Day Six

Elspeth, Flashman my partner and I went to the vets today to get Elspeth checked out. We took Flash with us in case it was something that he might also have. I had told the vet in advance that I had not had the foxes around other animals so he got me to check them in and then get them out of the car and run around the back of the building with them to avoid anyone getting attacked or worried.

So once inside the vet was very interested in them. Flash was not in him. Flash wanted him to leave himself and Elspeth alone. Elspeth sat in a corner and then Flash went and sat on her facing the vet with a very angry look on his face. Flash did NOT want the vet to touch Elspeth. I went over and played with them both to distract them and then my other half played with Flash until he got off of Elspeth and then picked him up.

Elspeth was not very much into leaving the corner nor having even me pick her up so the vet had to look at her in the corner. He looked through her fur and said that she looked as though she had been in the wars, she also looked as though she had flees not long ago. He was shocked to see any of my animals in such a state and I told him that I had only had her since the 13th. He demanded to know the name of the breeder as it is just wrong to sell an animal to someone like this. I could not answer him this as I had gotten them from a broker.

In the UK it is common to get exotics from a broker, especially when they are as rare as these Elspeth and Flashy.

The vet got a flee comb and ran it through the 'hot spots' for flees on Elspeth and Flashy, there was nothing.

He said the best thing for me to do is wait till she is a bit more sure of herself around me and bath her in some shampoo that he prescribed for me. Apparently it is for cats with some kind of dry skin condition and it will help her heal faster. It would seem when she stretched under her legs in the joint the scabs break and thus the healing has to start all over again.

Out of the vets and off home we go. I felt really happy that Elspeth has not got flees, but bathing her is looking a bit daunting. Even if I were to muzzle her (which I do not want to do)in case she bit me in fear she still has really long claws that Corsacs use to climb trees.

I sat on my bed doing work with Elspeth on my knee most of today. She would let me pet her a little and then give me a warning nibble to remind me that she was trying to sleep. You have no idea how hard it is to type with a moody fox on your knee!

Dinner time rolled around but just before we started to cook for them I remembered that people wanted to know what I feed them so here we go.


We start with Vegetables, today it is fresh and prepared Broccoli, Fine beans, Sugar snap peas and Asparagus. (These are from the fresh veg bit in Marks and Spencer). I cut all of it into fox mouth sized chunks.

I then get some chicken, de bone it and cook it and the bones on my Lean mean fat reducing machine thingy.

The foxes like the chicken slightly on the pink side I have found so above is their 'cooked' chicken.
They also do not actually eat the chicken bones but they do like to break the bone and eat the marrow, hence I buy chicken on the bone.

Then I more or less throw together some chicken, some cooked penne pasta and some of the greens. Mix in some extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of dried garlic:

Now we add some dried banna, apple and strawberry slices and we are done!

This is one meal for them, the amount I made worked out to be 6 meals worth so not that much really.
They then have a side dish of puppy food and dried mealworms:

They get both as each fox has different tastes in food. Elspeth is more into the dog food and Flash is more into the fresh food. This is only one of the meals that I make for them but I thought people should know some of what feeding a fox entails. Mainly people like the one who sent me this the other day:

sorry for being nosey where did you get the foxes from ,how much did you pay ,what are they like ,are they skittish ,can you go near them ,do you feed them just meat ,what size enclosure have you got them in

I am happy to answer PM's but the questions asked such as how much Elspeth and Flash cost, what they are like and so on make me feel like by answering these few questions I would be deciding for that person weather or not they get a fox. I know this sounds odd but I would have felt more comfortable answering more questions as I would feel the person did not just want a fox as they are cute. I sent him in reply the link to Sybil's Den. Then he can see what keeping a fox or more being kept by a fox is like through reading the posts.

I think my greatest fear in letting people see Elspeth and Flash is that encouraging someone who is not ready to get a fox.

On a up beat note I am really happy with Flash and Elspeth. Even in the vets where Flash did not want the vet to go near Elspeth I was not annoyed, I thought it was very sweet. In a way it showed how much they trust myself and my partner as Flash allows me to take Elspeth to another room to play everyday, I love my Elspeth and me time.

We have only been together for six days and when I look at how far we have come I am so happy!
I must be off now as I am quite tired so TTFN!

Flashy is king of the cat carrier.