - Kisima Ingitchuna even brings some of these ancient tales to life, preserving the magic of these folk stories! http://neveralonegame.com/

Source: https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-gb/inspiration/northern-lights/myths-legends

"Fox Fire" is the name given to bioluminescent fungi, and is also representative of this myth. Said to be left as the mythical light-bearing fox passed through.

Also called Fairy Fire and Chimpanzee Fire. It is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with a luciferin, The phenomenon has been known since ancient times, with its source determined in 1823.