Foxes Legal as pets in KS?

[rabernet]

Im sure you can have them if you dont get caught.

Let's be careful and remember that we don't allow endorsing anything illegal here on this forum, including suggesting someone "doesn't get caught" keeping an illegal species.

[Seneschal]

I don't know about in KS, but according to a website about owning foxes as pets which I looked up, you usually have to have special permits to own one.

From what I'm hearing about them, I wouldn't want one. Apparently the urine of a fox smells similar to a skunk's spray, and a woman who owns them said on her website that they aren't usually very friendly the way a dog is.

Here are links to websites I found about foxes as pets. If you decide to go ahead and get one, then good luck! I hope it works out for you!

http://sybilsden.com/caresheet/fox.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2046502_care-pet-fox.html

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Pet_20Fox

http://www.foxes.org/urbanfox/part3.html

Hope this helps.

[MarkS]

I wouldn't know about pets, but I'd bet that they're legal as livestock for fur farmers. Many colors of fox pelts are only available as a captive bred ranched animal. You may need to look into agricultural permits for keeping livestock or something like that. I'd love to have a fox as a pet.

[legionxxii]

Let's be careful and remember that we don't allow endorsing anything illegal here on this forum, including suggesting someone "doesn't get caught" keeping an illegal species.

That I understand but I didnt mean like keep the guy in a cage. Sorry I should have worded that better. Like the coon we had came and went as he liked. I dont think it would then be considered at pet because you wouldnt be forcing it to stay in a cage. If you got it when it was young and nursed it till it was older and it stayed around like a pet I dont think its illegal. I think you can keep most animals to a extent if its a baby and your trying to nurse it to keep it alive. Thats how we unded up with a coon. We would coon hunt and set live traps and we got the baby in a live trap somehow. So we took care of it and he ended up sticking around same with the turkeys we had got them when they was young turkey hunting and they stuck around.

[Seneschal]

That I understand but I didnt mean like keep the guy in a cage. Sorry I should have worded that better. Like the coon we had came and went as he liked. I dont think it would then be considered at pet because you wouldnt be forcing it to stay in a cage. If you got it when it was young and nursed it till it was older and it stayed around like a pet I dont think its illegal. I think you can keep most animals to a extent if its a baby and your trying to nurse it to keep it alive. Thats how we unded up with a coon. We would coon hunt and set live traps and we got the baby in a live trap somehow. So we took care of it and he ended up sticking around same with the turkeys we had got them when they was young turkey hunting and they stuck around.

That's not always true. There are many animals, especially those considered protected species, which you absolutely cannot touch unless their life is in immenent danger (i.e.: a car will run them over unless you move them). You can get in serious legal problems if you find, say, a baby bald eagle (just as an example) abandoned on the side of the road, and take it home to nurse it to health and raise it to adulthood with the full intent to release it. Even if you mean only the best, and take care of the animal perfectly, and release it--you can get some serious fines and even jail time. I'm not saying that's the case for foxes...but really, in all cases if you want an exotic pet (or if you find an exotic species of any sort, including baby birds, raccoon kits, etc.) you should /always/ call a wild animal rescue clinic to see if you need to bring the animal to them, or if it's alright for you to care for, or if you need a permit---or, you should just buy an exotic pet from a reputable breeder.

[HypoPita]

Ya the smell potential, Wow. At the Toledo Zoo you can smell the Artic Fox before you are at it's cage.

Yea, I hear that they like to spray all over your house to mark territory. That's why I won't have one till I have a house with a barn, lol. Plus, they would raise all heck on my allergies, which is why I have snakies!

I really want a couple fennecs though.

[Montessa Python]

Here in Wisconsin it is legal to have one as a pet, but you might need a special permit.
The biggest issues are that you can't seem to get them vaccinated. And if the fox ever bit you are some one else it would have to be put down.
All "tame" foxes are usually hand raised and must be handled daily.
The fox I was offered had been left in a large wooden crate/box for two weeks due to the owner going away on vacation. He had reverted to a near wild state.

There has been an experiment going on in russia and a few other places. They took foxes from the fur trade and started breeding for docility. Long story short, they got foxes over progressive generations that barked, had floppy years and spots. In short they created a very dog like fox.
You do have to realize that a fox is still a wild animal, despite being hand reared or the like. They require a certain amount of space, excersize and feed. They are very very smart and may not acclimate to the presence of a lot of humans, or young children and prefer to be around only one or two people.
Also they tend to be nocturnal so when you are sleeping.. they want to be active.
Just an FYI..
I would talk to the folks at Wolf Park in Indiana, they have some foxes and I beleive half were from the pet trade. They have a website and are more than willing to answer questions.
They come and do a presentation on slides and on the park itself every year at a convention I go to in Chicago.

Hope this helps...
P.S. I still have the scars from where the fox bit me when something frightened him, I was handling him to try to get him used to people again so he could be adopted/resold as a pet. I took responsibility for the bite, otherwise he would have been put down.
Apparently they don't make a rabies vaccine for foxes, which is why they have to be killed if they bite some one.

Carol

[Purrrfect9]

I know for a fact that you can keep fennec foxes in the U.S. as pets. I believe that its only illegal to keep the native species of canines, which also, may vary from state to state unless you're apart of a breeding program to preserve the species. But anyway, Fennec's are in very high demand right now and you can find them at a price range between $1,500-$3,000. Permit requirements very from state to state, and even city to city. I live in Oklahoma, and on the state level, you don't need a permit to keep one, but to show one you need to be USDA licensed, and have city permits. The city where I work at has no restrictions on what exotics you can own/ have for a pet.

[dsirkle]

My brother in law used to own a half fox, half dog pet. It lived outside,was very skittish and only the only humam that could approach it was my bro in law. It never barked and it lived outside with a big labrador retreiver. It was like letting a feral cat live on your property as far as I was concerned. It wasn't tame.

[Purrrfect9]

The only experience that I've had with foxes is with the fennecs, and they really act like cats more than dogs. If you raise them from pups and have daily interaction with them, they will absolutely adore you for life. They really dont come to you when called, but if you have treats/cat toys, they wont leave you alone! lol. They do squeal when they get very excited,YouTube - Daisy the Fennic Fox and if you only have one, they can get very lonely if you're busy a lot. Fennec's mate for life, so either getting a second one, or having a dog around the house that it can interact with will be beneficial. They are still VERY wild, and if your herp's are not extremely secure, it's not unlikely that they will kill them for food. They eat anything that they can find in the desert, so that trait carries on here. Their urine doesn't smell like skunk. Just ammonia, and it's slightly more potent than a cats. They can be litterbox trained, and have very few accidents when they are. When they are mature, they do develop a musk. We keep our 4 fennec's in outdoor enclosures and when I go down to feed/water/play, I don't really notice the smell until I pick them up to pet/cuddle, and even then it's really not that bad. Are you going to smell like animal? Yes, so don't wear designer clothes and are about to leave when you go play with them . Right now for feeding them, we prepare a mix of dry puppy food, canned cat food, and vegetables. We are going to try this new dry kibble from Mazuri made for either exotic canines or maybe just foxes in general (I forgot what my boss said it was) so we'll see how that goes. If you do keep them outside, they will need supplimental heating in the winter. We made 'nesting boxes' for them, and have two of the red heat lamps in the cage with them to keep them roasty toasty in the winter. I'll go out and take pics of their outdoor enclosures if you'd like me to.