The desire to own a fox as a pet is understandable, but the capture, breeding, and selling of pet foxes isn’t fair to them. With the exception of domesticated Siberian silver foxes, which are not sold in the United States, foxes are wild animals with wild instincts and can not thrive as pets. If youContinue reading “Foxes are Bad Pets”
Category Archives: Rehabilitation
Raccoons: Terrible Pets
Every year between August and November, wildlife rehabilitators start getting dozens of calls: “I’ve been raising this raccoon as a pet and it’s gone crazy.” Raccoons make great pets until some time between five and twelve months of age. Then, every wild instinct they have will kick in. Maybe they’ll still be friendly at times,Continue reading “Raccoons: Terrible Pets”
Will a Mother Animal Abandon a Handled Baby?
You should never handle a wild animal because it stresses them and can spread disease, but it’s entirely a myth that a mother will abandon her young because of unfamiliar smells. This is not true of any animal species. If you, or a child, already handled a baby animal and it is not hurt orContinue reading “Will a Mother Animal Abandon a Handled Baby?”
Why not let nature take its course?
This is a common and understandable question that wildlife rehabilitators receive. After all, death and disease are a very real, and important, part of the balance of the natural world. For the most part, wildlife rehabilitators do not intervene when nature is running its course in a wilderness area. Although personal ethics vary by individual,Continue reading “Why not let nature take its course?”
We Want Them to Hate Us
One of the beautiful things I’ve seen among wildlife rehabilitators, is the deep, selfless respect for the wildness of wildlife. Although it can feel bittersweet when an animal you’ve raised from infancy snarls and bristles and hides from you, it’s also a sign of rehabilitation done right. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is not toContinue reading “We Want Them to Hate Us”
“Can I Keep This Skunk?” NO!
Skunks are smart, cute, and sensitive. It’s no surprise that some people are tempted to keep them as pets. This is a bad idea anywhere, but here in Tennessee, it’s actually illegal as well. Skunks are one of the most common carriers for rabies and may not show symptoms at first, so rescuing a babyContinue reading ““Can I Keep This Skunk?” NO!”
Why Don’t You Care About People?
“Why do you care about animals when there are so many people in need?” It’s a common, but baffling, criticism that wildlife rehabilitators and other animal rescuers often hear. Most people are capable of caring about more than one thing. Although I’m sure there’s some nutcase, among the seven billion people on Earth, who actuallyContinue reading “Why Don’t You Care About People?”
Why We Can’t Have Volunteers
I’ve gotten a lot of messages from people local to Chattanooga who would like to visit or help with the animals at For Fox Sake. I appreciate every offer for help, from the bottom of my heart. I run For Fox Sake as a one-man operation, and wish it was possible to have an extraContinue reading “Why We Can’t Have Volunteers”
“Do You Just Save Raccoons?”
You might have noticed that most recent photos of animals at For Fox Sake are raccoons. But trash pandas are, by no means, the only kind of animal I assist! My facility is licensed to rehabilitate Tennessee’s “rabies vector species”: raccoons, grey foxes, red foxes, striped skunks, and Eastern spotted skunks. All of these animalsContinue reading ““Do You Just Save Raccoons?””
For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue 