Fennec Fox
The smallest fox there is, and the ears are the reason: they shed heat in the Sahara. Nocturnal, so the household hours are the ones it sleeps through.
Photo by Drew Avery, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The smallest fox in the world is mostly ears. A fennec is 30 to 40 centimetres in the body and weighs under a kilo and a half, and it carries pinnae about 15 centimetres long, which do two jobs: they dump heat, and they pick up prey moving under the sand.
It is a desert animal in the details as well as the outline. It need not drink, taking most of its water from food, its feet are furred underneath against hot sand, and it is nocturnal because the daytime is the part of the Sahara it hides from. That last point is the one that decides whether somebody enjoys owning one, because the hours it is most awake are the hours the house is asleep.
Temperament
Loud, fast and not a lap animal. Fennecs chatter, whimper, wail, growl and shriek, and the howl is brief and loud and drops in pitch as it goes. Neighbours notice.
They live in family groups of up to ten in the wild, built around a monogamous pair with offspring and older siblings still around, so company matters. They also do not settle into being handled the way a dog does. Expect an animal that comes to you on its own terms, moves at speed, and is genuinely difficult to catch in an open room.
Care and grooming
Insects, meat, eggs and a little fruit and vegetable matter, which is closer to a small wild canid's diet than to dog food. Taurine matters, so a diet built entirely on the wrong protein causes real problems.
They are clean and they groom themselves, and the coat needs nothing much. What needs attention is weight and teeth, both of which go wrong on a diet of convenient food, and both of which need a vet who has actually treated a fennec.
Living and exercise
Assume it will dig, because in the wild it excavates burrow systems with several entrances and in captivity it digs, or tries to, at the floor of whatever it is in. An enclosure needs a dig proof base and a buried barrier at the edges, not just a fence.
Give it somewhere to go to ground and accept the schedule. A fennec that is woken and handled through the day is a stressed fennec. Ownership is regulated and the rules differ by state.
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