Fox in Minecraft: Red and Snow Foxes, Habits and Trust
Foxes live in taigas and snowy groves, sleep by day, hunt chickens at night and carry items in their mouths. Why adults can't be tamed, and building trust.
Foxes are small, shy mobs from taigas and snowy mountain groves. They sleep through the day, hunt chickens and rabbits at night, and carry whatever they pick up in their mouths. They run from you on sight, and you can’t tame an adult, but a fox you breed yourself trusts you for life.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 10 (5 hearts) |
| Attack | 2 (3 on Hard), used on prey and on mobs that hurt a trusted player |
| Behavior | Passive; neutral toward players a trusting fox doesn’t trust |
| Spawns | Taiga, old growth taigas, snowy taiga, grove |
| Drops | Held item; 1-3 XP |
Red and snow foxes
Foxes spawn in groups of two to four. The color depends on the biome: red foxes in taigas, and old growth pine and spruce taigas, white snow foxes in snowy taigas and groves. Breed a red fox with a snow fox and the kit has an even chance of either color.
A fox’s day
Foxes sleep during the day in shade (sky light 14 or less), curled up with their head bobbing. They wake if you come close, unless you’re sneaking. At night they hunt, screech now and then, and sometimes wander into villages, where they go after chickens.
They’re quick hunters. A fox stalks its prey, crouches, then pounces in a high leap. Red foxes prefer chickens, rabbits and baby turtles; snow foxes prefer fish. Foxes also run from wolves and polar bears, and wild wolves attack them.
Sweet berry bushes don’t slow or hurt foxes, and they’ll strip a bush of ripe berries if one is within 16 blocks.
The mouth slot
About one fox in five spawns holding something: emerald, rabbit’s foot, rabbit hide, egg, wheat, leather or feather. Kill a fox and that item drops. They also pick up anything dropped near them, preferring food. A fox eats food items after about 30 seconds and gets their effects, so a fox that grabs a golden apple gets the buffs.
That mouth slot counts as the fox’s main hand. Give one a sword and it hits harder; give it a sword with Looting and the mobs it kills drop more loot. It’s a well-known trick for small chicken or rabbit farms. Turn off mob griefing (/gamerule mob_griefing false on Java 1.21.11+, mobGriefing on older Java and Bedrock) and foxes stop picking up items.
The flip side: foxes will happily steal the diamond you just dropped. Pick up your items quickly around them.
Trust instead of taming
Adult foxes can’t be tamed. Instead, breed two wild foxes with sweet berries or glow berries, and the baby trusts you. A trusting fox doesn’t run from you and attacks mobs that hurt you, but it doesn’t sit on command or follow you like a wolf. Our fox taming guide covers the process and how to get the kit home.
Edition differences
In Bedrock, foxes can spawn on any block and 5% spawn as babies. A trusting Bedrock fox attacks anything that harms you, including other players; Java has a list of exceptions, such as iron golems and bees. In the Nether, foxes that weren’t bred by a player sit down constantly.
Common questions
Where do foxes spawn in Minecraft?
Red foxes spawn in taigas and old growth taigas. Snow foxes spawn in snowy taigas and groves.
Why does a fox have an emerald in its mouth?
Foxes have a 20% chance to spawn holding an item, and 5% of those are emeralds. They also pick up items from the ground and drop them when killed.
What do foxes eat?
They hunt chickens, rabbits, baby turtles and fish, and eat sweet berries from bushes. They also eat any food item they pick up.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
Keep reading