File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I have a very, very close friend who is madly in love with foxes. I was wondering how to go about getting a fox for her. Everyone says they can't be trained and all, house broken, and can't live in small areas. I personally think that environmental factors can change the built-in psychology of any creature. She and I live in southern Florida, and I realize that isn't the best area for a fox, but I have had friends with pets that shouldn't be in Florida that that legally obtained.

Doing all the research on my own, I would probably make a mistake and thats the last thing I need. I know if I got her a fox she would get any and all resources to care for it. I just need to know, what breed of fox do you recommend, where to get a legitimate ownership license, if the breed of fox needs an exotic pet license, the cost of said fox, how long it would take to acquire said fox and opinions are welcome but know I wont change my mind on getting a fox for her.
>> Anonymous
stop saying "fox for her".
>> Anonymous
>>140958
Sorry, I wont say it twice in two paragraphs ever again.
>> Anonymous
well man really they are all hard to train and shit and people don't know SHIT about which ones will be untill they are almost dead, and theres no real point in getting one unless its fucking cute so I'd just say get the one that seems nice to you.
>> Anonymous
sigh


google "fennec fox care", you fucking furfag.
>> Anonymous
Putting a wild animal in a domestic situation garnishes nothing but hate for the poor animal for its captors. Do not proliferate keeping of foxes in domestic situations. The animal will despise it, no matter how much you want to "take care of" it.
>> Anonymous
>>141199

Hi tool. How are you today?
>> Anonymous
someone repost the image of the fox with the furniture it shredded
>> Anonymous
OP is fucking retarded.
Besides the fact that you want to get a wild animal, getting someone an animal as a gift is a horrible idea.
How do you know that your friend is responsible enough? Will she have enough time to take care of it? Does she even know HOW to take care of it? Is there a nearby vet that will bother to treat and check up on this exotic animal? What is your friend going to do when she's showing off her 'awesome' new pet to everyone and the fox bites someone?

Thats like plopping an infant in a toddler's hand and expecting the toddler to take care of the infant. It doesn't work that way.
I love giraffes and lions. They are my favorite animal. But I would never get one and if someone ever got me one, I would drop kick their teeth out. Do you think that I can force a lion or giraffe to adapt in my house? I'd just have two very pissed off animals.
Think about it. You're a fox. You could be living in the wilderness but noo. You're stuck in a one bedroom apartment with no freedom, getting smothered to death by 'cuddles' and people making baby noises over you.

Fuck you, OP.
>> Anonymous
>>141205
I don't like exotic pets for most people either, but a lot of this argument sucked. For one thing, it isn't like they pull the baby foxes out of the wild. They're bred in captivity. So that "you could be wild, but nooo!" thing doesn't work here. By that logic, so could any other pet which isn't domestic like dogs and cats (like birds, etc). And then you're just getting PETA there.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I think your friend will love your well thought out gift!
>> Anonymous
>>141215
Holy fucking shit balls.
>> Anonymous
I think that it's stupid to say no exotics, ever. But, really, think: even for fennec foxes, reports of housebreaking reliably are RARE. Talk to actual owners of these animals, not breeders. I did before getting a fennec and I'm glad as hell I did. And this is absolutely not the most important thing to think about, either. Red foxes smell, horribly. They mark their territories, and I haven't heard of a single case of anyone curbing this behavior. It doesn't matter what kind of environment you provide-- they're not dogs or cats, they have not evolved alongside humans as domestic animals. They're wild, and they will act wild. You might have some luck getting them to develop some semi-reliable domestic behaviors, but they're NOT a dog. They will destroy your house, jump on your counters, eat your couch, dig up your carpet, spray musk all over the place and you have no idea what kind of personality it may have, either.

