A little red fox

By Aaron Horrell

Red foxes in Missouri generally are born in March and April. The little kits are born blind and without teeth. Their soft fur is brown.

At about two weeks, a kit's eyes will open and its teeth will emerge. Its fur will begin to change color at about the third week. By 1 month of age, it will have much the same beautiful red-orange, black and white colors of its mother.

My picture here shows a little red fox at about 1 1/2 months old. It will be the size of an adult by November.

If this fox is a female and remains in good health, she may be raising a litter of three to six kits of her own come next spring.

A red fox will catch and eat field mice and moles by digging them out of the ground. It also may catch and eat squirrels, rabbits, small birds and grasshoppers. It will sometimes eat fruits and fish.

Can you guess the name of at least one domesticated bird that a red fox loves to catch and eat?