Fennec fox or desert fox. Fennec animal - long-eared fox

What kind of animal is this with big ears? In a desert North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula lives an amazing fennec fox(fanak, translated from Arabic means “fox”). Some scientists still do not consider Fenech a fox and classify it as a separate genus “Fennecus”. This cute little fox is smaller than a cat and weighs no more than 1.5 kg. With its small size (body length up to 40 cm plus tail up to 30 cm), the fennec cat has the largest ears relative to the head among predators. The length of Fenech's ears reaches up to 15 cm. It is clear that with such large ears, this fox has excellent hearing and by the slightest rustle it can distinguish its prey in the sand - small vertebrates and insects. In addition, in the hot desert, large fox ears help remove excess heat from the body. Young foxes are almost white, and when they mature, their fur on top acquires a camouflage reddish color. Fenech's paws are covered below with fur like those of an arctic fox, allowing the fox not to get burned when moving across the hot desert sand. Fennec foxes are omnivorous. Their main diet, in addition to small vertebrates and insects, consists of roots and fruits of plants, and bird eggs. Fennecs do not disdain carrion. They can go without water for a long time, getting it from food. As befits foxes, fennecs hunt alone. If necessary, they can jump up to 120 cm forward and up to 70 cm in height. Fennecs usually live family groups up to ten individuals, keeping to sparse bushes and thickets.

In the desert near Fenk natural enemies a little, but the most dangerous thing for them is man. Fenechs are killed because valuable fur, and are also caught for sale and as a product. The fennec fox is considered the national animal of Algeria. Here he enjoys special veneration and is even depicted on an Algerian coin. In addition, the Algerian national football team is also called the “Desert Foxes” (Les Fennecs) or the Fennecs.

Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is a desert fox, a cautious and secretive inhabitant. The animal got its name from the Arabic fenek, which means “fox”. However, not all zoologists classify the fennec fox as a genus of foxes, separating it into a special genus - “Fennecus”. At the same time, such significant differences with foxes as a smaller number of chromosomes, the absence of musk glands and sociality are indicated.

The largest population of these amazing animals inhabits the central Sahara. They are also found from northern Morocco to Sinai and Arabian Peninsula, and in the south - to Chad, Sudan and Niger.

What does a fennec fox look like?

Fenech is the smallest representative of the fox family. The dimensions of an adult individual, including a long (up to 30 cm) fluffy tail, are no more than 70 cm, height at the withers is 18-20 cm. At the same time, the animal weighs only about one and a half kilograms.

But it is not its size, but its ears that amazes the fennec at the first glance. These disproportionately huge ears (up to 15 cm) on a small head, large shiny eyes and a sharp, thin muzzle, lined with long black mustaches, give the whole fox an unusually strange appearance. The ears are so mobile, they take on such diverse shapes that with each new position it seems that you see a new animal in front of you. Without his amazing ears, the fennec would probably lose half of his charm. The ears of a miniature fox, which hear the slightest rustle of a bird or insect at a distance, cannot tolerate sharp sounds.

Since the fennec cat does not have sweat glands and cannot breathe intermittently like a dog, it needs to somehow cool its body. And for this purpose the extensive surface of the ears serves. Since the animal does not sweat, it does not release a drop of precious moisture. Thus, he manages to be content with the liquid contained in the food. But in places where there are watering holes, he drinks like other animals.

Interesting fact: many desert inhabitants have big ears, for example, the sand cat, long-eared hedgehog or the black-tailed hare. Disproportionately large ears protect animals from overheating.

All other parts of the Fennec's body are very beautiful and proportional. The animal's thin legs, like those of all desert animals, will stand up for themselves and compete with the fastest animals in running. Even the Egyptian jerboa, despite all its speed, often ends up on sharp teeth small predator. And this applies equally to his ability to sneak up and to the speed of his movements. The vast expanses of the desert, as well as the scarcity of its plant and animal life, require good, tireless legs. And such legs are especially needed for predators! They need not only to run around huge spaces each time, but to be able to catch up with their prey. And the fennec's legs give him the opportunity to exist and reproduce in sandy deserts. The fox's feet are covered with fur, which allows it to move silently across the hot sand.