tl;dr, kill yourself.
>> Anonymous
>>141213
The difference between owning a dog and owning a fox is that dogs have been bred for millenia to be tame, and even then they still need a lot of training. Foxes are born with strong instincts that you will never be able to train out. Raising a fox in captivity is no safer than raising a tiger in captivity. Just because they're smaller doesn't mean they're any more tame.
Foxes are wild animals. Cats and dogs are not. Unless the owner plans to have a decent outdoor enclosure with appropriate stimulus that mimics the life that they'd have in the wild, which would involve thousands of dollars of effort, then there's no chance this is going to work. Raising a fox is not going to be like raising a dog.
And even in such an appropriate enclosure equivalent to that of a small zoo, the fox would make a terrible pet. They're too violent and unaffectionate. Just because they're cute doesn't mean they get along with humans. It doesn't matter how well you raise and train them.
Research fox sanctuaries or something. I'm sure it exists. These would be places where they take care of the foxes that people raised as pets until they became big and dangerous and they realized they make terrible pets so they had to get rid of them. Unless your friend plans to create a sanctuary that matches the quality of these places, there's NO WAY IN HELL it's going to work.
>> Anonymous
>>141227
I hope the OP reads this and>>141224this. I have a fox that lives near my house and they're really surprisingly big. And loud. The shrieking sounds that thing makes are just painful-- it sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
>> Anonymous
I have every reason to believe that this person is either a complete idiot who should kill themselves or a troll
>> Anonymous
>>141213
I'm not against exotic animals. And you're argument sucks far more than mine does.
Just because an animal was raised in captivity doesn't mean that they're instincts have been repressed.
You also didn't answer my first questions, which just further proves you have no idea what you are getting yourself into.

You're like the people who give pit bulls a bad reputation. Just people some people(a perfect example will be you) fuck up, everyone else has to pay for it.
>> Anonymous
>>141213
Since when does caring about animal welfare count as being part of PETA?
>> Anonymous
>>141237
Only when you stop considering human life above the other animal life.
>> Anonymous
OP? You keep saying "breed" of fox. This already tells me you have NO KNOWLEDGE WHATSOEVER of the animal you're wanting to get this person.

Go to hell.
>> Anonymous
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>>140947

Dude... that's just a bad idea and I KNOW you KNOW it... Get your friend a pomeranian instead.

1. They look somewhat like foxes only more stupidly cute.

2. They're meant to be kept in captivity, great for LEGAL reasons as well as your friend's sanity and the fox's well being.
>> Anonymous
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>>140947

Show your friend pics of pomeranians... that should change her tune. Now come vomit sugar with me as we look as some pomeranian pics.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Oh sweet motherfucker... I'm vomiting granulated sugar... Looking at this pic makes me want to shit on a fox.
>> Anonymous
>>141252
>>141251
aw :)
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
A Fox?! FUCK THAT SHIT! Pomeranians where's it at! Oh man I'm getting DIABEETUS... Fucking Wilford Brimley...
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Look at this cute little bastard in a box... if that were a fox that asshole would rip it up and shit al over it... Does your friend want that?! Don't think so.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Hey OP, if you and your friend don't think pomeranians are cute you guys are Nazis. NO FOX, YAY POMERANIANS!
>> for bonus points Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
if she likes arctic foxes, she can pretend she owns one while owning a spitz instead.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
If you somehow managed to get your friend a fox I'll fucking call the ASPCA om her and the cops on you. Then I'll jam a pomeranian into your friend's gaping maw.

Now have I convinced you to use your brain and FORGET about foxes or do I have to post more teeth decaying pictures of these cute little devils?
>> Anonymous
Yappy dogs ftl.
>> Anonymous
oh god! they're so cute!
>> Anonymous
>>141271
it's not like foxes are quiet
>> Anonymous
>>141271
I'm>>141230and I can say foxes are a million times worse than any yappy dog I've ever seen. I want to fucking throw something heavy and blunt at them during summer.
>> Anonymous
#fortune
>> Anonymous
I love how none of these people talking in here have a pet fox. I'd also point out most of them that are against it have probably never had an exotic pet outside of a fish bowl.

As to the pic of the fox and torn furnature. That screams bad owner.
>> Anonymous
I love how none of these people talking in here have a pet lion.
>> Anonymous
>>141282

They'd have to live in their car.
>> Anonymous
>>141280
Makes pretty good sense that a person against exotic pets wouldn't own one, I think.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Also, teehee, poms.
>> Anonymous
hmm... a born and raised in captivity fox...

or a pomeranian...

i'll take the fox. fuck dealling with a dog that and can only be likened to a phycotic bitch (woman) on pms times infinity+1
>> Anonymous
>>141292
Hilarious, that the pom is the psychotic PMSing bitch here and not the wild animal.
>> Anonymous
Lets get this straight. No one is against "exotic" pets. We're against keeping wild animals as pets.
There are plenty of domestic animal breeds that are exotic and rare. There's nothing exotic about owning a wild animal that's very common and likes to eat domesticated pets for breakfast.
>> Anonymous
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>>141289
Looks like a bloated teddybear. My example is superior.
>> Anonymous
My example was funnier. :(
>> Anonymous
>>141295

yes. because releasing all those "wild" (born and raised in captivity) foxes would really help their odds of survivial and happiness.

