Fennec Fox as a Pet

The Fennec fox is a gorgeous, clean, friendly and zakarianul01 loving animal that may be simply domesticated. However, you can not expect to simply take this lovely creature home. Basically, this is because the animal would die very quickly in its new habitat that we call home.

If it survives, it will probably lead a miserable life though you give it loads of love and care. Besides, in lots of international locations, the possession of Fennec foxes is illegal. This is largely as a consequence of the truth that the Fennec fox is native to the Sahara deserts, however in addition they exist in the Arabian Peninsula.

The importance of habitat

Habitat is essential in tracing the outlines of the evolution of fauna and flora species which adapt to the environment. More precisely, the radical nature of the unbearable desert climate is the primary factor which, by millennia, has fine-tuned the physical frame and habits of the Fennec fox.

Would you keep an Emperor penguin as a pet in your house? Might you provide an in depth frozen rocky place at -forty °C, battered by finishless blinding blizzards? I do not think so. Not even a zoo can optimally recreate that habitat.

In the same way, it shouldn’t be possible for us to recreate the desert in our homes. The Fennec fox could possibly be a wonderful pet in an oasis located in the desert or on the outskirts of 1; but because it has been especially adapted to survive within the Saharan heat, it would degenerate in our mild climate.

The morphology of the Fennec fox

The Fennec fox is the smallest of the canidae family, even smaller than a Chihuahua dog. It weighs between 1 and 1.5 kg (2.2 and 3.three lbs). Its body measures no more than 21 cm (0.6 ft) as much as its tail. An adult Fennec fox doesn’t measure any more than 41 cm (1.three ft), and its tail is between 20 and 30 cm (0.6 and 1 ft). It has bushy pads on its ft to forestall them from burning on the hot sand.

Nonetheless, the physical attribute that distinguishes it from other foxes is its pair of spectacular hyper-developed ears. These ears have a purpose. The primary is to vent heat accrued in their tiny body. The second objective is to capture even the slightest sound produced by their prey.

The Fennec fox’s dense coat is sand-colored on the back and sides whilst the stomach is a greyish-white and wispier than the hair on its back.

Behavioural habits of the Fennec fox

The Fennec fox is nocturnal. Their food plan consists of rodents, reptiles, bugs, eggs, birds and fruit such as dates, blackberries and berries. They’re capable of jumping a considerable height which helps them hunt and struggle when predators attack.

The caracal and African owl are their foremost rivals. Fennec foxes live in underground burrows (as much as 10 meters deep), where the temperature is lower than that of the outside. In the wild they live for approximately 10-12 years.

The domesticated Fennec fox

You probably have been irresponsible and made the mistake of adopting a Fennec fox, because you’ve seen it in a television advert and find it very cute, you need to know that the Fennec fox is strictly nocturnal. If you happen to confine it in a cage at evening, it will die.

When you let it loose, it will tear aside cushions in an try to hide meals or make a hole in the couch or mattress to make a burrow so it feels comfortable and warm in your home.

The Fennec fox can dig as much as 6 meters (19.6 ft) of earth per day. If kept in a backyard, it will most likely escape and any dog may go after it. When you live in a flat, life can be worse for it. The Fennec fox has an incredible leaping ability and can get on any table or shelf, destroying everything on them.