Quite thick at first glance, the body is actually very small and light. It appears this way only because of its long, thick, light sand-colored fur. On a light muzzle, black eyes and a nose stand out.

The fennec tail, no less fluffy than our tail, serves good decoration for the entire animal figurine.

Lifestyle of a miniature fox in nature

In deserts, the fennec tries to stay in thickets of grass and other low-growing vegetation. He lives in holes. The place for them is chosen where the roots of the plants are connected sandy soil. Here the animal digs long passages in various directions. In the middle of these crossing passages, he makes a lair for himself. The animal loves comfort and warmth and therefore lines its lair with dry herbs, hair and even feathers. In such a hole he is safe from his enemies.

The fennec fox, like most other desert inhabitants, prefers the cool to the heat. He spends the whole day in his nest and only in exceptional cases leaves the hole before dusk. During the scorching heat, it’s stuffy even underground. The dhota from the hot sand penetrates there too. The fennec is impatiently waiting for the dazzling shine of the sun, reflected by millions of sparkles in grains of sand, to be replaced by the same sparkles in the dark blue sky of the south. By night the heat is replaced by coolness, and sometimes very significant. Then here and there in the silent desert a silent one awakens animal life. Foxes peep out of their holes, move their ears, sniff the air, and little by little they lean out of the hole: it’s time to hunt.

How does a fennec fox hunt?

Although desert foxes live in families, they, like their relatives, prefer to hunt alone. During the hunt, the animal completely relies on its hearing, sight and smell. These same feelings serve the Fennec to warn of danger.

Our common fox, polar fox or arctic fox, corsac fox of the steppes of Asia, gray American fox, broad-nosed fox South Africa, - they all have almost the same habits. In most cases, fox hunting comes down to searching for prey by smell and then hiding it.

And the fennec cat’s acute hearing, vision and sense of smell allow him to hunt not only birds, animals, but even insects. His silent, creeping step allows him to catch the most distant, quietest sounds on the move. If some air vibration gets into his ears, they expand towards the noise. The desert fox pauses for a moment and then begins to approach even more cautiously in the direction of the noise. Her eyes pierce the thick darkness of the desert. From a distance she can see a sleeping hazel grouse (steppe pigeon), a lark or even a fat locust. He eats her too. True, with less pleasure than a bird or animal, but still he will not pass by if he hears its rustling. In the desert you have to put up with everything; there is a lot of sand, stones and heat, but not food and drink.

For all the tirelessness of the fennec, for all the acuteness of his feelings, the enormous space over which the rare animal kingdom of the desert is scattered creates great difficulties for the animal. You can drive in the Sahara for hours, whole days, and not see a single bird. And this rarity of the population serves as the best protection against enemies. It’s not so easy and not so often that the fennec cat manages to feast on hot blood sandgrouses or larks. But the hazel grouse is a desirable prey for the fennec. If an animal senses with its nose that it has crossed the trail of a hazel grouse, it will immediately sniff out the entire place and follow the subtle scent that remains from this bird’s daytime walk. There is nothing here to distract the attention of this amazing bloodhound! The desert fox will persistently follow the footsteps of the hazel grouse right up to its overnight stay or the place from which it flew away. This kind of failure often happens. But she does not discourage the fennec. It happens that during these searches the wind will carry the scent of sandgrouse sleeping nearby, and then the same animal’s nose will lead straight to the desired prey. By smell, the desert fox not only finds sandgrouse, but even desert larks and common larks. It happens that these small birds also fall on the fennec's teeth. They are identified not only by their smell, but sometimes also by the noise they make in their sleep when they change position, or by an involuntary cry, song, or flapping of wings. Once any noise from the movement of the bird fell into the huge ears of the fennec fox, the bird died.