it doesn't matter if it's 1 generation away or 100, if it's bred and raised in captivity it's not longer wild. if it can't be released and fend for itself. it isn't wild.

also, using lions and whatnot as examples is stupid. they're so big even if they're being playful they can still kill you and just because it does kill someone doesn't mean it was being "wild"
>> Anonymous
>>141305
Right. Not breeding them would help this. Something tells me you don't understand the concept of supply and demand and how it factors in to this situation.
>> Anonymous
>>141305
Lemme put it this way. Can a dog like a pommeranian live in the wild if it was born and raised there? No, because it's been bred to have characteristics that would not be good in the wild and it would die. Therefore, a pommeranian is a domestic animal. Just because it lives in the wild doesn't mean it'll survive there. A domestic animal in the wild is called a ferral animal, not a wild animal.
Therefore, if a domestic animal can't live in the wild, what makes you think a wild animal can live in a domestic environment? And by wild I mean it hasn't been bred to live with humans.
All wild animals that are legally owned are kept in environments that mimic the wild life they would have had. There is no such thing as a domesticated wild animal, even if it was born in captivity.
>> Anonymous
>>141307

i'm fully and well aware of it. however, since there will always be some amount of supply and some amount of demand it is a last ditch arguement to deflect from the main points. it has no value as it is a constant that will not change.
>> Anonymous
>>141319
So, explain to me how a fox that's been in captivity for a few generations is just as suitable of a pet as a dog that has been in captivity for countless ones.
>> Anonymous
>>141305
Wildlife refers to all non-domestic animals.
Foxes are not domestic. Therefore they are wild.
You fail.
>> Anonymous
>>141315

you're making a statement about domestication. your statement would be wrong. by your logic dogs, cows, sheep, llamas, peacocks, cars, ferrets, etc, etc, are wild animals still. hell, anything that's not human is a wild animal by your definition. as to the other side of it. i guess we'll just domesticate it the same fucking way we've been doing it for thousands of years.
>> Anonymous
>>141333
By your logic, a car is a wild animal.
>> Anonymous
>>141321

explain to me how it's not. keep in mind nature vs. nurture while you do this as well as sterio types and typical canine behavior of certain breeds (those that are naturally relaxed vs. those that are natually not). also keep in mind selective breeding and it's applications (remember lassie?)

But i fear i'm asking to much of you. put simply, none ofyou have control or an incling of knowledge on the matter. you're argueing though fallacy and i find it ironic none of you realize it's relatively easy and legal to own a fox and other animals other than cats and dogs.
>> Anonymous
haha... mistyped... ment cat.
>> Anonymous
>>141333
Dense, much?
How much more simple can>>141315put that? But here. Let me dumb it down even more so you can understand:

You're an idiot.

Why can't you fucktards be happy with what animals we already have? We have a shit ton of different dogs, cats, lizards, birds, rodents, etc for people to chose from but nooo. Its not good enough. So instead of getting some mutt or a dog that has been bred to look similar to a fox(or wolf. whatever), you'd spend $2000 on a 'domestic fox'(unless that fox is from those Russian breeders, it isn't domestic) that is just going to trash the place, piss everywhere(its worse than cat piss. seriously) and think you can turn it into a sweet little lap pet. Foxes aren't dogs.

Just wait like ten god damn years, then everyone will have their 'domestic' fox that has been smuggled out of Russia.
>> Anonymous
>>141333
I said a domestic animal living in the wild without human intervention is a ferral animal. I don't see how that makes cows wild animals. That makes a cow that lives in a pasture with no predators and doesn't get along with humans is a ferral cow.
And how does that make anything not human wild? I didn't even define wild! I merely defined domestic, because you don't seem to understand the word.
I actually do think ferrets are wild animals that happen to have characteristics that make them good in a domestic environment. They haven't had most of their wild characteristics bred out of them yet. There's a reason they are illegal in certain states still.
But foxes, even if born in captivity, are still wild animals that have characteristics that simply do not match domestic life and they cannot be forced to accept it. Ferrets may still want to dig holes through everything but if kept in cage they think it's like living in a den and therefore don't have that instinct so badly. What part of domestic life is going to fulfill a foxes need to expend an insane amount of energy and destroy and shit all over everything? It's just as impossible to domestically own a fox as it is impossible to domestically own a wolf.

