I do not have a pet fennec, but I have read extensively on them and found again and again that fennec foxes make wonderful pets. They are smarter and more agile and mischievous than a regular dog or cat. I also know that they are NOT ON THE ENDANGERED LIST and that in the US they are NOT TAKEN FROM THE WILD, as this article implies. Professional licensed breeders in the US have been breeding them years, just like your pedigree dog or cat. They require lots of attention, and many precautions have to be taken to ensure that they have a safe "home" enclosure that they cannot escape from. Ferret cages often work well. They eat a relatively easy mix of premium wet and dry dog and cat food, fresh vegetables, fruit, egg, mealworms, andcrickets. They are nocturnal in the wild, but often adapt to their owner's schedule in captivity. They can be litter trained, but not 100%, and sometimes they leave you little presents around the house. They also have a compulsion to hide and store food around the house, in case of famine. They are virtually odorless. Although they are legal in 26 states, in most of those states you need a special permit in order to have one. I also encourage people to do extensive research on this little guy before getting one, as small and simple things can hurt or kill them. For example, if you give them a litter box with catlitter, it sticks to the fur on their feet, and causes serious digestion complications. They need shots and medical care like dogs, and not all vets will cater to exotics. I am not suggesting that this is a good pet or not, as people/families differ in the time and care they are able to bestow upon a pet. I am simply supplying the information this article lacks, and saying to the author: If you are going to ask people a question, please provide them with accurate and complete information so that readers can make their own educated decisions.

For more extensive info on fennec foxes:
www.livingdesert.org)

An endangered wild animal has no business being someone's pet.

I do not believe endangered species should be kept as pets---ever. However, they are SO cute. They sound more like a ferret rather than a member of the Chihuahua family.

Endangered species should not be allowed to be kept as pets. Structured breeding programs in an animal preserve situation would help the world's population of Fennec Foxes, but they are wild animals and should be treated as such.

These little guys should be left to the wild. And why would you want an escape artist as a pet?

exotic animals should not be kept as pets, they are wild animals and yaou never know what may happen

Never heard of this, I to am afraid people will gt these then find out they are harder to care for than they thought and they will become residents of shelters

Unfortunately if these pick up popularity we will probably start seeing them in the shelters too...

OMG...how precious! No matter how cute, they shouldn't be kept as pets. They are wild animals and should remain that way.

Fennecs require specialized housing and handling, so they're not pets for the average owner. When they become popularized like this, you have hoards of people buying them just because they're cute, which is a disaster in the making. Sorry, they're basically wild animals, and I really don't think they're pets.

Well these little guys are cutter than sin, but I don't want them showing up in our shelter. People once again just want the coolest pet on the block, but these little guys are the genetics behind our domestic dogs, which does not mean that they are the same as domestic dogs. We need to learn to leave these creatures out of our homes.

A great little face, but exotics really shouldn't be pets.

Another exotic pet. Hope they can find a veterinarian who has experience with these. Adopt a shelter animal instead people!

Absolutely not a house pet. Are these people nuts? what will happen to these guys when they are no longer cute - send them to that mythical "Fox Farm" in the country?

Adorable true. But why fool with the balance of nature? these sweeties are not meant to live with people. It's a cruelty in the long run to try to domesticate wild animals. Get a little dog or cat. If you want a miniature pet, get a domestic rat or mouse.

This is just nuts sorry!

here we go again.......someone getting a "cute" pet that they are not prepared to properly care and provide for......... asking for trouble!

Leave them where they are! Allowed as pets in some states?? This kind of thing only contributes to the problems we already face with large reptiles, parrots, etc. People want something unique as a living conversation piece, and by buying it, encourage the illegal trade of endangered or threatened animals. Additionally, I am sure most of these animals end up neglected or improperly cared for and probably live short, or at least unhappy, lives.

Ancestor of the chihuahua? WTF. This is a FOX. They're not even vaguely the same species as dogs. There is no way these are in any way related to chihuahuas, not to mention fennec foxes are native to Africa... not Mexico. That's some seriously bad reporting.

Fennec fox - no endangered species should be allowed as a pet. Very good information at National Geographic: imagine trying to find a home for these little foxes, no other pets, no children, no cold climate, room dedicated to fox since they sleep during the day. What a nightmare trying to find a vet. The list goes on.

Aren't there enough dogs in the shelters to adopt we've got to go out and try to domesticate a wild animal to add to the menagere of unwanted pets already???

It's adorable but should not be a pet. Very few people have the knowledge and discipline to care for them properly. They will likely escapte and be left to a fate in a bad climate for them.

NO..this endangered animal should not be kept as a pet!!! They should be left in the wild or, if necessary, kept in a zoo to ensure their existence,.

Sounds like a Hobbit!

Cute, but it shouldnt be a pet. Its a wild animal!

They are cute but I don't think it would make a good pet.

Cute but not as a pet.

Awww how cute! Not sure they would make a good pet. Some animals need to be left in their environment.

Yes they are very cute but they are wild animals. Why do we always feel the need to tame them and make them pets? There are enough domesticated dogs sitting in shelters everywhere needing to be adopted that I don't think people need a fox as a pet!

I don't have a problem with people owning exotic pets, but I do have a problem with people that don't properly care for their exotic pets.

Why do people insist on having exotic animals? Why can't they just stick with the dogs and cats who need homes?

How cute. I want a fennec fox now.

There are people who can't even properly care for a dog or cat, and would just want this poor animal just to have a "different" pet. Very few people will have the dedication to properly care for the Fennec Fox, and they will just join the millions of stray/unwanted animals in the US. So I definitely do NOT think they should be allowed as pets.

Beautiful creature, need special care and environment.

This info is all quite new to me. I also hope that people do their homework before considering something like this.

Let them stay where they belong-in the wild!

Leave them in the wild.

Seems like this little is a pretty tough character to keep as a pet.

they should leave the poor thing in the wild

leave them in the wild

I believe that wildlife should remain in the wild. Its when we try to 'tame' something wild that we typically run into problems.

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i want a fox!

it is cute but sounds like a hamster

it is cute

if they are endangered they should be bred at reliable centers and returned to the wild

He is an exotic--- Wild animals should be just that-- wild, and kept in the wild. Not to be brought to the states, and "try" to be domesticated.

There is no good reason to keep exotic pets such as this like a domesticated animal.

There's too many homeless pets to be buying an exotic. Leave the exotics where they belong and stick to a domesticated animal. Fennecs don't belong in enclosures.

I won't be owning one of these pets but if the right people with the right encloseures and are licensed to own them then why not?