Fenech will lower his body to the ground and will slowly, for a long time, sneak towards the noise. From afar, his eyes will notice somewhere under a bush the tiny figure of a bird, which, unaware of the danger, continues to sleep serenely. The fenech will choose the bush or depression closest to it in order to grab its victim in its teeth in one leap. But he applies this technique of hiding prey to sleeping birds. He hunts jerboas and voles differently. Here he not only hides, but also chases. The Saharan vole and jerboa, like the fennec fox, are nocturnal animals. They also have keen hearing and keen eyes. The animal does not always manage to take them by surprise. However, the fox often catches the jerboa, despite its amazing jumps. The whole thing is ruined for the jerboa by his hare’s ability to jump into different sides to listen to the enemy. But this technique with the fennec tree does a disservice to the jerboa. The desert fox carefully watches the jumps and runs straight to the place where the jerboa lands. From random jumping and fear, the jerboa soon gets tired and becomes prey to the less dexterous, but more cunning fennec.

It is much easier for the fennec to deal with voles. They have only one salvation: to hide under the roots or crawl into burrows. But this does not save much from a persistent pursuer. The animal digs shallow holes, and a small vole ends up in its stomach.

Family life of fennecs

Foxes are social animals and live in family groups of ten individuals in branched burrows. Clans usually consist of one married couple, their immature offspring, and sometimes several older children. It happens that several families live in one den.

Desert chanterelles breed once a year. Pregnancy lasts about two months, and in March-April, from two to six cubs are born. Newborns weigh only about 50 grams, their body is covered with light down. white. While the female feeds the offspring, the male brings her food. Babies feed on mother's milk for two to three months, but starting from the fourth week of life they begin to slowly get accustomed to solid food. The older the puppies become, the more fiercely they fight for a piece of food. Already at the end of summer, the young animals begin to hunt alone, and by nine months they become independent. Often young fennec cats stay with their parents and help raise new offspring.

Fenech's enemies

However, the fennec itself sometimes, during a hunt, becomes a victim of hyenas, caracals, and sometimes leopards, jackals and eagle owls. The animal has the only way to escape from all these predators: to bury itself in the sand, or even better, to climb into its own or someone else’s hole. Burrowing in the sand is common for many desert animals and lizards; The fennec also disappears in front of the eyes of the enemies pursuing him. But he does not always succeed in deceiving hyenas, jackals and people. Hyenas and jackals will not be deceived by their instincts, and they will dig up the animal. In the same way, it is not difficult for a person to rake out a layer of sand and remove the fennec. A much more reliable way to save the desert fox is in its burrows, where it is safe from all its enemies, with the exception of perhaps the terrible asp - a snake, terrifying not only on animals, but also on people.

Fenech practically does not react to changes environment and cannot adapt to other living spaces. Sand foxes do not harm humans, but they have always been actively hunted and continue to be hunted.

The smallest animal from the canine family, the owner of huge locator ears, the surface of which makes up one fifth of the surface of the animal’s entire body.

Taxonomy

Russian name - fenech

Latin name – Vulpes (Fennecus) zerda

English name - Fennec Fox

Order - Carnivora (Carnivora)

Family - Canidae (Canidae)

According to some zoologists, the fennec should be classified not as a genus of foxes, from which it differs in a number of characteristics, but into a separate genus - Fennecus. The fennec fox has 32 pairs of chromosomes, while other fox species have 35–39, and behaves in many ways differently from other foxes.

Conservation status of the species

The exact number of fennecs is unknown, but it appears to be declining. The species is listed in the International Red Book as causing least concern in the next 10 years - IUCN (LC), and is also included in the list of animals whose sale is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Species wild fauna and flora - CITES II.

Species and man

The animal got its name from the Arabic word fanak, which means fox. The Latin name also contains the word “zerda”, which comes from the Greek “xeros” (“dry”), which means that this fox lives in the desert.

Fennec cats are hunted mainly for their fur, which is highly prized among the indigenous population of North Africa. IN Lately They began to be captured and sold as exotic pets. Fennec foxes are the only foxes that are quite easily tamed and live near people.

These charming creatures are the heroes of many literary works, including the famous character from the fairy tale “The Little Prince” by A. Exupery. The animal is a symbol of the ecology of Tunisia; its figures are found in almost every city in this country. And in Algeria there is a coin with a fennec on it.