There are some wild animals who already have instincts that match domestic life. For example, racoons make amazing pets. They're clean, smart, and social. They don't need to destory things. They don't have an insane amount of energy. If you said you wanted to keep a racoon I wouldn't mind.
But this is not the case with foxes. Just because they are cute and resemble dogs doesn't mean they are as livable as a dog. And yes, a fox CAN kill you if it really wanted. Just like a wolf or a lion could.
>> Anonymous
>>141345
Not OP but what you just said about raccoons is the complete opposite of what I heard about people owning raccoons as pets. Raccoons do NOT make good pets.
>> Anonymous
>>141350
I wonder why they say they make bad ones? I had a friend who had one and it was really an amazing pet.
I suppose it depends on the particular animal.
>> Anonymous
>>141344

your ignorance is showing

>>141345

umm... so you're saying an animal should fit a description before it can be considered domestic?

you're also contradicting yourself. you should stop. they should outlaw pitbulls since all of them are such bad animals and attack old ladies all the time. they've rotten personalities.

you seem to fail to realize that there is no one size fits all pet. also, my ferret could kill me if it felt like it. and since it's such a wild animal i think i'll lock it in it's cage for once in it's life because of that. /sarcasm
>> Anonymous
>>141352
Possibly. I've heard very few stories about a raccoon being a 'good' pet.
They are messy eaters, they will piss on your things when they are angry at you(or during mating season), the climb all over everything, knock things over, chew on everything, many become vicious as they get older, they need run of the house, etc.
>> Anonymous
>>141352

Winnar! I also think the person who takes care of it has an effect.
>> Anonymous
>>141354
You're a hypocrite and can't comprehend what anyone is telling you.
Just about everyone here posting has come up with a legitimate argument why you have no idea what you're talking about and why you shouldn't own a fox. You just can't admit that and you keep trying to come up with these witty replies. Its not working and its just showing how ignorant you are.
Please. Continue to try and come up with a legit argument.
>> Anonymous
>>141356
Of course it does.
But how are you going to gaureentee that the raccoon is going to be one of those rare 'good pets'?
>> Anonymous
>>141354
Look, I'm really sick of arguing with you. I give very concise arguments and you draw completely irrelevant conclusions from them without explaining how you got to that conclusion.
At this point I'm just repeating myself and in my attempts to become clearer I'm having a hard time making sense. I'm tired of this. I hope to hell you do get a fox so it can piss on your computer and make it so you never have to bother us ever again.
>> Anonymous
>>your ignorance is showing
Do you know what ignorance means? Its them that are actually knowledgeable about this, not you. It might sound pretty clever to say something like that, but for YOU to say it its completely vacuous and insubstantial.

>>fuck dealling with a dog that and can only be likened to a phycotic bitch (woman) on pms times infinity+1
Congratulations, you just described foxes as pets far, far better.

>>yes. because releasing all those "wild" (born and raised in captivity) foxes would really help their odds of survivial and happiness.
Like Dilbert said: since when was ignorance a point of view? Even second and third generation canids (foxes, wolves, etc) raised in captivity take to the wild successfully. Also, captivity does not equal domestication... a fox raised in "captivity" will be a fucking monster in an actual household.

>>also, using lions and whatnot as examples is stupid. they're so big even if they're being playful they can still kill you...
Awesome, missing the point by taking some little metaphor and attacking THAT. Reminds me of me when I was 15 and feeling all intellectual and argumentative.

>>they should outlaw pitbulls since all of them are such bad animals and attack old ladies all the time. they've rotten personalities.
1) Using shit like "all the time" just shows yet again how little you deserve to actually be arguing this. 2) I actually agree with you, there's no point in having them as pets. Too high risk. Its for that reason that having foxes is such a dumb fucking idea. So why do you have a blind spot in that aspect for foxes? Its YOU whos contradicting yourself. So stop pretending youre in a position to give advice.

