The Complete Guide to Taming Foxes in Minecraft

As an experienced Minecraft player and server admin for 5 years, I‘ve found foxes to be rewarding mobs to tame. Foxes offer a cute, trusted pet that will defend you at night from monsters, without demanding your constant attention like dogs.

But wily foxes can be tricky to track down and earn the loyalty of. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll provide foolproof methods to find, trap, and bond with foxes in survival mode.

Fox Behavior, Biomes, and You

Foxes are nocturnal passive mobs added in Minecraft 1.14. They spawn only in taiga, snowy taiga, and snowy taiga mountain biomes in groups of 2-4 with a 2.7% chance.

During the day, foxes sleep in the shade of trees and tall plants. They become active at night and seek out berries and small prey to eat.

Foxes will exhibit fear and flee from players that approach them openly. But by crouching you can sneak up to them before they retreat.

If you spend time earning a fox‘s trust, it will not run from you anymore. Tamed foxes will even defend you by attacking hostile mobs, making them highly useful allies!

Tracking Down Foxes

The first challenge is finding a taiga biome where foxes reside. I recommend using an Elytra and fireworks to cover ground quickly as you search.

Scan the landscape for tall spruce trees until you spot a red fox coat against the snow. This is where crouching comes in handy!

Trapping Wily Foxes

Crouch by pressing shift before approaching any fox you see. If you remain fully upright, the fox will sprint away instantly. But while sneaking, you can get within a couple blocks before they notice you.

Slowly move towards the fox in a crouched position. Once you get close enough, start placing blocks in a two-high boundary around the animal. Make sure to fully enclose the fox so it cannot escape over or around the barricade.

Dark oak or spruce fences camouflaged against the taiga work perfectly. You may even trap two foxes together initially. Just be wary of standing up before the enclosure is complete!

If you do lose a fox, persistence is key – it likely hasn‘t traveled far so continue sneaking through the biome until you locate it again or find another one.

Trust Building Through Breeding

Once you have two foxes captured, it‘s time to push them into a…romantic mood. This is accomplished by feeding them either sweet or glow berries.

Hold the berries in your hand and feed them to each fox. Hearts will appear around the foxes to indicate they are ready to find a more private spot in the pen!

Within a few Minecraft days, a baby fox will be produced. This little guy or gal will be automatically tamed to you. Unfortunately, they will still follow their parents initially as they mature.

Let the adult foxes leave the pen before attempting to leash or move the baby. If the parents are still present, the baby will follow them when dragged away rather than listening to you. That early trust is already shattered!

Cementing Loyalty

Once the elder foxes have despawned or left, carefully lead your tamed baby fox out of the enclosure using a lead. You can also feed it additional sweet berries to reinforce positive associations.

Unlike wolves, foxes will not follow you obediently across biomes. But this tamed animal will now consider you a trusted friend rather than fleeing from you on sight.

If hostile mobs ever attack near a tamed fox, it will fight on your behalf! Just don‘t expect them to heed your every beck and call. Foxes will wander freely and do their own thing like cats.

But they make very helpful nighttime defenders, especially if you transport a few to your base. Just always respect their autonomy, and your fox friends will respect you in return!

For more fox information, visit the Official Minecraft Wiki page at [link removed]. And check out my other animal guides like "How to Create an Auto Chicken Farm" here on Geekflare. Stay sly, my friends!