A Playful Baby Fennec Fox Romps Excitedly Around His Home at the San Diego Zoo Nursery

A playful baby fennec fox romps around at his home at the San Diego Zoo Nursery, digging in the sand, searching inside boxes, tossing around toy mice and even getting a few hugs from the local humans.

A three-month-old fennec fox is full of energy and ready to play in the Children’s Zoo Nursery at the San Diego Zoo. The young male, who weighs just 1.5 pounds, is in quarantine before training to serve as an animal ambassador for his species. The nocturnal fox pup has spurts of energy, so animal care staff have been giving him lots of toys and food puzzles to help keep him busy. For example, meal worms are hidden in cardboard boxes or in his sand mound, which encourages the fox to use some of his natural searching and digging behaviors. The fox’s favorite toys to play with are small, plush toy mice.