Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/11/12/the-pros-and-cons-of-pet-foxes.html
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So. . . just like dogs then.
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The energy levels of the one in the top video really highlights the cruelty of putting foxes in tiny cages and breeding them for fur. That one population of Russian fur foxes have been bred for tameness doesn’t really help. The rest of them haven’t been. It’s interesting that people can now get them as pets though.
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If only there were small, domesticated canids that were suited to life with people that you could keep as pets.
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What pros? For the foxes, I mean.
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I joke about “just like dogs then” but in reality these are pets people keep as status symbols or for bragging rights due to their uniqueness. While you might be able to exchange affection with them you can do that with a rescue dog too, which is the wiser thing to do.
I appreciate the Siberian experiments that brought us here from a scientific standpoint, but when you consider how long ago humans first domesticated dogs and cats then it’s obvious that we are still a long way away from true domesticated foxes.
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Regular food and health care. Don’t have to worry about larger predators. Life in the wild isn’t that kind.
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Anthropomorphizing much? Life in the wild is life in the wild. That’s it.
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Thank you making the distinction between socialized wild animals and domesticated ones. 99% of people don’t seem to understand it, and a lot of danger and cruelty results.
Most people get their knowledge of wildlife from Disney movies, and everyone seems to think if you’re just really really nice to them from a young age, they’ll be your friend for life. It turns out all animals are just nice when they’re little and whether they try to murder you or snuggle you as an adult is down to whether they have the genes for domestication. Only a very few animals can be domesticated at all. Dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, etc- you know the list. A raccoon, chimpanzee, fox, tiger, and every other damn thing people want as pets will absolutely eat you some day when you least expect it. It’s also cruel to the animal to contain it in your house when it is not domesticated.
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Wild animals do not make great pets. It took 50,000 years to domesticate dogs.
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I know that from experience. That’s about how long it took one of my adopted rescued dogs to stop trying to bite me.
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Yesterday I was at a zoo with my kids and saw the zookeepers give a presentation about a few different cute animals, including an adorable African hedgehog, a tortoise and a talented talking parrot. They spent about 80% of the presentation explaining all the many reasons why these animals make terrible pets (in the case of a parrot, who wants to take care of a noisy, demanding toddler for 60 years?) and that we should all stick to domesticated animals. It was a good point well made, but in my opinion it’s kinda cruel to show us an adorable hedgehog that would melt anyone’s heart only to say YOU CAN’T HAVE ONE, STOP WANTING ONE.
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They prevent your home from being infested by unwanted chickens.
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I got around to seeing the movie Alpha, a caveman movie depicting the domestication of wolves to dogs
All I could think of was your meme and, “this is the future chihuahua”.
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Squeeeee. So cute. One Fennec fox, please.
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I love foxes! I want one as a pet! I also realize it would be a horrible idea and I am completely unprepared to care for one. 
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I went to school with a very spoiled girl that had 2 pet silver foxes. They were very rarely good, and the rest of the time were very hyperactive, noisy, and bitey. They were pretty destructive even when they were in a good mood. Definitely not good pets. And yes, it was all “status symbol”.
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This is what gives parents an excellent opportunity to teach their children that they can’t always get what they want. Just tell little Veruca no, and pick her up off the floor after her meltdown. 
Also, you reminded me that some of my worst experiences seeing wild animals out of their natural environment happened at zoos.
I’d rather watch nature videos on an endless loop, in which cameras are brought to the animals. I can’t unsee a polar bear trying desperately trying to cool off by swimming in an artificial pool with a chunk of ice during a sweltering summer in Philly. The video approach also prevents incidents of wild animals in zoos behaving like wild animals.
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