by Niamh BL, October 2015
Next in my series of cool animals I really want is the fennec fox, a very cute, Chihuahua-sized desert-dweller that you might recognise by their ridiculous, oversized ears, which have cleverly evolved to help them keep cool in the heat.
Unlike a lot of foxes, fennecs are quite sociable and live in groups in the wild. They’re also super fluffy and, adorably, they have extra furry feet, which help to protect their toes from the hot desert sand.
image – Charles Barilleaux
According to my internet sources, they also smell pretty good! All of which, I like to imagine, would make them a very cuddly pet. Sounds perfect right?
image – Craig Lymm
But before you get your credit cards out, I should say that everything I’ve read has said that they actually don’t make great house pets. Fennecs are, unfortunately, impossible to litter train and their propensity to chew metallic things (i.e. your oven…), leather things (i.e. your shoes), and rubber things (i.e. your laptop cable) makes them quite destructive.
image – Michele W
They also have a strong natural digging instinct and their nocturnal nature means that they make a lot of noise at night.
image – Tambako The Jaguar
One source said that if they get lonely they start to ‘wail piteously’ until someone gets up to comfort them. So maybe not the perfect pet after all… The quest for the ideal pet continues…
image – Tambako The Jaguar