Bottom line, foxfag: Explain to me why you feel it could actually be a good idea to have a fox as a pet. We have been more than good about explaining why it's not.
>> Anonymous
OP here.
Disregard this thread. I suck cocks.
I'm 15 and I just want to buy my friend a fox so it will up the chances that she'll sleep with me so I don't have to jack off to wedding pictures of my mom.
>> Anonymous
I wish those russians would start puppyfarming those domestic foxes and selling them to the US. The sooner they do, the sooner we get rid of these retarded threads.
>> Anonymous
Wtf is with everyone bashing the OP? I don't see the big deal. If he somehow got the said animal how would it affect any of you? It wouldnt, unless you lived next door or cared for the animal yourself. Anyways... Getting a foc would be a very big mistake. My sister in had one, devlish little bastards. They're loud, destructive, smelly, overly agressive at times and will eat your friends shoes. Can't say she'd be too happy about her "Matching shoes" getting turned into puppy chow. Btw, FUCK PETA. >_>
>> Anonymous
>>141447
I get the feeling that this has been tried before. Someone - I think a Russian - tried to breed a domestic fox but he ended up with something not very fox-like, more like a King Charles Spaniel.
>> Anonymous
Can't you BUY a cute stuffed animal for your friend, of a fox? I think piglets are cute as anything, and well...I am happy to settle for the stuffed version of an animal I have a pretty good concept that I woulden't be able to take care of properly. Same goes for a cheetah.

ALOT more sane that ruining both an animal and a person's life by buying a wild/exotic animal not suited for domestication. Use common sense, OP
>> Anonymous
>>141461
yeah, I think so too, enjoying a cute dead stuffed animal is totally much saner than enjoying a real one. so obvious
>> Anonymous
>>140947

Sounds like furry.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>141463
HE MEANT PLUSH, YOU LOONEY TOON
>> Anonymous
Yes, domesticated foxes have been bred out in Russia. The initial draw was the idea of docile foxes they could breed like crazy and easily kill and skin for the fur industry. However, as the animals became domesticated, their coat patterns changed, which has led to all sorts of ideas about the affects of domestication on genetics.

Regardless, IF they were to consider selling these foxes as pets, it would probably take decades before breeders were established outside of Russia.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0208_050208_foxes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tame_Silver_Fox
>> Anonymous
>>141481

They actually HAVE recently begun selling them as pets, due to loss of government funding of portions of the project and the declining value of fur. I do not believe that they are available outside of Russia yet, though, and it's possible that they are only selling neutered specimens as pets.
>> Anonymous
>>141480
plush =/= stuffed lrn2use proper words
>> Anonymous
Look up fennec foxes on youtube and their piercing shrieks will make you want a yappy dog any day. (Small dogs are only yappy when retarded housewives think that they are too cute to train to do anything.)
>> Anonymous
TELL HER TO MOVE TO RUSSIA. PROBLEM SOLVED, THREAD OVER
>> Anonymous
>>141502

"stuffed animal" is also a general term for animal-shaped dolls with stuffing inside, and were used long before the word 'plushie', (which is, incidentally, a brand name), became popular.

Then again, I'm guessing you're an amerifag who believes "tissues" is solely a term for thin slices of animal flesh, and "Kleenex" is the proper term for them.
>> Anonymous
>>141511
You'd have been better off saying we call cotton swabs "Q-tips." I never call tissues "Kleenex."
>> Anonymous
foxxxxx
>> Anonymous
>>141461
Except that pigs make awesome pets, I have one.
Pomeranians are horrible. Sure, they LOOK cute, but I know someone who has one, and it wheezes all the time. It apparently has congestive heart failure, which I hear is common in the breed. I'll just keep my regular brown dog.
>> Anonymous
>>141393
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
If I were you I WOULDN'T. It's a wild animal, and it isn't meant to be raised in some shitty hovel in Florida by some insane furfag. Here's what will happen. You'll eventually manage to obtain/abduct a fox and give it to her. She'll struggle to feed it and housebreak it to no avail. She'll get fed up with it because it's a wild animal and as much as she wishes it would, it won't warm up to her and act like a domestic cat/dog. Then she'll probably bitch and whine about how annoying it is then you'll have a fox on your hands thats you need to get rid of. And there ya go.
>> Anonymous
>>Wtf is with everyone bashing the OP? I don't see the big deal. If he somehow got the said animal how would it affect any of you? Btw, FUCK PETA. >_>
You see, the normal, rational mind gives a shit about the lives on animals (such as the poor fox that has to live in a household), while not being retards like PETA.
>> GLIB Potter
Cha...
If she loves foxes, she wouldn't want to keep one as a pet...

