FUR FACTS 127 



The natural timidity of foxes can be largely dissipated by special 

 efforts to domesticate them in the full sense of the word. By wean- 

 ing them early and thereafter feeding them from the hand, they 

 usually become gentle and attached to their pens. When animals 

 escape they sometimes return of their own accord or allow their 

 keepers to capture them without difficulty. For example, a tame red 

 fox after being liberated from a ranch maintained for cross and 

 silver foxes went to live in the woods but presented himself early 

 each morning at the gate of the ranch to be let in for a visit with his 

 former comrades. After a time he commenced a burrow on a dry 

 knoll in one corner of the outer yard and devoted half an hour daily 

 to its extension. Although his career was, unfortunately, cut short 

 by a trapper, he lived long enough to indicate very clearly that the 

 wildness of foxes can be modified or even overcome. 



Avoid Handling Foxes 



Unless foxes are diseased or injured, it is rarely necessary to lay 

 hands on them. When one is to be removed from its yard, ordi- 

 narily it can be first driven into its den and thence into a small 

 handling box having a sliding door at one end and strong wire net- 

 ting covering one side. In this manner it can be transferred without 

 danger of injury to itself or its keeper. It is best to darken the 

 handling box by covering it or by turning the netted side downward 

 on the ground before attempting to drive a fox into it. In actually 

 handling grown foxes it is prudent to wear gloves to guard against 

 being bitten, though this precaution is not always adopted by ex- 

 perienced keepers. An effective device for catching foxes is a pair 

 of tongs with jaws curved to form a circle 2 3^ inches in diameter. 

 The fox is first driven into its den or into a large covered box. Then 

 the cover is raised barely enough to let the tongs pass in and grasp 

 the fox around the neck. By holding the tongs in one hand and 

 grasping the hind feet and tail of the fox with the other, the animal 

 can be held securely. 



Healthy foxes if properly boxed and cared for can be shipped 

 safely almost any distance. Two foxes, or even more than two, are 

 sometimes shipped in the same compartment, but this is inadvisable 

 unless the distance is short. As a rule, a box containng two should 

 be partitioned, each animal having a space equivalent to 2 by 3 feet 

 on the floor and V& feet high. About half of one side of the box 

 should be removed and the opening covered with wire netting to 

 allow ventilation and inspection. Shippers often cover the entire 



