Juniper is a pet red fox dubbed the “world’s happiest fox” and although she’s domesticated, she’s still got a lot of her wild instincts. For example, when her human put a white sheet on the bed recently, Juniper mistook the “whiteness” for snow!
Juniper’s behavior is much like what a wild fox would do if he sensed prey and her while her human shares the most adorable photos of Juniper on Instagram, she says as pets foxes are a lot of work.
Juniper’s mom said, “They require an extensive amount of time and care to get them to the point where they are even sociable. Juniper takes up 90% of my day.”
She cautions anyone thinking about getting a fox to do their research and realize that they are not as cute and cuddly as their domesticated cousins – dogs!
“Foxes are not like dogs. While they may display some characteristics similar to dogs these animals have not been bred to want to please people, while dogs on the other hand have.”
For one thing, “Foxes smell. Bad. Their urine and feces smell like skunk mixed with ammonia. There is no way to ‘de-scent’ a fox,” she cautions.
For another, “You cannot keep a fox indoors 24/7… Foxes are destructive, they will destroy things in your house.”
They also have specialized diets. “Foxes must be fed some raw meats and bone content in their diet. They also need taurine, or they can go blind, suffer from seizures, and even die.”
They can also be very nippy and very independent. Ouch!
Obviously, they’re a lot of work to rear. But that’s not to say they aren’t utterly adorable!
Rather than get my own, I’ll just soak in all the cuteness with the pictures Juniper’s mom shares with everyone.
Juniper’s first picture!
Share Juniper the happy fox with your friends and family!
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.