Introducing Valentina 'Valla' the corsac fox

"Valentina is the daughter of Count Pencherchevsky. She is married, but childless, so Pencherchevsky decides to recruit Flashy to help the process along (to which Flashy refers to himself as "Flashman Buttercup the Twenty-first of Horny Bottom Farm"). When Flashman and Scud East try to make their escape from Starotorsk and the cossacks are gaining on them, Flashman tosses the helpless Valla out of the sleigh!"


On April 28th a ball of fur joined the Flashman house hold, her name is Valentina or 'Valla' the corsac fox and she is 4 weeks of age.

She like the other three is named after a character from the Flashman books, the quote at the top of the page tells you a little about the character. We thought as the character was in a book which actually had the Cossacks the name would fit quite well.

It is very interesting to actually see a corsac kit eat, drink, play and even learn how to talk.

When Valla first came home she was in a bit of a mood. She had been taken from her home, put into a box of straw which smelt of her family and taken on a long car trip with humans she had never met before so I cannot blame her. When we got home I left her alone for a while so she could get to know the sights and smells of the house. I meanwhile went to make her a bottle of milk.
Upon my return she repeatedly lunged at me in attempts to bite me and then she did a warning call. I replied with the noise that Harry and Elspeth make to greet me and that second she stopped lunging at me. I found this to be quite amazing, I really did not think I would be able to fool her but it seems this simple sound put her mind at rest. Even though I am very big and ugly for a corsac I speak the right language so I must be okay it would seem. She then happily drank her bottle but when she had enough she decided to chew it, I saw that her little teeth were coming through and so she must be teething. It was quite funny to watch as she would often bite down and then shake the bottle as though she was killing it.

Later the same evening Inari, our male fennec fox was doing his mating call when he ventured into my room from his, Valla decided to give the noise he was making a try and I caught it on film, Valla making the fennec fox mating call! Inari was so confused when he jumped onto my bed to see that a tiny, grey, fuzzy thing had answered him and so he went back to his room, I would assume to report to Kitsune.

Apart from learning how to call a mate in fennec language she has been like your average baby enjoying eating, playing, cuddling and sleeping. She has not yet met Harry, Elspeth and Rudi as I have no idea how they will feel about her. I will probably let them meet her when she is a little bigger and steady on her feet.

Valla's oddest habit thus far is sleeping around my neck. I wonder if the people who like/likes to wear fox furs around their neck ever though of just training a fox to sleep there. I mean Valla will happily stay there for hours and lick my cheek when she wants her bottle so I am sure that is enough time to look very stylish at a cocktail party hehe!