Dogs took thousands of years to domesticate. Keeping a fox in your apartment doesn't make it a pet. It'll WANT to get outside and be wild...
>> Anonymous
>>141653
/r/ story of the biologist who set out to "domesticate" foxes and within a few generations they all ended up looking very "doggy," even though no dogs where used in the breeding programe, also they were tame as kittens
>> Anonymous
When the fox sneaks into your bed room at night and bites your dick off and then fucks your girlfriend in that ass with it, steals your wallet and sneaks out the back door with a barrel Roll you will truly realize what a failure you are.
>> ??+noko?? ??+noko??
lol wut
>> Anonymous
>>141657
That's a coon you're thinking of.
>> Anonymous
You're selfish, cruel, and made of fail.
>> Anonymous
This is reason enough:

Fox scat, pictured here (sort of) often has a distinctive odor -- very skunk-like -- as the foxes themselves do. It also contains small hairs and bones of the fox's prey. Do not touch fox scat with your bare hands! Foxes carry intestinal parasites that lay their eggs in the fox's intestines. These eggs are excreted in the scat by the foxes, and they can infect humans. In some cases the infection can be fatal.
>> Anonymous
>>141712
Kinda glad you didn't post the pic.
>> Anonymous
This thread needs to be stickied for any other fox fags actually dumb enough to consider getting one as a pet.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Here are some foxes from the 'domesticating' lines. Notice how their usually black fur has white blotches. Two lines of these were bred.

Intriguingly, the two strains began to diverge in morphological characteristics, as well as in the tameness that was under active selection. Tameness-selected foxes were more likely to have floppy ears, curly tails, and shorter, more rounded faces – all part of the ‘cute’ package identified by Lorenz [3.] as a feature of many young mammals, and thought to be retained into adulthood in domestic dogs and cats as a result of human preferences
>> Anonymous
>>141712

did you just say FOX SCAT
>> Anonymous
>>141909
Would you rather he said fox shit?
>> Anonymous
>>141502

Hey, fucktard, "stuffed animal" is the proper term for a plushie and not for a dead animal that has been through the taxidermy process. For the taxidermy process, a dead animal's skin is removed and glued or sewed onto a hard mannequin, which is usually made from something like clay or heavy foam. The animal is not "stuffed" like four-year-olds and retarded people sometimes mistakenly think.

TL;DR -- taxidermy =/= stuffed lrn2use proper words
>> Anonymous
Foxes are difficult to deal with because of the simple fact that they are solitary animals. The best domesticates are simply either pack animals with hierarchy, or at least gregarious (like to hang out in crowds). Dogs have a pack structure. Humans, as the master, establish themselves as the leader, and the dog will generally follow the master's rules because it occupies a lower rank. (With training.) Cows, sheep and other livestock, tend to have been at least gregarious. They at least can learn to accept humans (or dogs in some cases) as herd members to some degree. The only real standout exception to the rule is the domestic cat. Cats are not really social animals, or at least their ancestors were not. However, a genetic mutation taught cats to at least tolerate human presence, and selective breeding did the rest.Cats probably display the most genetic deviance from its wild ancestor. Wild cats do not meow, for example, meowing is a specific trait designed to let us big people know when the cat wants something. Now, toss in a wild animal. For example, the elephant. Elephants have been tamed, yes, but never domesticated. Likewise with many other wild animals. Court pets during the age of exploration run the gamut, from monkeys, hunting cheetahs, to even a few cases of zebra mounts.
>> Anonymous
>>141947cont

But the effort into training these animals never really paid off for anything other than novelty. Finicky breeding habits (such as the cheetahs and vicunas), Viciousness (such as bears (raised to a certain age by the Ainu), and zebras (which injure more zookeepers each year than any other animal)), Skittishness around humans (Antelopes, for example), Social structure, mentioned above, which is where foxes run into the problem. Foxes, like cheetahs, seem like good hunters, they fit the same niche as terriers, basically hunting small animals (varmints). However, they lack social structure like wolves, making taming to a degree possible, but not domestication as we know it. A fox will never curl up at your feet, because most solitary animals tend to dislike eachother, unless it is mating season. Also solitary animals don't like sharing territory. They will mark and defend territory against all intruders. Also harming the chances of domestication is an ingrained and strong fear of man. Many tasty animals, like chickens, have been domesticated, and the fox saw this as an easy meal. However, man did not desire his food source stolen by interlopers and so men have hunted foxes, and foxes have evolved in general to fear people. And then there's the sport of fox hunting. Foxes are also naturally skittish to a degree. That's two strikes, and in general it only takes one to render an animal not domesticable.

