Pets have long been an integral part of our lives. Everyone has a variety of preferences — someone gets the usual dogs, cats, parrots, fish and hamsters, someone is attracted by the exotic. It can be a wide variety of animals, from spiders to bears. However, exotic lovers often do not think about the fact that keeping such “friends” in their apartment can be uncomfortable for animals, and in addition dangerous for their owners.
Keeping fennel and miniature chanterelles at home is becoming increasingly popular. Let’s figure out how safe it is to have such a pet and how easy it is to tame and educate it. And believe me, this animal really has something to surprise, starting from appearance, ending with habits and behavioral features.
Appearance of Chanterelle fennec
The weight of such animals does not exceed 1.5 kg, height is 18-22 cm, body length is 30-40 cm without taking into account the tail, and it is quite long, sometimes reaches 30 cm.
A small fox with disproportionately large ears (up to 15 cm), looks incredibly cute and attractive, which is why its popularity is due. Their muzzle is small, their nose is elongated, pointed, and their eyes are large and expressive.
Immediately after birth, their fur is painted white, and some time later it acquires a red or fawn color. These animals are very fluffy, their fur is not very long, but incredibly delicate and soft to the touch.
Important! Large auricles help fennec in heat regulation due to the fact that the vessels on them are located very close to the skin — this helps chanterelles to remove excess heat from the body, since in the wild they live in hot deserts. Naturally, the owners of such large ears are also endowed with excellent hearing.
Characteristics of chanterelles
Fennec foxes are very active, playful animals. They are excellent jumpers, a jump of 1 m in length and 70 cm in height is not difficult for them. Another feature of this animal is that it stays awake at night and gets enough sleep during the day.
Big-eared foxes get along well with pets, provided that they met when fennec was very young. Actually, this also applies to people: in order for the animal to become tame, it is necessary to start it at the age of 2 months, only in this case it is possible to “domesticate” the predator.
Features of life in the wild
The homeland of the fennec is considered to be the central Sahara; they live on the Arabian Peninsula, in the Republic of Chad, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan and in the south of Niger.
Desert foxes prefer to choose areas for their homes that are densely overgrown with grass and shrubs, due to the fact that it is easier for them to get food for themselves. And they eat snake eggs, plant roots, small vertebrates, fruits and carrion.
To make it easier to tolerate the heat, their houses are built deep underground, that is, they are burrows with numerous underground passages. Thus, they are excellent diggers.
Important! Once a year, there is a replenishment in the family, after the birth of the young, his mother protects and protects him, and his father performs the function of a breadwinner. At the age of 3 months, the fennec fox begins to show interest in what surrounds him and to go beyond the parental mink.
It is worth noting that these animals lead a social lifestyle, live in groups of 5-10 animals. But they go after their prey one by one. The lack of water in the desert does not affect foxes — their body is designed in such a way that liquid accumulates in it with food, and the kidneys retain the necessary amount of moisture so that a miniature predator can go without drinking for a long time.
How to create comfortable conditions at home
Before you start a chanterelle, you should learn that fennec is primarily a predator. It is possible to grow and tame it at home, but this will require some effort and patience.
In addition, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for the animal to live, to provide it with a proper, balanced diet and proper care.
A cage and its own corner
Since the hours of biological activity of humans and fennec do not coincide, it is better to allocate a separate room to the animal or arrange a corner outside your bedroom so that you can sleep at night. A very important point in the maintenance of these earwigs is the air temperature in the room where they live.
The room should be very warm or even hot, otherwise the fox cub will start to get sick, and this can result in a big problem, since the animals are sick for a long time, and it’s not so easy to find a veterinarian who knows how and how to treat them.
Since the animal loves to dig very much, it is advisable to organize a play area with sand for him; if this is not done, he will lay tunnels in things and furniture, so providing leisure for the pet is definitely in the interests of the owners.
Fennec safety plays an important role, his excessive curiosity and activity can play a cruel joke with him. Therefore, always close windows and doors, hide all fragile things. Make sure that the wires are not accessible to the domestic fox, as fennec will definitely be interested in them.
To avoid unpleasant situations, it is better to equip an aviary or cage for the animal, and let it out for walks around the apartment only under the supervision of the owners. Of course, this will require additional costs, but your home will be in order and you will be able to safely go about your business without worrying about what your pet has done.
Feeding the little animal
In order for the fox cub to feel well, it needs to provide a balanced diet. He is not picky about food; you can use dog food, which contains everything that a big-eared animal needs.
If you prefer natural nutrition, then fruits and vegetables, eggs, chicken meat and porridge should be present in the diet. Lizards, insects and small rodents, as well as dates and figs are a real delicacy for them.
Important! It is best to observe the animal for a while, offering him to taste different foods, and identify his taste preferences, since they can be individual.
Pet care
One of the important points of care is the habituation of the fox cub to the tray. The fact is that animals can mark the territory and after that an unpleasant smell can concentrate in the room. So from the very childhood you need to train the animal to go to the toilet in a certain place.
Breeders’ opinions about the complexity of such training are ambiguous: someone says that foxes learn to go to the tray very quickly, someone says that there are certain problems with this, but in the end everyone overcomes them.
In no case do not forget that the earwig has the finest hearing, in this regard it is better to avoid loud sounds and conversations in his presence.
The fluffy fur coat of the animal requires special attention — the wool needs to be combed regularly with a special brush, which brings fennec great pleasure. Every year the animal needs to be vaccinated against rabies.
Fennec at home: pros and cons
From the above description and characteristics of the fennec, we can conclude what advantages and disadvantages are inherent in this animal.
Let’s start with the pros:
- Decorative and exotic look.
- The animal is active and playful.
- Easy to care for.
- Not picky about food.
- Easily gets along with cats and dogs.
- With proper maintenance, they live for a long time (up to 15 years).
Among the disadvantages are the following:
- The high cost of the animal and high costs at the initial stage (cage and toys).
- To tame an animal, it will take a lot of time and effort.
- Marking the territory.
- They don’t sleep at night.
- They like to throw things around.
- It is very difficult to find a doctor for fennec.
- They can be aggressive; you can’t have such an animal if there are small children in the house.
How much does a fox Fennec cost
Fennec is not only a rare, but also quite expensive animal. On the Internet, you can find a lot of offers and relatively at a low price, but in such cases there is a risk to purchase an animal whose parents live in a natural wild environment, and this greatly complicates the process of taming a fox cub.
Therefore, it is best to purchase fennec foxes from experienced breeders; at the same time, it is necessary to be interested in his pedigree.
Before you get a big-eared fox, be sure to weigh all the pros and cons, and also study more information about him. Despite the fact that he is very beautiful and funny, we should not forget that first of all he is a wild animal with his own habits and character.
And, quite possibly, an ordinary cute dog or a pretty kitty will much better satisfy your need for a pet.