Foxes are nocturnal passive monsters found in the taiga, old growth taiga, and snowy taiga biomes. A fox may hold only one object in its mouth, however food is preferred over other items. Foxes spawn in groups of two to four in the taiga, old growth taiga, snowy taiga, and grove biomes. Foxes born in a snowy environment are white. When killed by a player or domesticated wolf, adult foxes drop 1–2 [JE only]/1–3 [BE only]. Killing a newborn fox, like killing other baby animals, provides no experience. Foxes always drop whatever item they pick up and are still holding (they cannot drop food, for example) and have a 100% probability of dropping things they spawn with naturally. If a fox is slain while carrying an undying totem, the fox consumes the totem and revives itself rather than dropping the totem. 1–7 are dropped after successful breeding Fox in Minecraft
Behavior
When foxes are wild, they run fast like ocelots and escape from surrounding players, wolves, and polar bears, unless the player approaches them while stealthily. They suffer no injury or slow down while passing through delicious berry plants.
Adult foxes are followed by baby foxes. When two adults are bred using sweet berries or glow berries, a kit is born that trusts the player but still follows surrounding adult foxes. Kits that spawn naturally do not trust players.
Attacking
Foxes attack by either rushing up to the victim or pouncing on it. Foxes, like rabbits and goats, may jump more than one block high without any status effects or player interaction. A fox prepares to pounce by tilting and lowering its head and shortening its body. Then it takes a 2–5 block jump into the air. Foxes have the ability to leap over fences and barriers. Foxes in Bedrock Edition shake side to side before pouncing, and their legs can be seen waving in midair.
Foxes are known to prey on chickens, rabbits, cod, salmon, and tropical fish. Only on land do foxes harm newborn turtles. Foxes, on the other hand, do not attack wolves, even if they are being attacked by them. Foxes may also assault mobs that harm a player they believe in.
Red foxes prefer to attack land-dwelling chickens, bunnies, and young turtles over cod, salmon, and tropical fish; arctic foxes prefer to attack cod, salmon, and tropical fish over land-dwelling species.
A fox that pounces onto a snow layer becomes stuck for a brief while, lying face-down, spewing particles while shaking, then quickly returning to normal.
Foxes swim to catch fish in the water. Baby foxes who follow parents into the water are unable to swim and will drown.
Even while tied to a lead, foxes strive to run toward the nearest attackable crowd but do not attempt to break the lead.
When the player is attacked, foxes that trust the player attack zombies, drowned, husks, zombified piglins, skeletons, wither skeletons, strays, phantoms, silverfish, endermites, spiders, cave spiders, vexes, vindicators, evokers, pillagers, ravagers, blazes, endermen, goats, and pandas. Unlike tamed wolves, they do not attack any mobs that the player attacks. Despite the fact that they are a zombie variation, they do not assault zombie villagers.
A trusting fox runs from wolves and polar bears, unless the wolf or polar bear attacks the player, in which case the fox strikes in defence of the player.
Foxes do not jump to attack while fighting phantoms.
Unless the fox does not trust the player who tamed the wolf, a trusting fox will not attack a domesticated wolf.
Sleeping
Foxes, along with cats, villagers, and bats, are among the few mobs in the game that can sleep.
During the day, if there is no thunderstorm, foxes try to find a place with a sky light level of 14 or less and sleep. This is unaffected by blocking light. It softly moves its head up and down while sleeping. When approached by a player or crowd, a fox awakens. If the player approaches while sneaking, foxes will not escape until the player reaches an adjacent block.
If the sky light above the fox’s location rises to 15 or higher, either as a result of a block above being demolished or the fox being transferred, the fox awakens.
Foxes may drop and pick up objects while sleeping.
Even when linked to a lead, trusting foxes might fall asleep. They can also be relocated while sleeping using leashes.
If they are within 12 blocks of an armour stand, foxes do not sleep.
Screeching
Unless a trustworthy player is around, Screeching Foxes occasionally produce loud screeches at night.
Sitting
If a fox cannot locate a shaded spot to sleep, it will sit throughout the day. The fox rests for a little moment before jumping back up. Foxes sit even when tied to a leash or on a boat. Foxes that haven’t been bred by the player always sit in the Nether, even if they’re linked to a lead.
Keeping stuff
If a fox comes across an object on the ground, it will move to it and pick it up, and the item will appear in the fox’s mouth. A fox can pick up any object that the player can pick up, not only food and animal goods. They prefer to pick up food things, and if they have previously picked up non-food objects, they abandon the non-food items in order to pick up food. A fox eventually consumes whatever food item it picks up (excluding cake), and any side effects from the meal, such as poison or teleportation, impact the fox. If a fox sees a stage 3 or 4 sweet berry shrub within a 16-block radius, it dashes there and consumes the berries, dropping whatever it was holding. It is the only mob that has not been harmed by the sweet berry bush and continues to march fast. While a fox takes up a weapon or an item with enchantments, such as Looting or Fire Aspect, the fox’s attack is affected as if the fox is wielding the weapon in its primary hand, albeit the item keeps its durability when used by the fox. When a fox has an undying totem, it obtains the effects after sustaining fatal damage.
When a fox holds a chorus fruit, it consumes it and teleports appropriately. If a fox uses a sword with the Fire Aspect enchantment while fighting a mob on a campfire Or soul campfire in Bedrock Edition, it burns the campfire and does critical damage to the monster.
Villages
Foxes occasionally visit villages at night. They may be observed attacking villager-owned hens, who can be heard squawking. Arctic foxes love snow villages, but red foxes prefer any other sort of town, preferring taiga villages since foxes spawn in the taiga biome.
Breeding
When two foxes are given sweet berries or glow berries, they will breed and produce a young fox. As it grows older, the baby fox trusts the player who bred it and does not escape from him; but, because baby foxes follow nearby adult foxes, an adult fleeing from the player may force the baby to leave as well. During this stage, a lead can be beneficial to keep the baby fox from leaving until it has fully matured into an adult, or the player can just use a ranged weapon to kill the adult foxes.
When a red fox and an arctic fox breed, the kid has a 50/50 chance of becoming red or arctic.
Taming
When two foxes are crossed, a tamed baby fox is born. To tame a fox, no additional action is required. Adult foxes still follow tamed baby foxes, while uncontrolled adult foxes flee away from the player, causing the tamed baby fox to follow. Adult foxes can be killed, and the tamed baby fox can be held with a lead.
Predators
When wolves are within 18 [JE only]/16 [BE only] blocks of foxes, they become violent. Adult polar bears creep approach foxes to attack them in Java Edition, whereas adult polar bears attack foxes within 16 blocks in Bedrock Edition. In Java Edition, infant polar bears attack foxes within 16 blocks or when their adult polar bear attacks one, despite being generally passive to players. Polar bears and wolves frighten tamed foxes, while wolves do not frighten tamed wolves. When a domesticated wolf’s owner assaults a tamed fox, the fox is also targeted.