Distribution and habitats

The fenech's habitat is quite extensive - it includes the entire semi-desert North Africa from Gibraltar to Sinai, and almost the entire territory of Arabia, with the exception of its southern regions. The southern border of the range reaches Niger, Sudan and Chad, and most fennecs live in the central Sahara.

Fennec inhabits sandy deserts, but, of course, it does not stay on open sand, but near thickets of grass and sparse bushes, where it finds both food and shelter. He spends the daytime heat in difficult, with big amount passages, a hole that he digs himself. With the onset of dusk, the sand begins to cool, and the animal leaves the shelter and goes hunting.

Appearance and morphology

The appearance of the fennec fox is very memorable - small, smaller than a cat, a fox with huge ears and a long fluffy tail. The height at the withers of this animal is only 18–22 cm, the body length is 30–40 cm, the tail is 30 cm. Moreover, it weighs no more than 1.5 kg. The short, pointed muzzle has large black eyes, a black nose and black whiskers. But the most characteristic and outstanding thing is the ears. They are the largest among predators in terms of head size - reaching 15 cm in length and accounting for 20% of the body surface. Thanks to these powerful locators, the animal picks up the slightest rustle made by insects moving in the sand.

The fennec cat's ears are not only an organ of hearing, they help him get rid of excess heat. Very close to the surface of the skin there is a dense network of tiny blood vessels, and when the air temperature rises, the vessels in the ears expand, and the air blowing on the ears cools the blood washing them. The entire body of the animal is perfectly adapted to living in extreme conditions deserts. In addition to excellent hearing, he has a keen sense of smell and excellent night vision. The animal's fur-covered feet allow it to move easily and silently on the hot sand. Long and dense fur reliably protects the fennec from the heat, and its color allows it to camouflage perfectly against the background of sand: the fur is reddish or fawn on top, white below.

Fenech is able to go without water for a long time. Remarkable products help it retain water in the body physiological adaptations. The fennec fox (as well as other foxes) does not have sweat glands. Normal temperature the body of the animal is 38°C, but when the air temperature rises above this indicator, it can rise to 40.9°C, which significantly reduces the amount of liquid evaporated. This fox receives up to 90% of the required moisture from food, and the metabolic rate is only 67% of that expected for a mammal of this size. Fenech is practically the only predator that lives permanently away from water sources.

Lifestyle and social organization

Fenech is a desert inhabitant, and for him, like many other desert inhabitants, he is characterized by night look life. During the day, the desert seems lifeless and awakens with sunset. At this time of day, the air becomes more humid, the evaporation of precious water from the body is noticeably reduced, and animals leave their burrows.

Fenechs live in family groups, the core of which is a breeding pair. Grown-up fox cubs stay with their parents the next year and often do not leave the hole when new cubs appear. Perhaps older brothers and sisters help parents take care of their babies. At least everyone plays with each other a lot, developing dexterity and strength. The number of animals in such a group reaches 10.

Small, agile fennecs have the ability to jump far (more than 1 m) and high (up to 0.7 m), which helps them hunt.

Excellent diggers, fennecs dig holes themselves; during the night the animal can dig a hole 5–6 m long. The hole is a system of extensive tunnels and cavities, equipped with several emergency entrances, allowing the fox to escape from the enemy unnoticed. The burrows are usually found under the roots of trees or shrubs, which provide support for the tunnel walls. The burrow system can be so complex and extensive that sometimes several fennec families can live together, occupying different parts of it. The hole is very important for the fennec cat. In the family’s habitat, in addition to the main burrow, there are also underground shelters, perhaps not so comfortable, but capable of protecting the animal from a suddenly attacked predator.

Observations of fennecs in the wild are complex, and information about them is based mainly on the study of these animals in captivity.

Like other representatives of the canine family, the family’s habitat is structured: there are places that are visited often, and there are areas where fennecs go only occasionally. The former are actively marked by secretions of odorous glands, urine and excrement. Marks are applied to bushes, hummocks, and grass that stand out against the background of sand. The main male marks more often than others.

Nutrition and feeding behavior

Despite the fact that the fenech is systematically classified as a predator, it is an omnivore. The fennec digs up most of its food from sand and soil. He hunts alone, like other types of foxes, he hides excess food in reserve, remembering his hiding places well.

