5 min read
Do Foxes Mate for Life? What the Evidence Actually Shows
Foxes are socially monogamous within a season and often re-pair year after year — but DNA studies show cubs in one litter can have more than one father.
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Topic
cubs
A fox's whole life cycle fits inside about a year, and its first twelve months contain nearly every serious risk it will face. Cubs are born blind in March, appear above ground at four weeks, and are gone by autumn.
These articles cover the timeline in detail, and the question wildlife rescues field hundreds of times every spring: the cub sitting alone on a lawn that is almost always fine and being watched.
What these articles will let you do
- Age a cub from its appearance and the month
- Decide correctly whether a lone cub needs help
- Understand why disturbing an earth in spring is the most damaging thing you can do
4 articles on cubs
4 min read
When Is Fox Mating Season? The Winter Calendar Explained
Fox mating season runs from late December to February in temperate regions. Why the screaming starts, how long foxes are pregnant, and when cubs arrive.
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4 min read
The Life Cycle of a Fox, From Birth to Dispersal
A fox's life in five stages: birth, den life, weaning, independence and dispersal. What happens at each stage and how many animals survive it.
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6 min read
Fox Cubs: The First Year, Month by Month
From a 100 g blind cub in March to a dispersing adult in November. What happens in a fox's first year, and what to do if you find a cub alone.
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Cubs: common questions
- When are fox cubs born?
- In March in most temperate regions, after about 52 days of gestation. Litters average four or five.
- I found a fox cub alone — what should I do?
- Usually nothing. A well-furred, alert cub in the open in May or June is normal and being watched. Intervene only if it is injured, cold, thin, fly-blown or calling for hours.
- When do fox cubs leave home?
- Between seven and ten months, mostly in autumn. Dispersal is the deadliest period of a fox's life, largely because of traffic.
Related topics
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