While the pups are very young, the female remains in the den and is fed by the male. Adults usually lose weight during June, July and August, when the demands of provisioning their pups are the highest. The pups emerge from the natal den in March or April, begin foraging with their parents by July, and reach adult weight by late July or August. Males may breed in their second year, but females often do not breed until their third year. During drought conditions, when prey are scarce, fewer females will successfully reproduce, or pups will not survive long enough to emerge from the den.
Animals usually emerge from their dens near sunset to begin hunting.
Most adult foxes are solitary during late summer and fall, until pairing begins in October or November. Kit fox pairs usually do not remain together for multiple years, and kit foxes are occasionally polygynous. Space use is variable in this species, perhaps depending on ecological factors. He also reported a home range size of 2.5 to 5 square kilometers, with considerable overlap between individuals. The number of resident foxes in an area is apparently stable, with new recruits entering the breeding population only when other animals leave or die.