Can You Have Coyotes as Pets? Understanding Wild Coyotes and Safe Coexistence

Coyotes are fascinating and resilient wild animals that are increasingly common in urban and suburban landscapes. Their adaptability has led to more frequent encounters with humans and pets, prompting questions about our relationship with these creatures. One question that often arises is: “Can You Have Coyotes As Pets?”

This article, as a resource from pets.edu.vn, aims to provide expert information on coyotes and responsible coexistence. While the idea of keeping a coyote as a pet might intrigue some, it’s crucial to understand the reality of coyote behavior, their wild nature, and the potential challenges and dangers involved. Instead of focusing on domestication, our goal is to equip you with the knowledge to deter coyotes from your property and ensure the safety of your family and pets.

Why Coyotes Are Not Pets: Understanding Their Wild Nature

Coyotes ( Canis latrans ) are wild animals, and unlike dogs which have been domesticated over thousands of years, coyotes retain their natural instincts and behaviors. Domestication is a long process of selective breeding that fundamentally alters an animal’s temperament and dependence on humans. Coyotes have not undergone this process.

Attempting to keep a coyote as a pet is fraught with difficulties and ethical concerns:

Wild Instincts: Coyotes are driven by their natural instincts to hunt, roam, and establish territories. These instincts cannot be bred out of them, making them unpredictable and challenging to manage in a domestic setting.
Unpredictable Behavior: Even if raised from a young age, coyotes can exhibit unpredictable behavior, especially as they mature. Their wild instincts can surface unexpectedly, posing risks to humans and other pets.
Legal Restrictions: In most areas, it is illegal to own a coyote as a pet. Wildlife laws are in place to protect both wild animals and the public. Keeping a coyote illegally can result in hefty fines and legal repercussions.
Welfare Concerns: Coyotes have specific needs that are difficult to meet in a typical household environment. They require large territories, specialized diets, and social structures that cannot be replicated in captivity. Confining a coyote to a domestic setting is detrimental to its well-being.
Safety Risks: Coyotes are predators. While attacks on humans are rare, they can happen, especially if a coyote becomes habituated to humans or feels threatened. Keeping a coyote as a pet significantly increases the risk of bites or other injuries.

Instead of considering keeping a coyote as a pet, it’s far more responsible and ethical to focus on understanding how to coexist safely with these animals in their natural environment. This primarily involves deterring them from areas where they might pose a nuisance or threat.

Effective Coyote Deterrence Strategies: Keeping Coyotes Away

Since coyotes are wild animals that should remain in the wild, the focus should be on deterring them from approaching your home and property. The most effective approach involves two key strategies: removing food sources and implementing hazing techniques.

Removing Food Sources: Making Your Property Less привлекательным

Coyotes are attracted to areas where they can easily find food. By eliminating potential food sources around your home, you can make your property less appealing to them.

Secure Pet Food: Never feed pets outdoors, or if you must, do so during daylight hours for no more than one hour and promptly remove food bowls after feeding. Water sources can also attract coyotes, especially in dry climates, so remove outdoor pet water bowls and empty watering cans.
Proper Waste Management: Use enclosed compost bins and never compost meat or fish scraps, as these are highly attractive to coyotes. Keep trash in high-quality containers with tight-fitting lids to prevent coyotes from accessing garbage.
Bird Feeders with Caution: If you use bird feeders, opt for no-spill feeders and consider using spicy bird seed, which coyotes are less likely to eat. Regularly clean up fallen bird seed from the ground and remove any fallen fruit from fruit trees in your yard.

Alt text: A sturdy, closed trash can with a locking lid, effectively preventing coyotes and other wildlife from accessing garbage and food scraps.

Implementing Hazing Techniques: Teaching Coyotes to Avoid Your Property

Hazing is a method of using deterrents to make coyotes feel unwelcome in a specific area. The goal is to create a negative association between your property and coyotes, encouraging them to stay away. Variety is key to successful hazing, as coyotes can become accustomed to a single deterrent if used repeatedly.

