More foxes

I had expected this week to see the cubs move from suckling to solid food however this did not occur. This suggests the cubs are a bit younger than I assumed or that the parents do not think they are ready yet.

Over the last 7 days both parents have attended the den more frequency compared 36 to 14 in the previous. Likewise the Dog fox, half-tail, visited the den more. In the first clip you can see some interaction between the cubs, the vixen and the dog fox. Its obvious that the vixen promotes excitement as she carries the milk for them to suckle however the cubs seem just as excited to see their father and will race around him.

Sadly it seems that we have gone from 4 cubs to 3. I am unsure what has occurred, it could be that there are still 4 but only 3 are ever seen together but I would expect all cubs to be present for suckling.

Play behaviour has increased with cubs using litter around them to play with. The cubs show different types of play. One their own they will pounce, chew and toss rubbish whilst when they have companions they will wrestle and chase, pouncing upon one another and exhibiting the typical wide gap display of dominance.

The last clip from this week is of the Vixen resting with her cubs. The suckling seems to be taking its toll on her and she is starting to look tired and thin. She obviously has to hunt well to produce the milk but will soon need to start bringing in prey for the youngest and wean them. This clip shows a rare moment of tranquility where after feeding the cubs she takes some time to stay with them and rest herself.