Feeling FOXY
Natalie Reynolds, 35, from Kings Langley, shows off her unusual pet…
Upturning my flower pot and shaking soil all over my kitchen, all I could do was watch as Jasper made another mess. I’d only just managed to clear up after the last mess he’d made. But I couldn’t be cross with him. No,
Jasper isn’t a new puppy… he’s our adopted fox cub.
As an animal lover, I was asked to look after him after he was found locally.
Jasper was just two days old when I took him home with me and our bond quickly formed as he needed hourly feeds.
He was so small and vulnerable.
His eyes stayed shut for ten days, but when they began to open, I could tell he knew who I was.
I’d been wearing the same dressing gown to feed him so that he could get used to the scent. He was very cuddly and cute at that age, he just wanted food and lots of affection. Now nine months old, Jasper is so boisterous. When people ask my husband Matthew, 35, what it’s like living with a fox, he’s always very diplomatic: ‘Well, let’s say he’s domesticated, to a degree!’ The kids love him and they play fight and shriek around the house together. I know he would never hurt them as most of the time they are very thoughtful with him. They’ve had a few scratches here and there, but nothing serious, and they certainly give as good as they get! I try to keep Jasper’s diet as natural as possible and so he eats lots of raw chicken, raw eggs, cat food, and sardines. We even
take our little fox on walks, but as we have three other dogs, we do tend to take him separately to make it easier.
We used to get funny looks, but luckily all our neighbours know him now, so we’re greeted with friendly faces.
He is in the habit of chewing things up, which we’re trying to persuade him out of, but it’s tough!
Jasper just loves to make a mess.
His favourite things to chew are Barbie dolls and plant pots, and he’s also recently taken a liking to popping balloons!
We make sure that Jasper has plenty of room to bounce about in, too.
So we designed him an outdoor enclosure which means he can dart about and burn off energy without getting lost or running too far afield. I wouldn’t recommend a fox as a pet to most people. Jasper smells and is a lot of hard work, but he’s part of our family now and we certainly wouldn’t have it any other way.