MINOR FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. 125 
In selecting a site for a fox ranch one should keep in mind the absolute necessity of 
an adequate supply of good pure water. The foxes do not drink a great deal, espe- 
cially during the winter when snow is on the ground, but what is given them should 
be pure, and the vessels in which it is given should be cfeaned out at least once a day. 
Foxes are inclined to soil the water, and in order to avoid sickness it should be changed 
as often as practicable. 
Sanrtration.—We make it a point to take every precaution to guard against insani- 
tary conditions on the ranch, and particularly in and about the corralsand pens. All 
refuse is cleaned up regularly; only enamel-ware pans and basins are used for food and 
water, and these are carefully washed every day with hot water. 
The foxes do not soil their houses badly except during the whelping season, but at 
this time the nests are apt to become quite foul. For this reason, and as soon as the 
pups are weaned and removed from the breeding corral, the nest houses are thoroughly 
cleansed and sprayed with a disinfectant. What we consider a good formula for this 
purpose is 14 pounds of lime and one-fourth pound of carbolic acid to a gallon of water. 
Our nest houses are so arranged that they can be thoroughly ventilated, and it is well 
to open them up for a day or two after spraying, so as to allow the air to circulate freely. 
The foxes, of course, should be removed to other quarters while this is being done. 
It is well also to spray the ground, fences, and outside of the houses occasionally in 
order to kill any germs that might be present. This is particularly necessary when 
the corrals have contained sick foxes, and in the spring of the year when the ground 
isthawing. In fact, it isa good plan to do this at least once a month during the summer 
months. 
Disposit1on or roxEs.—To understand the dispositions of the foxes under his 
care is probably one of the most difficult problems a keeper has to meet, and at the 
same time one of the most essential considerations in breeding the animals in captivity. 
We hope, by making a desirable disposition one of the chief points to be attained in 
our breeding operations, to secure eventually this much-needed feature. In order 
to accomplish this, however, a great amount of patience will be required, together 
with intelligent observation of the various characteristics exhibited and gentle treat- 
ment of the animals. Those animals which show vicious tendencies, together with 
their progeny, will very likely have to be eliminated entirely from the breeding stock. 
Even with our short experience, we believe we have fully demonstrated that foxes, 
and particularly the blacks, if properly handled, can soon be brought to a stage of 
domestication that will greatly simplify their propagation in captivity. With a few 
exceptions all our animals were captured from the wild, and probably 50 per cent 
of these were mature foxes, used to the habits of wild animals, and therefore less 
tractable than the young ones; but, regardless of this fact, most of them are so tame 
that they will take food from the keeper’s hand, and in some instances they will 
permit being handled. Our keeper makes a strong point of getting the foxes as tame 
as possible, and he is always careful when going about the corrals to do nothing that 
will frighten or excite them. Invariably he has some morsel of food in his pocket 
when going among the foxes, such as dried salmon, to offer to those that show signs 
of friendliness, and in this way he seems to have gained their confidence to a large 
extent. Perfection in this direction probably can not be attained with the animals 
now on the ranch, but by following our present tactics we believe we can eventually 
produce a thoroughly domesticated fox, and one lacking many of the objectionable 
features of the wild animals. 
Cannibalism seems to be the common trait that offers the most serious obstacle, but 
no doubt this can be largely overcome in time. However, even thoroughly domesti- 
cated animals, such as cats and dogs, often show this tendency, so probably the safest 
plan would be to kill off foxes so inclined. 
We have had three instances of cannibalism among our blue foxes, but thus far 
have experienced no difficulty with the blacks or crosses. One of our female blues 
