What Is a Baby Fox Called? Kit vs. Cub vs. Pup

Pet-shaped, but definitely not pet. Volodymyr Burdiak / Shutterstock

If you've ever seen a tiny fox scamper across a field or curl up in a rescue shelter video, you might wonder, what is a baby fox called? Like, officially speaking?

These pint-sized predators are usually known as kits, but depending on the species or context, you might also hear them referred to as cubs or pups.

Fox kits are members of the dog family, or Canidae, which includes wolves, coyotes, jackals, and domestic dogs. Foxes belong to a group called "true foxes" under the genus Vulpes, and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widespread wild canid in the world.

What Are Baby Foxes Like at Birth?

Baby foxes are born blind, deaf and almost entirely helpless. Their eyes are closed, and their soft gray or brown fur doesn’t look much like the reddish coats most people associate with adult foxes.

At birth, they weigh just 1.8 to 5.3 oz (50 to 150 g).

The litter, usually three to six kits, is born in a den, often a burrow in the ground. These dens are carefully chosen by the mother, called a vixen, who sometimes repurposes abandoned badger setts or digs her own.

Male foxes, known as dog foxes, help feed the vixen while she nurses the young.

When Do Fox Kits Open Their Eyes?

Around 10 to 14 days after birth, a kit's eyes begin to open. Many kits have blue eyes at first, which can darken to amber or brown with age.

As they start to see, hear and move, their development speeds up. Within a couple of weeks, they become more mobile and begin exploring the den.

By the time they're 6 to 8 weeks old, the young are weaned off their mother's milk and begin to eat solid food. This includes small mammals, insects and whatever the parents bring back—even food scraps from humans if foxes live near people.

How Long Do Foxes Stay With Their Parents?

Fox kits usually stay in or near the den until they're about 3 months old. At this stage, they're still learning critical survival skills by watching and playing with their littermates.

Foxes are nocturnal, so you might hear them calling to each other at night.

Some young foxes will leave the den by late summer or early fall, but others stick around through winter. In the U.K., for example, fox cubs born in spring (around March) might stay with their parents into the next year, especially if there's abundant food nearby.

Do Foxes Make Good Pets?

Though undeniably cute, baby foxes are wild animals and don’t make good pets. Their behaviors—digging, marking territory, nocturnal habits—don’t align well with domestic life. Even foxes raised by humans need specialized care and remain unpredictable.

If you find a baby fox that seems abandoned or disturbed, the best advice is to wait and watch from a distance. The parents may be nearby, and contact from humans can complicate the situation.

Wildlife rescue groups can offer guidance or step in if necessary.

Where Can You See Fox Kits in the Wild?

Foxes live across much of the Northern Hemisphere and parts of Australia. In spring, you might catch a glimpse of kits near their dens at dawn or dusk. They tend to be more visible when food is plentiful and the weather is mild.

Watch from a distance with binoculars, and never approach or try to feed them. Human contact can make them dependent or lead to dangerous encounters later.

Instead, enjoy their playful antics as a reminder of how wild animals raise their young right under our noses.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.