Would you like to see foxes domesticated?

[freedomformeismotherhood]

Scrolling on tiktok and seeing them in people's houses having dinner 😄

What would you think if your neighbour took one in?

Yabu - horrified
Yanbu - wouldn't mind it, its a positive move forwards

Am I the only one who immediately had a mental picture of foxes sitting at the table?
Like the Tiger who Came to Tea?

I was kinda thinking about the biting thing too!

They have homes. They’re called dens. Even in the urban environment they’ll have somewhere to live.

They eat scraps in the urban environment because humans discard so much and it’s easy food for them. It’s not as if they’re going into bins because they’re starving - they’re perfectly capable of hunting, scavenging and omnivorous eating even in the urban environment.

Foxes in hunting gear here. Red tailcoats and riding hats, sitting watching the TV.

Or Fantastic Mr Fox!

They wouldn’t get very far. Dogs and foxes cannot breed.

So?

They are adaptable and resourceful and will go wherever they can get food. Still doesn't mean it would be a good thing to turn them in to a pet.

ETA: a bit like seagulls. They will scavenge people's bins and steal their chips. Bastards they are and I can't imagine anyone would want them as pets.

No, I'd like to see them supported to live their foxy lives happily in the wild. If one's been orphaned or rejected, then absolutely I'd like to see them taken in and cared for, which may well look like domestication of that individual. But unless it's a necessity I don't know how domesticating them would help them, or us. If you want a dog, just get a dog. I really don't like this SM crap of trying to encourage people to interfere with wildlife. Just leave them be.

Foxes have already been domesticated.
I've heard of people keeping wild foxes as pets, I'm not sure to what degree they can be tamed but I'd think the domesticated variety of fox would make a better pet.

Thanks for the fact-check re: the Australian situation. I find it quite sad that they are being culled.

I don't think you understand what domesticated means.

How so? @OtherS's post looks fine to me.

I agree- it is completely unnecessary, just leave them alone!

I live near a woods, the foxes very much live in the woods, along with the Owls and Badgers etc.

Me to you naysayers!

Nice touch OP 😄

You lot bringing your bloody logic to the argument 😄😄

My great aunt had one as a pet. It was an orphaned cub that lived to a ripe old age. She was a very eccentric woman and had him stuffed when he died

As I understand it, but this might be a weird misremembering, they live as domesticated pets in Australia. Can any Aussie Mners confirm?

Definitely not, some weird person might have one as a pet of sorts as per pp but they definitely aren't domesticated here. There's plenty around Sydney where I live, and they eat rabbits (another introduced species damaging the environment here) along with native species and people's backyard hens.

I don't like the idea of a wild creature being turned into a pet.

It's not fair on them because it takes away all the behaviour and activities they've developed over their evolution. Foxes are nocturnal hunters - so how would that fit into the life of a pet? Just giving them dog food wouldn't be the same.

Domestic dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years to be just that. Foxes are wild animals and need to live in the wild.

Have you heard seagulls? What a commotion!

We have them around here and it’s just hit “shagging season”, it’s like only bloody fans.

Almost as difficult to domesticate as a man.
😉😁.

They have learnt there's easy food in the cities.... in bins, people will feed them etc thats why they are in cities. If you didnt feed them or they couldnt get into bins they would leave.

Exactly. They will have far better lives in the wild than they will in people's homes.

I don't think we should do anything to domesticate them.

That said, it appears they're domesticating themselves, much like cats did. (Also raccoons in the usa I've read)

Can't say I blame them. People came, built over / took over their natural habitat and left them no choice but to become scavengers in cities. I'm sure they'd much rather have lived as nature intended but they are where they are now because of us. (Same with rats. )

I live in the countryside and foxes are just off doing their own thing, away from us. It's cities where they've got no choice.