Red foxes stay in the den until they're around four weeks old. At this point, they emerge from the den and begin to forage with their mothers for food. They will also begin playing with the other foxes and eating more than just milk.
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Fox cubs are born in the Spring/Summer. They will then stay in the earth with the mother for 2-3 weeks whilst the dog fox hunts and brings back food. An 'aunt' (a vixen who has already raised cubs of her own in the past) may assist the mother in raising the cubs. Eventually, the cubs will come out of the earth and begin to play, under the watch of their parents. Sooner or later, the parents will teach the Cubs how to hunt. During this time, they will fight each other to establish dominance. Foxes reach their adult size in the Autumn- which will ultimataly decide on their future. In October, Fox families break up. The vixens tend to stay at home, whilst the bigger dog foxes disperse and find new territories. The equation is simple= The larger the dog, the more fox cubs he will father.
After 7 months kits (baby foxes) leave their mothers. The females usually stay close to their birth place but males are known to go as far as 150 miles away.
Young red foxes may leave the family once they are sexually mature but some will continue to live for more than a year and help raise the kits for the next year.