Fenech catches small rodents, reptiles, birds, searches for bird nests, eats chicks and eggs. A large share of the diet is occupied by insects (primarily locusts) and other arthropods. Huge ears allow the animal to find prey under a thick layer of sand, and agility and speed to catch it. Fruits, roots, and tubers of plants are also food for the fennec, in addition, they almost completely provide it with the necessary moisture.

Vocalization

Fennec foxes, like other social animals, are very talkative. Both adults and puppies can make chirping and whimpering sounds, they howl, growl, squeal, and also bark, whine, and grumble. The fennec howl is loud, but short, it is descending in tone and is repeated many times.

Reproduction and raising offspring

Fenechs live in permanent pairs. They breed once a year, mating season occurs in January-February. Males at this time become aggressive and begin to intensively mark their area with urine.

Pregnancy lasts 50–53 days; and in March-April the female gives birth to 2–6 cubs in a burrow with a nesting chamber lined with grass, feathers and wool. Tiny newborn animals weigh only about 50 g. They are covered with light peach fluff, their eyes and ears are closed. In this case, the ears are folded, like those of dog puppies, and only when the fox cubs are 2 weeks old do their eyes open and small ears stand up. From this moment on, the ears are the fastest growing part of the little Fennec's body: they become bigger and bigger every day, and very quickly take on the appearance of the famous "Fennec" ears.

The mother is with the cubs in the hole constantly during the first two weeks. The father brings her food and leaves it at the entrance to the den - the female does not allow him near the cubs until they begin to crawl out of the hole at the age of 5–6 weeks. Male fennecs - good fathers and help protect the young. Gradually, the puppies begin to move further and further away from the hole. Three-month-old fox cubs are almost independent and can move with adults to considerable distances from the burrow, and at 6–9 months they already reach sexual maturity.

Sometimes young fennec cats stay with their parents and help them raise new offspring. This is where unique “sociality” lies. desert chanterelles- they can live in large groups, consisting of a married couple and their 7–8 offspring of different ages.

Lifespan

In nature, fennecs rarely live longer than 7–8 years; in captivity, life expectancy can be more than 20 years.

Fennec foxes at the Moscow Zoo

Fennec foxes can be seen in the Bird House on the Old Zoo grounds. Their enclosure is designed as a desert area, the animals are always visible, but if they are lying down, you need to look closely to see them against the background of sand. These omnivorous little predators are fed fruits, insects, mice, eggs and cottage cheese at the zoo.

Our fennecs' names are Fen and Finik, both of them are no longer young, they make a friendly couple, tame, especially Finik. His appearance at the zoo was dramatic.

November, slight frost. Builders from Istra call: “We caught a fennec fox here!” - “Who-who?” - “Fenech, such a little one!” - “There are no fennecs in our area...” - “Maybe he ran away from someone...?” - “Maybe it’s a cat?” - “You offend! There's something else wrong with his leg! Take it, it’ll freeze!” They brought the fox in a shoe box, which was clearly too big for him, despite the fact that the animal was an adult. Huge ears, big black eyes - there's no mistaking it. The back leg was broken. Zoo veterinarians treated the animal, but a slight lameness remained. Now he lives at the exhibition and has a girlfriend.

By the way, even in distant Africa there is a little fox-sister. Meet the dwarf fennec fox.

Fennec fox - African fox

Fennec fox - African fox

The smallest fox on Earth lives in the northern deserts of Africa and in the center of the Sahara. Its name - fennec - is translated from Arabic like "fox".

The unusual appearance of the dwarf fennec fox

In size this predatory animal smaller than even a domestic cat. The body and tail are the same length, up to 40 cm, height from 17 to 22 cm, and weight only 1.5 kg. The unexpectedly large ears give a touching expression to the small, pointed muzzle. No predator has such a structure of ears, when their size is much larger than the head. Just imagine ears 15 cm long! They help fennec cats not only hear well, but also cool down.

Large ears help cool the body in hot weather, and big eyes- see in the dark

The eyes are also large and expressive, but the teeth are small and sharp, helping to gnaw on small animals.

