Fox Kits on Their Own, May 29, 2009

I want to begin by saying how deeply touched I am by all your kind words and thoughts about the fox pups. I really had no idea how much you care. Thank you!

I also want to thank the very skilled and thoughtful (and specially trained and licensed) people I called to get advice on how to care for the pups. First off, I am very glad you all said "don't trap them." I found out I should simply feed them cut up mice (hmmm), or dog food and calcium, and make sure they have water. Several reassured me they will begin to care for themselves. But they are so tiny, I kept thinking to myself.

So thank you Danielle and Doris of Sonoma Wildlife Rescue, Tanya Smart who rescues marine mammals, Ronnie James who rescues birds, Sarah Grimes who rescued me, and Jackie Peltier who rescues young mammals. I also want to thank Judi, Nansee, Raven and Lynwood, my wonderful neighbors the river, who offered to come help.

Yesterday I set out a bit of food and a dish of water mixed with a lovely egg from the Flower Farm. The photo shows the pups investigating, but very nervous. In the past, they have been interested in the occasional tool or object I left in the garden. Now, they seem anxious about the dishes. They wriggle and start to approach, then race away. The little fuzzy runt seems to be the ringleader and gets the closest. In the photo you can see how much smaller and fuzzier the pup with her nose near the egg soup is. She is also the bravest. I think of her as female because a friend who photographs wildlife in Alaska, including foxes, said this was most likely a female. Not positive, though.

Erica

Fox Update, May 28, 2009

Hi,

Well, sure enough, no mom. I have called animal rescue people in the next county who have been very helpful. I heard that Sonoma Wildlife Rescue has a fox mom who takes in and raises babies. I hope she will accept these and I hope she is still there.


I also start a job today with a new client. Before my meetings start at noon I am off to get a large box and some fishy cat food. The cat food, I am told, will lure them out so I can catch them. I have several days to catch the pups as long as I give them food and water. So far, I hear them beneath the house, but they have not emerged yet.

Erica

Fox Family Tragedy, May 28, 2009

This morning I am holding my breath, awaiting the sun and the time the foxes usually emerge to play. Last night, when I drove home around ten, I saw a small body lying dead beside the highway near where I live. I know the mother fox often hunted for road kill to feed her family and brought some odd pieces of animal to her den that she would not have been able to get as live prey.

I parked my car and want back to take a closer look. Sure enough, the small animal was a lactating fox. Was this my fox? I will be able to tell for sure when sunshine comes into the yard, but I am next to sure. I heard the babies moving around a lot last night. They must be hungry and getting dehydrated. My worst fear, next to how am I going to rescue them if they are orphans, is that they will get too weak to come out of the den and I won't be able to trap them.

Around 5 this morning I set a dish out with egg mixed with water. It has not been touched. The mother would have drunk it, I am sure, if she had been here. However, I am not sure the puppies know how to lap yet. I have seen them go to the little pond and just sniff. They are just beginning to chew on meat. Yesterday they tore around with a gopher and begin actually trying to eat it. I am thawing some ground turkey to put out.

In this area we are fortunate to have several very caring people who devote some or all of their lives to wildlife rescue. Not only am I nervously waiting for the sun to rise, but also for time to get more reasonable for a phone call. What will become of little foxes that have human contact without a mom to teach them how to be a fox. If these are orphans, I am praying for a good ending.

Attached are two photos. One I took yesterday, of the mother with baby. So sweet. The other is of the runt next to my wheelbarrow filled with stuff for the recycling depot. You can see from the size comparison how tiny this and the other foxes are. They are only about 10 weeks old.

I'll keep you posted.

Erica

Fox Mom Feeding Five, May 26, Afternoon

I could not resist sending just one more picture today.

Erica

Fox Report, May 26,2009

I am learning fox language. The mom has several growls with specific meanings. Yesterday she caught a glimpse of me as I took these photos through my kitchen window. I heard a low growl that stopped her pups at play. The second growl sent them racing for cover beneath the house.

Then I watched her pull a deer leg from the bushes, probably from a road kill. At first, several pups, still too young to know what to do with meat, began tugging on the bone. The mom was hungry and seemed to have had enough of puppies jumping on her and tugging at her tail. This growl backed them off some distance for quite awhile.

Bath time is always so sweet to watch. Mom grabs a pup as it races by and begins licking and biting at its fur. The puppies seem to love this attention and show it with blissful looks on their faces. The mom is always very alert, however, and frequently looks up startled with ears perked. Puppies don't like this bath interruption and lick her nose until she resumes licking them.

There is a runt in this litter. It looks to be about 10 days younger than the others: smaller and fluffier. This little one makes up for small with feisty energy, however, and can hold its own. This puppy is often the brunt of hard play, with the others ambushing and pouncing on it. The little guy will have nothing to do with being picked on, flattens its ears, and gives a nasty growl. The others back off immediately. When it chooses to do so, however, it jumps right in the middle of the fray.

Here are yesterday's pix.

Three Explorers, May 19th 2009

Hi All,

Here is a photo of the ever-patient mom. I am so curious about the foxes' activities. There are long periods during the day when I hear nothing. The young are way too small to hunt with her, but they are so quiet that I think she has carried them off to a new den. Only when she is around are they noisy, like right now. Still, no male to be seen. How does she hunt and make sure her pups are safe? What a responsibility!

Erica

Mother Fox and Kits, May 17, 2009

Hello,

The mother fox in the den this year is not the same one I had last year. Last year's fox had a black dot on her cheek. I finally got a good look at this fox and she does not have that dot. Also, I am pretty sure there is no male helping out, as the male did last year. Perhaps this is a new mom, unsure of herself. She might be from last year's litter.

This fox is very skittish and growls a lot at her babies when they try to play with her. When she growls, the kits scamper under the house, only to pop out right away and try again.

Enjoy today's photos!

Erica