How to Breed Foxes in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Feed sweet berries or glow berries to each of two foxes. A kit spawns right away, the parents need 5 minutes before breeding again (1 minute in Bedrock), and you get 1-7 XP. The kit always trusts the player who bred it and will not run away.

What you need

Sweet berries or glow berries
2 foxes
A pen or leads

Step by step

Gather sweet berries from taiga bushes (watch the thorns) or glow berries from lush cave vines.
Find foxes in taiga, old growth taiga, grove and snowy taiga biomes. Red foxes live in temperate taigas, white foxes in snowy ones.
Foxes flee from players who approach normally: sneak while holding berries and let them come to you, then trap two in a pen or use leads.
Feed berries to each fox: hearts appear and a kit spawns, plus 1-7 XP.
The parents can breed again after 5 minutes (1 minute in Bedrock). Kits grow up in 20 minutes; each berry you feed a kit cuts the remaining time by 10%. Bred kits trust you forever - lead them home to start a tame fox base.

Java vs Bedrock

Breeding works the same in Java and Bedrock except the parents' cooldown: 5 minutes in Java, 1 minute in Bedrock. In both editions a bred kit trusts the breeding player for life, unlike wild foxes.

Versions: Foxes were added in the Village & Pillage update (1.14, 2019). Snowy taiga white foxes arrived in the same update, and foxes have picked up and carried items in their mouths since release.

Frequently asked questions

How do I tame a fox in Minecraft?

You cannot tame a wild fox directly. Breed two wild foxes with sweet or glow berries: the kit trusts you from birth, stays close as it grows, and will even attack mobs that hurt you.

Why do foxes keep running away from me?

Wild foxes flee from any player who approaches standing up. Sneak (crouch) while holding berries and they will let you get close enough to feed or lead them.

What do foxes drop?

Foxes drop whatever item they were carrying in their mouth - they pick up loose food and items. Keep them away from chicken pens: they leap fences and attack chickens.