Like all adult foxes, the body is covered with soft, thick fur of a beautiful reddish hue, the abdomen and lower parts of the paws are white. But the cubs are completely white. The lower part of the paw is also covered with hair, which allows it to move on hot sand.

Lifestyle of African foxes

If there are small thickets of bushes in the sandy desert, then you can be sure that there is a fennec burrow somewhere nearby. Animals dig holes with branched passages themselves.

Several families can live in one den, as fennecs lead a gregarious lifestyle. In addition to the male and female, the family has 7–8 cubs, very small ones and teenagers from the previous litter.

When the breeding season begins, which happens once in the first months of the year, the males turn into fierce defenders of their territory. They leave marks with urine and get into fights with anyone who encroaches on its boundaries.
The female carries offspring for about 50 days. The fennec drags soft grass, feathers, and pieces of wool into one of the branches of the hole. There are sometimes very few cubs, 1–2 or more, 5–6. They are small, helpless and blind. But they grow quite quickly, at 2 weeks their eyes open, and after another 3 they slowly, carefully look out of the hole and even walk around it.

The role of the male during this period is only to feed the entire family, but the female does not let him into the nest.
When little fennec foxes turn 3 months old, they freely, without fear, move away from the hole and even get food themselves.

The fox “hid” in the hole in the log

They become fully grown by 9 months and form their own family. It happens that they stay with their mother and raise younger, later born brothers and sisters.

Fenechs communicate very actively with each other using a variety of sounds. Like all members of the canine family, they can not only bark, but also squeal, grumble, whine and howl.

What do fennec foxes eat?

Miniature fennecs cannot hunt large animals, so small desert inhabitants become their prey. These are small rodents such as jerboas, gerbils, and can also eat carrion, bird eggs, and various insects (), which are dug out of the sand.

Sometimes they also eat plant foods, mainly roots and ripe fruits. In case of hunger, it stores food for future use. The animal has adapted to life in the desert - the fennec almost never drinks water; the liquid contained in its food is enough for it.
Due to the fact that the color of the fur merges with the color of the sand, and also the fact that when in danger, the fox buries itself in the sand with lightning speed, as if it were falling through, they have almost no enemies.

A cute little fox with big ears, the fennec is capable of causing delight and tenderness in people. You want to bring a nice animal into your home, take care of it and enjoy its company. But, without knowing the conditions for keeping a pet at home, it will be very difficult to raise a pet, and even more so to make friends with a fox.

Appearance

The wild fox lives in the deserts of North Africa. It owes its name to the Arabic word fanak , which means "fox" . Eared animal has characteristics:

• class - mammals;
• squad - predatory;
• family - canines;
• genus - foxes.

The fennec is almost the same size as like a large domestic cat:

• body length 20-22 cm;
• height at withers 18-22;
• weight up to 1.5 kg

The life expectancy of the animal is 10-12 years.

The fox's muzzle is short and pointed. The ears stand out due to their shape (about 15 cm), which catches the eye both in the photo and upon close contact. These are the largest ear sizes in relation to the head among the predatory group of animals. A fox needs such ears to navigate by rustling sounds about the location of its prey. They also serve to cool the body in hot weather. The fennec cat's teeth are small, the shape of the fangs is not particularly noticeable in size.

The little fox's fur is tall, thick and soft. Young animals are almost white. Older individuals have a khaki color:

• top: red or fawn;
• bottom: white;
• the tail is fluffy, with a black tip at the end.

Foxes need a peculiar coloration for camouflage in a sandy landscape.

Fox behavior

Fennec Habitat- These are sandy deserts, where the animal chooses places overgrown with grass and shrubs. Fennecs can't stand sunlight. Areas hidden from the sun provide shelter for the animal. They can also be used to search for food.

Chanterelles live in holes with many secret passages, which they dig out themselves. The animals are nocturnal. Foxes are very sociable. They can bark, whine, squeal, and howl. The cry of fennec cats is quite loud.

Fennec foxes are social animals. They live in families of up to 10 individuals. Several families can live in one burrow. The boundaries of their possessions must be marked.