Also foxes (and raccoons) can have baylisascarisis infections, and these roundworms don't go for the gut like most parasitic worms (although when they do, in worst case scenarios, they can cause intestinal blockage, or worse, rupture, which is fatal), but they go for the brain, and kill. It's because the worm contacts you, which is an incorrect host. And its behaviors drive it to your brain, somehow.
>> Anonymous
>>141947
It wasn't a "genetic mutation", cats came to tolerate humans for free food.
>> Anonymous
>>141960
There's a reason ferral cats are almost impossible to domesticate. Older ones definitely are a lost cause. Cats still aren't instinctively drawn to socialize. They only learn to be social when raised by humans.
Only in recent times have cats even been allowed indoors. Most of the time they were outdoor pets that had no interest in coming inside. They weren't bred for characteristics as much as they naturally evolved to live with humans.
I have a friend who lives in the midwest and when I told her my cats live exclusively indoors she thought that was crazy. Where she lives, they're still exclusively outdoor pets. She didn't even know they were social at all.
Dogs are a lot the same in fact. Humans only bred dogs so they could do specific tasks like hunting. Only recently has it become common to own a pet that had no purpose except companionship. Dogs always lived outdoors back then too. There's a reason a lot of breeds of working dogs have a hard time living with people in apartments and don't like to cuddle.
>> Anonymous
>>141966
>>Only recently has it become common to own a pet that had no purpose except companionship

in b4 Pekingese, Tibetan Spaniel etc..
>> Anonymous
>>141971
I'm talking in the past 200 years, which is nothing.
>> Anonymous
>>141910

yeah sounds less kinky
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
What the hell, you guys. This is a thread related to foxes. And it's on 4chan. How could this thread last so long without a troll going "YIFF YIFF YIFF" at least once? You people disappoint me.

YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF YIFF
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I'm suprised this hasn't been posted yet
>> Anonymous
http://foxes.org/urbanfox/part3.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIJkYpBnQdc
Fox with mental incapability being friendly...
And only then.
Google the dangers, took five minutes to find that. There are probably a lot more plus pictures of fox bites, scratches and attacks.
>> Anonymous
Here are a few of the major problems with owning a fox as a pet:

* They smell as strong as a skunk in close quarters, and although it is theoretically possible to have their scent glands removed, this is not very healthy and will not eliminate the smell of their urine, which is very powerful.
* Foxes need a huge amount of space in which to run.
* Foxes love to dig, and can easily dig out of a yard or through a sofa.
* Foxes are at high risk to carry rabies. In many areas, there is no approved rabies vaccine for foxes; even if you have papers proving your fox has been vaccinated, some states will still have it destroyed and tested if it bites someone.
* Because foxes are at high risk, you MUST get it vaccinated. This can prove very difficult. Veterinarians need a special license to treat wildlife, which many don't have, because it's a high-risk, low-reward proposition.
* Lastly, it is very likely that a fox you own as a pet will be very unhappy. Many wild animals become depressed when removed from their natural habitat, and foxes are subject to depression as much as any other animal.
>> Anonymous
if you want a pet fox its very simple. HAVE ALOT OF ROOM, i lived on a "hobby farm"for years with about 4 acers and kept a fox.
What i mean by kept is it accepted my existance as sort of equal to its own and hang around me when it was lonley.
They are very much like cats in that situation they come and go as they please but stick around their territory (your house) and associate you with free food.

In this situation they make intresting pets..
but he ate all my ducks.
>> Anonymous
>>141948

WTF?

Foxes CAN be domesticated. It has been already been done. Granted, it took fifty years of selective breeding based solely on temperament, so it's not like your average breeding facility can do it, but it is obviously possible. Please look at one of the links to the Russian Belyaev silver foxes, which are already scattered aorund in this thread (which you obviously didn't read in it's entirety prior to posting).

While I agree that a social system makes domestication easier, it is by no means a requirement. You should never say "this animal can not be domesticated because they are solitary."