Arctic Fox Pet Care
Vulpes lagopus (formerly Alopex lagopus)
a.k.a white fox, snow fox
Arctic foxes are considered "true" foxes which means, like red foxes, they have a violet gland that produces a strong unpleasant odor when the fox is scared or stressed. Arctics also make a grunting sound as a warning when they want to be left alone. They are very susceptible to high temperatures and can overheat easily. True arctic foxes usually weigh around 5-15 pounds and come in two different color "morphs" called the pale or white morph and the blue or dark morph. Pale morph arctic foxes are solid white in the winter and a light to medium brown or beige in the summer. Blue morphs are a light bluish-gray in the winter and a dark blue-gray to black in the summer. White-colored red foxes are often sold as arctic foxes in the pet trade, sometimes by accident and other times intentionally to make more money off an unsuspecting buyer. There are also red-arctic hybrids that sometimes appear. The breeding stock of pet arctic foxes in the US is small and as a result there is a lot of inbreeding. This leads to many health problems in pet arctics. So it is extremely important to find a reputable breeder.
How to identify a true pure-bred arctic fox. One clue is arctic foxes are usually quite a bit higher priced than red foxes. There should be a paper trail showing the origin of the first breeding pair that led to your fox, but that is not always the case. Ask to see both parents. Arctic foxes are usually shorter and stockier than red foxes. They have proportionately smaller ears, legs, and muzzle. They change colors in late spring or early summer but the kits are usually ready to go to their new homes before the parents change. So ask to see photos of the parents in their summer coats.
a.k.a white fox, snow fox
Arctic foxes are considered "true" foxes which means, like red foxes, they have a violet gland that produces a strong unpleasant odor when the fox is scared or stressed. Arctics also make a grunting sound as a warning when they want to be left alone. They are very susceptible to high temperatures and can overheat easily. True arctic foxes usually weigh around 5-15 pounds and come in two different color "morphs" called the pale or white morph and the blue or dark morph. Pale morph arctic foxes are solid white in the winter and a light to medium brown or beige in the summer. Blue morphs are a light bluish-gray in the winter and a dark blue-gray to black in the summer. White-colored red foxes are often sold as arctic foxes in the pet trade, sometimes by accident and other times intentionally to make more money off an unsuspecting buyer. There are also red-arctic hybrids that sometimes appear. The breeding stock of pet arctic foxes in the US is small and as a result there is a lot of inbreeding. This leads to many health problems in pet arctics. So it is extremely important to find a reputable breeder.
How to identify a true pure-bred arctic fox. One clue is arctic foxes are usually quite a bit higher priced than red foxes. There should be a paper trail showing the origin of the first breeding pair that led to your fox, but that is not always the case. Ask to see both parents. Arctic foxes are usually shorter and stockier than red foxes. They have proportionately smaller ears, legs, and muzzle. They change colors in late spring or early summer but the kits are usually ready to go to their new homes before the parents change. So ask to see photos of the parents in their summer coats.
Housing
As you can clearly see in the photo, arctic foxes are very accomplished diggers. So, like red foxes, they should have a sturdy enclosure with a strong floor and top. Ideally they should have a larger pen size because their ancestors wandered great distances in the wild. They can easily get bored and restless penned up. In addition to their necessary den box, items in their enclosure to crawl in, through, and under are great ways to help alleviate boredom. Arctics, like many other fox species, also really enjoy a sand box. I used an old bath tub filled with sand for the arctic foxes at my sanctuary. They loved to dig in the sand and bury treats. The male also enjoyed crawling up into the space in the back of the tub and hide in there.
Arctic foxes' thick dense coats means they should not be kept as pets in warm environments. Basically, if you never see snow where you live then it's most likely too warm to have a pet arctic fox outdoors. Keeping them indoors in a controlled environment and only allowing them outdoors in cool temperatures is an option in this case, but not ideal. Even in cooler areas of the U.S. summers can still be hard on arctics. Some ideas for keeping arctic foxes cool in warmer months are to run water misters along the top of the pen to blow down onto the fox (though my arctics usually avoided the misters, it still helped cool the air a bit). Rubber Kong and similar style toys which are meant to be filled with treats and are closed on one end can be filled with water and frozen open-end up. Freezable teething toys for human babies can also be used as long as they are filled with water only. Arctic foxes will easily puncture them and may injest what's inside. Icicles, homemade pineapple or carrot juice (no artficial colors or flavors) popsicles, or "bloodsicles" (human-food quality poultry, lamb, or fish blood or chicken livers frozen like a popsicle) are excellent toys to help cool your fox. It's not a good idea to give ice water to any animal (or person) when it's hot outside because drinking a large amount of ice water can cause an overheated body to go into shock and even die. ...Under Construction...
Arctic foxes' thick dense coats means they should not be kept as pets in warm environments. Basically, if you never see snow where you live then it's most likely too warm to have a pet arctic fox outdoors. Keeping them indoors in a controlled environment and only allowing them outdoors in cool temperatures is an option in this case, but not ideal. Even in cooler areas of the U.S. summers can still be hard on arctics. Some ideas for keeping arctic foxes cool in warmer months are to run water misters along the top of the pen to blow down onto the fox (though my arctics usually avoided the misters, it still helped cool the air a bit). Rubber Kong and similar style toys which are meant to be filled with treats and are closed on one end can be filled with water and frozen open-end up. Freezable teething toys for human babies can also be used as long as they are filled with water only. Arctic foxes will easily puncture them and may injest what's inside. Icicles, homemade pineapple or carrot juice (no artficial colors or flavors) popsicles, or "bloodsicles" (human-food quality poultry, lamb, or fish blood or chicken livers frozen like a popsicle) are excellent toys to help cool your fox. It's not a good idea to give ice water to any animal (or person) when it's hot outside because drinking a large amount of ice water can cause an overheated body to go into shock and even die. ...Under Construction...
Interesting Arctic Fox Facts
Arctic foxes are very strong. They can dig through dirt that's frozen solid and crunch through bones like pretzels.
This little fox's winter coat is the thickest fur coat of any animal in the world.
In the wild arctic foxes' numbers are dwindling due to temperatures increasing. Learn more here.
Arctic foxes are very strong. They can dig through dirt that's frozen solid and crunch through bones like pretzels.
This little fox's winter coat is the thickest fur coat of any animal in the world.
In the wild arctic foxes' numbers are dwindling due to temperatures increasing. Learn more here.
* I am not a vet. This information is based upon my experiences with these animals, as well as information shared with me from other knowledgeable individuals. You may print this for your own personal use, but do not sell, redistribute, or remove copyright information. © Layla Reid, Mystic Gardens Fox Sanctuary