Foxes are omnivores. The bulk of food is obtained from sand and earth. Fennecs hunt individually, which is typical for representatives of the fox genus. Prefer to eat:

• small vertebrates;
• various insects;
• eggs;
• roots of plants and fruits;
• carrion.

The animal is distinguished by a long waterless period. The animal can obtain the necessary liquid from meat, berries and leaves. Fenech is practical - he stores food for future use.

The little fox, despite its modest form, is a rather active animal. Can jump a fairly large distance up to 0.7 meters forward and upward. Well-developed sense of smell, hearing, and ideal night vision.

Reproduction

Fennec is a monogamous animal. They reproduce once a year. During the period January-February begins mating season. Pregnancy lasts 50-53 days. The number of cubs born can reach from 2 to 6 puppies. The mother stays with the offspring until 2 weeks of age, until the newborns' holes open. The father only brings food; it is dangerous to enter the den. This behavior is associated with the aggressiveness of the female, which drives everyone away from the newborns.

At 5 weeks, the cubs leave their father's house for the first time to get acquainted with the surroundings. Upon reaching 3 months, they can hike a considerable distance. Puberty in animals it occurs at 6-9 months. It often happens that young foxes stay with their parents. They often help in caring for and raising the next generation.

Life in captivity

The smallest representatives of the canine family are the only ones who can live in apartment conditions with appropriate upbringing. Fenechs at home open, friendly animals. They love affection and communication very much. They have an easy-going character. Easily found mutual language not only with family members, but also with other pets.

For a comfortable existence at home, it is advisable to purchase a spacious cage. If living conditions allow, you can donate an entire room for your pet. The more space there is, the more ideal the home conditions in which the pet will live. Since the fennec is an active nocturnal animal, isolation at night will be very important.

It would be useful to note that waking foxes can turn an apartment in the field of hostilities. They will rush around the room, jump on furniture, and start digging holes wherever possible. And a very alarming fact is that the animal loves to chew everything that fits, including electrical cables. Therefore, thinking through in detail to protect yourself and your pet is of paramount importance in home care. Buy special toys for fun that will distract the animal. Since the animal is focused on living in sandy areas, a container with sand, placed in a convenient place, should undoubtedly please the fox very much.

The room where the animal will live should be warm and free from drafts. The fox is very seriously ill, a cold can be fatal, so it is necessary to take all measures to organize housing requirements.

The animal needs to be organized in the cage sleeping place, put a bowl of water just in case, despite the fact that fennec cats can feel comfortable without liquid for a long time.

Fenech is a shy and modest animal. To tame a fox you need to show a lot of patience. Under no circumstances should you shout at your pet or make sudden movements. The animal needs time to adapt to its new home. Over time, your pet can be taken for walks on a leash. The animal easily learns to go to the tray.

Homemade food

At home, fennecs prefer:

It is advisable to offer your pet vitamins, especially D3, periodically. The veterinarian will advise which medications are vital for fennec cats.

Over time, the animal will develop its own favorite foods. Puppies need to be vaccinated in the same way as dogs.

Fennec fox price

In Russia 10 years ago, foxes were brought from abroad. The cost in those days was not cheap, reaching up to 200,000 rubles. In 2010, domestic nurseries began to appear, thanks to which the price dropped significantly to 100,000 rubles. In 2015, the price dropped and you could buy an animal for 60-65,000 rubles. The price for a female is always higher.

Today's value varies and depends on the breeder. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, nurseries offer to buy puppies at a price of 60,000-95,000 rubles. You can buy a fox from a private person for 40,000 rubles. Such a sale is, however, somewhat doubtful. Most likely, the transaction will take place without paperwork. The circumstances of such a sale can be very diverse, for example, illness of the animal, boredom of the previous owners, etc. Since foxes are social animals, it is advisable to purchase them for your home in pairs.

The eared animal can be rented for posing in photos and participating in video shootings to look more exotic. A temporary purchase costs around 1,000 rubles.

How much the animal will cost must be clarified immediately before purchasing. Price may vary significantly, due to the emergence of new nurseries.

Little fox with big ears