By the time the pups are four or five months old, they are old enough and independent enough for the family to start breaking up. They become sexually mature between 7 and 11 months of age. Fox pups spend most of their time eating or playing. As the pups are weaned their diet becomes increasingly varied. Pups are very curious and they will nose at, pounce on, and pick up anything that moves, or has an interesting smell, or catches their attention.
Pups eat large numbers of insects, earthworms, fruit, and grass.
Older, stronger pups begin to find larger prey, such as small birds and rodents. By the fall, they no longer depend on their parents for food and live mostly on foods that can be caught with little skill. Playing consists of exploring their surroundings, learning to hunt, and fighting with litter mates. As the pups grow larger, their play gets more and more vigorous, even violent. Just as with wolf and coyote pups, the play fighting helps to determine dominance or who's the boss.