50 BULLETIN 1151, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
to prevent a tendency on the part of the pups to become wild, caused 
by a nervous excitable vixen, for at the least provocation such a 
mother sounds a warning call and the pups scamper into the den, 
sometimes injuring themselves in their haste. 
Separation from the mother also facilitates the proper feeding of 
the young. Twice a day is often enough to feed them. In the case 
of backward pups a little cow's milk can be given as a noon feed. 
Those showing a disinclination to eat and failing to grow should be 
removed to another pen and placed under observation to determine 
the cause. Careful feeding is very essential to the satisfactory de- 
velopment of the pups. More pups can be raised to maturity if 
weaned and fed separately than if permitted to remain with the 
mother (see Fig. 39, p. 42). 
HANDLING. 
It is believed by many ranchers that the only time foxes should 
be handled is when they appear to be injured or diseased. As a 
matter of fact, they should be handled much more frequently. Final 
judgment on a mating should not be based on superficial observa- 
tion. The foxes should be handled and examined closely to deter- 
mine their general make- 
(fZ^zz^ up and the quality of their 
JV?' S, X fur. As many points as 
— -■ _ _ ^ v k jP practicable should be ob- 
i^gr^d-jv: ^ /r^^y served during one exami- 
" 7 ( / ^=^ nation. For instance, the 
p Cpfj) ears should be inspected 
jj for mange mites, and the 
Fig. 43. — Diagram showing operation* of fox tongs. back Ol the ears and IOre 
and hind flanks, which are 
tender portions of the fox's body, for parasites. It is usually neces- 
sary to handle the foxes frequently late in summer and early in fall 
for the purpose of exhibiting to prospective buyers the quality of the 
animals on the ranch as well as the color and quality of fur. There 
was a time when foxes could be sold without close examination, but 
the buyer of to-day is able to exercise more discrimination and insists 
upon knowing what he is purchasing. 
Although few expert ranchers use gloves when handling foxes, it 
is well for the beginner to do so. He should also use tongs in cap- 
turing the animals, such as those illustrated in Figure 43. 
When the caretaker enters the pen for the purpose of catching a 
fox, the animals invariably run into the den. He then lowers the 
slide of the chute, thus shutting them in, and slightly raises the 
cover of the den to permit the insertion of the tongs. The fox is 
grasped around the neck, and then, the tongs being held with one 
hand and the hind legs and tail of the fox with the other, the exami- 
nation can be made. 
When it is desired to transfer a fox from one pen to another, or to 
remove it temporarily for treatment, a small handling box, such as 
shown in Figure 44. may be used. This is made of 1-inch material 
32 in< lies long. 8 inches wide, and 9 inches high. The top board is 
hinged and fine-mesh wire nailed to the box under the cover to per- 
