Red Foxes Are Popping Up In Canada

by Jennifer Smith May 28, 2019

Big, brown eyes; pointed ears and long reddish tails create the most adorable look for baby foxes.

Baby foxes, called kits, come into the world by mother foxes beginning in March-May. "An average of five kits are born in the early spring in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, but three or four young are the average number born in the Upper Peninsula. The species prefers open or semi-open country, and avoids unbroken large forests." (Red fox family gets out and about, Herald Palladium)

Kits will stay with their mothers until they become "teens" in October and November when they go out to fend on their own. While red foxes do not generally attack domestic dogs, they will eat domestic cats, if they are hungry enough. However, they prefer the taste of mice, birds and squirrels.

While domestic birds can be kept in indoor bird cages, cats need outdoor time for exercise and socialization. Fence for cats can protect domestic breeds from wildlife encounters and should be considered in the spring and summer months while wildlife are out-and-about searching for food.

Red foxes are found in all of Canada's provinces and territories, making them one of the country's most wide-spread mammals. In addition to Canada, the red fox can be found in the United States, Europe, Asia, North Africa and Australia.