BABY FOX(S)
Staying with their biological parent is their best chance of survival.
1. OBSERVE
Where did you find the baby?
People are often surprised to discover a fox den near their property. The mere presence of a den is nothing to be concerned about. Foxes tend to start denning during the breeding season (March/April), and abandon the den after the kits are raised.
Too young to hunt:
Fox kits will often appear unsupervised for long periods of time while both parents are out hunting. If the kits seem energetic and playful, just leave them alone. When they’re old enough to go on hunting outings with the parents, they will disappear.
Do not teach them bad habits.
As cute as the kits are, it is important that no one feeds the kits or initiates contact, or the kits may lose their fear of humans, which will ultimately lead to their demise. If the kits appear sickly, weak, or have patches or complete hair loss (sarcoptic mange), they do need help.
Learning to hunt:
Pups learning to hunt know their way home, but can sometimes get stuck in fences due to their rapid growth rate into adulthood:
2. REUNITE
Is the baby alone?
Unlike other mammals, both parents raise the young, and so it is not common for both parents to be killed (although it may occur).
As a result, there are not many instances when reuniting is necessary for this species. People may wrongly assume that seeing the young alone for long periods of time means they are orphaned. However, if there is reason to believe that a fox kit has been displaced (and is healthy), monitor from a distance. Give the parents a full day to reclaim their kit.
Is a single parent enough?
Mom doesn’t make it, but dad is there to continue caring for the pups:
Is the baby underweight or vocalizing?
People may wrongly assume that seeing the young alone for long periods of time means they are orphaned. However, if there is reason to believe that a fox kit has been displaced (and is healthy), monitor from a distance. Give the parents a full day to reclaim their kit.
3. CALL
Call for help if:
Contact a fox rehabilitator if the kits appear sickly or weak, or if there is reason to believe that no parent is returning to care for them or there is evidence that both parents are dead.
Does the fox’s coat look patchy?
If a young or adult fox is seen with partial or complete hair loss, this usually indicates sarcoptic mange, caused by a microscopic mite that moves around in the skin. Animals with mange lose hair and weight; they become debilitated, their skin becomes cracked and encrusted with heavy scabs and they usually die within a few months as a result.
Treatment without capture:
Some rehabilitators report success treating mange in the field by giving the afflicted animal a piece of hot dog or chicken with a small pea-sized dab of Ivermectin (such as Strongid horse wormer) in it, administered every five days for three rounds. Note that this is considered an “off-label” usage of this product. It is vital to ensure that the medicated bait gets given to the target animal. Medicated food should never be left out because the wrong animal could get it, and over-dosing is a real risk. Rather, a site can be pre-baited at the same time each day, so the target animal appears with regularity and can be thrown the bait.