Be Loud and Assertive: When you see a coyote, yell and wave your arms while moving towards it. Make yourself appear large and threatening.
Noisemakers: Utilize a variety of noisemakers to startle coyotes. These can include your voice, whistles, air horns, bells, shaker cans filled with coins or rocks, or banging pots and pans together. Small air horn necklaces are particularly useful for dog walks.
Projectiles (Non-lethal): Throw objects towards the coyote, but not at it, to further reinforce the message that they are not welcome. Suitable projectiles include sticks, small rocks, empty cans, tennis balls, or rubber balls.
Water and Sprays: Hoses, water guns filled with vinegar water, or spray bottles with vinegar water can be effective deterrents. In situations where a more powerful deterrent is needed (use with extreme caution and awareness of wind direction), pepper spray or bear repellent can be considered as a last resort.

Alt text: An individual actively hazing a coyote by shouting and emphatically waving their arms, demonstrating a clear and assertive posture to deter the animal from approaching a residential property.

It’s important to be persistent with hazing. The coyote may not leave immediately, but by consistently approaching and increasing the intensity of your hazing efforts, you can effectively drive it away. If a coyote runs a short distance and stops to look back, continue hazing until it leaves the area completely. Repeat hazing each time you encounter a coyote to reinforce the negative association.

Install Fencing: Creating a Physical Barrier

Fencing can be a valuable tool for keeping coyotes out of your yard, especially if you have pets or small children. To be effective against coyotes, fencing should meet certain specifications:

Height: Fences should be at least 6 feet tall to prevent coyotes from jumping over.
Underground Barrier: Extend the fence underground at least 6 inches to prevent digging, or create a horizontal extension at ground level, extending outwards for at least 12 inches, secured with landscaping staples.
Coyote Rollers: For added security, consider installing “coyote rollers” at the top of the fence. These devices are designed to spin when a coyote tries to climb over, preventing them from gaining purchase.
DIY Modifications: Affordable DIY fence enhancements include adding PVC piping or chicken wire to the top of existing fences to deter jumping, and attaching a mesh apron at the base to prevent digging.

Alt text: A high wooden fence equipped with a coyote roller system along the top edge, illustrating an effective barrier to prevent coyotes from climbing and entering a protected area.

Coyote Repellents and Deterrents: Are They Effective?

While removing food sources and hazing are the most reliable long-term solutions, various coyote repellents and deterrents are available. Their effectiveness can vary, and they are generally best used in conjunction with other strategies.

Motion-Activated Devices: Solar-powered motion sensor lights, sounds, and sprinklers can startle coyotes and deter them from entering your property. These devices are most effective when used in conjunction with other hazing techniques.
Taste and Smell Deterrents: Bitter or spicy taste deterrents and smell deterrents like cayenne pepper, vinegar, or ammonia may offer some temporary repellency. However, their effectiveness can diminish over time, and they need to be reapplied regularly, especially after rain.

Coyotes and Disease: Understanding the Risks

Like all wild animals, coyotes can carry diseases. It’s important to be aware of potential health risks and take precautions.

Rabies: Coyotes, being warm-blooded mammals, are susceptible to rabies. While rabies in coyotes has become less frequent in some regions, it remains a concern. Never approach or handle wild animals. Ensure your pets are vaccinated against rabies. Report any animal exhibiting signs of rabies (excessive aggression, agitation, disorientation, salivation, paralysis) to your local animal control. Seek immediate medical attention if bitten or scratched by an unknown animal.
Mange: Mange is a skin disease caused by mites that can affect coyotes. While mange-afflicted coyotes may appear unhealthy and potentially threatening due to hair loss and weakened condition, there is no evidence that they are more likely to attack people or pets. They may be more visible in suburban areas during the day as they seek rest.

Alt text: A coyote exhibiting advanced stages of mange, characterized by extensive fur loss and visible skin lesions across its body, highlighting the debilitating effects of the parasitic disease.

Conclusion: Coexisting Safely with Coyotes

In conclusion, while the idea of a coyote as a pet might be intriguing, it is neither practical nor ethical. Coyotes are wild animals that belong in their natural environment. Our responsibility is to understand their behavior, take steps to deter them from our property, and coexist safely.

By removing food sources, implementing consistent hazing techniques, and considering fencing, you can effectively minimize coyote encounters and ensure the safety of your family and pets. Remember, respecting wildlife from a distance is crucial for both human and animal well-being. For further information and resources on living with wildlife, consult your local animal control or wildlife agencies.