Reproduction As with most wild canids, kit foxes are monestrous. They clean debris out of the dens and may even add new entrances and tunnels before making a final selection. Males join the females at the natal dens in October or November, and breeding occurs from December to January or February. The kit fox gestation period is unknown, but is assumed to be 50 to 55 days. Litters of four or five pups are born in February or March, and the sex ratio is roughly even.
Newborns are altricial, with closed eyes and closed external ear openings.
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.