Dog Fox eating his treats
The early morning sunlight danced through the trees as I sat and looked at the incredible caleidoscope of greens that surrounded me, from the grass, up through scrub and on to the emerging canopy.
Mother Nature was coming to life after her winter rest. I knew it was going to be a good day.
I’ve returned to a fox den I have watched closely for the last few weeks. I had seen a Vixen looking around this den a while back.
It is ideal, set within an earth bank and entangled in some exposed tree roots. She would have spent a lot of time with the Dog Fox, mating regularly during the dark winter nights.
Fox gestation is about 53 days, so now March has nearly finished. She will be preparing to have her cubs very soon, and we are going to follow them.
Vixens will typically have four or five cubs born blind and deaf. The newborns don’t look like foxes. They have round faces, short ears, and dark chocolate brown fur. They are entirely dependent upon Mum.
The Vixen – Always alert – She definitely knew I was there!
The Vixen would have dug at least two entrances to the den. The main entrance is the one I am currently watching. She will use this, and it will lead through a tunnel to her nest chamber.
For the first month, the Vixen will be suckling her cubs and will not leave them as, at this stage, the cubs cannot thermoregulate, which means they cannot control their body temperature.
After about 10 to 14 days, the cubs will open their eyes, which are a stunning ice or steel blue colour. Their ears begin to grow as they can now hear, and they will be growing their guard hairs that make their fur look like a fuzzy fur ball.
During the first month, the Dog Fox will feed the Vixen whilst she suckles the cubs and keeps them warm and safe in their underground nursery. He will spend most of the evening and all night finding food and bringing it to her. He will use the second entrance leading to the food storage area.
The Dog will call when he approaches the den with food, and the Vixen will respond. He will then give her the food directly via the first den entrance or store it for later using the second den entrance. Foxes have an extensive vocal range of sounds, as well as a very close family bond.
2023 has been a cold and wet spring, and nature has been slow to get going. Of course, Mother Nature will compensate for lost time, and I’m sure we will soon be enjoying another hot summer. But now, at the end of April, I have not seen the cubs emerge from the den.
The Female Cub launching another secret move!
It was another chilly early evening when my phone beeped, the Trail
cameras I had positioned had been triggered, and it was the fox den. I eagerly took a look at the live camera feed;
The Vixen was outside the den and was encouraging her cubs to leave. I saw one cub, his dark brown fur slightly lighter but not orange, his round face beginning to change as his muzzle extended, the ears, still floppy, but almost standing up on their own. A second cub was peeking out of the set for at least five minutes before finding the courage to leave the den.
Despite my mobile sending multiple notifications through the night, I didn’t see more than two cubs. I went to the den as soon as I could the next day. I maintained a reasonable distance, some 20 metres away from the set entrance and settled down for an evening of fox family watching.
The Dog Fox was busy bringing food, and the Vixen emerged before dusk. A short while later, I saw the cubs, this time though, not two, but four cubs.
The cubs began to play with the familiar rough and tumble, play fights, pinning each other to the ground, pouncing and having a lot of fun. It is so good to watch the cubs as they learn and develop the skills and instincts they will need to survive in the big world away from their den.
It’s hard work finding food to support four cubs that are changing and growing every day, and the Vixen, who has so lovingly raised her cubs, dedicating every hour to them, looks well-fed. She needs plenty of food now, to help her regain her condition after carrying, giving birth and raising her cubs.
The Dog fox, by comparison, looks thin he is not getting a lot of food, but his family are well-fed, so he is doing a good job.
One of the Male cubs on an early adventure
Foxes are omnivores, which means they have a varied diet and will eat a wide range of food. This Dog Fox is a good hunter. I’ve seen him bring rabbits, rodents, birds, and even frogs, as well as sliced white bread, sausages, and chicken breast fillets – he knows where to go to be given food by humans.
On every visit to the Fox family, I will pack a couple of rounds of sandwiches, usually peanut butter and something sweet, like strawberry jam sandwiches, yes Foxes have a sweet tooth!, but they are not for me. I always leave them, and I’ve seen the Dog Fox enjoy the treat, and stache some for later, before returning to the den more than once.
By the end of May, the cubs are out of the den every night and can be seen begging for food. As soon as the Dog Fox returns, they begin a high-pitched whining. They are either wagging their tails or keeping their bodies low to the ground, often both. One cub nuzzles his mouth to get him to release the food to them first. I think it is a female cub, but it’s not easy to be sure.
It is ultra-competitive and very much every fox for itself. The cubs will fight over food, arching their backs with their hackles up, heads low, and making high-pitched ‘key-kek-kicking’ noises. Even at this young age, Foxes still use audible communication as well as visual and behavioural. It is instinctive for them.
Two of the male cubs – Growing up so quickly!
The Cubs look so different now. They have transformed from round-faced, reddish-brown baby bundles of fur into the beautiful amber-orange of young foxes, with the white chin fur and bib developing. Their ears are now pointed and erect, with white spots on the back of the ear and dark fur on the pointed tips. Their muzzles have elongated with dark hair and white whiskers. Their legs are dark ebony brown, and the tails have begun to grow into the beautiful brush. They are slightly smaller versions of the adults now and full of playful spirit and so curious. Their desire to go and explore the world is evident.
This Fox family is three boys and one girl. Fox cubs play roughly with each other, and the early rough and tumble games have become more focused as they get older.
One thing I noted is them standing on their back legs, trying to push each other over with their front legs. This sparring-type behaviour, something akin to ‘Boxing Hare”, has its purpose because the cub that is pushed over often has its rump or tail bitten and will be subordinate to the other cub.
This may not be decided in one sparring match. It seems to go on for a couple of days, with the cubs all sparring up to each other regularly. They are now establishing the order and who will be the dominant cub.
One thing our female cub excelled at was a rugby tackle – maybe not exactly – but she would run at speed at her siblings and slam her rump into them, knocking them away from the food and often into another cub. It made me think of ten-pin bowling and I think she felt the way I do when I get a strike!
She deployed her secret weapon regularly, and the boys never really worked out how to counteract it. No surprise, then, that it’s the female cub who prevails and becomes the Dominant Cub.
Her reward is that she is now the dominant cub. This means she eats first, every time, and cubs that eat first, grow faster and become stronger. The dominant cub will also get groomed more often by both her parents and females usually stay with their mothers and help with next year’s cubs. I can’t help but feel proud of her, she may be physically slightly smaller, but she has a real desire for life.
As spring becomes Summer, a lot is happening for our Fox family, but that’s a subject for another time. Foxes in Summer will be back with the ongoing adventures of our fox family. Don’t forget to follow, subscribe and like to get the latest stories from Wildlife Matters when they are released
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