What Attracts Coyotes to Your House: A Pet Owner’s Guide
Coyotes are becoming increasingly common in suburban neighborhoods and even urban areas. Understanding what attracts these wild canines to residential properties is crucial for keeping your home, pets, and family safe. This detailed guide explores the key factors that draw coyotes to your home and provides practical steps to deter them effectively.
1. Accessible Food Sources
Coyotes are opportunistic feeders, which means they will eat almost anything. The most common food-related attractions include:
- Pet food left outdoors – Coyotes will eat dog or cat food if it's left outside.
- Birdseed – While they may not eat the seed directly, it attracts rodents, which coyotes hunt.
- Garbage – Unsecured trash cans provide easy meals packed with food scraps.
- Compost bins – If not properly maintained, they can emit smells that lure coyotes.
- Fruit fallen from trees – Coyotes enjoy many types of fruit, especially those found under trees or bushes.
2. Small Pets
Coyotes view small pets like cats, small dogs, rabbits, and chickens as potential prey. Homes with visible or accessible pets are more likely to attract coyotes. Some key risk factors include:
- Outdoor feeding areas for pets or livestock
- Pets left unattended in yards, especially at dawn or dusk
- Bird coops or rabbit hutches that are not secure
3. Water Availability
Coyotes need water just like any other animal, especially in dry climates. Your home might inadvertently supply this:
- Pet water bowls left outdoors
- Bird baths or fountains
- Leaky sprinklers or hoses
4. Shelter and Denning Opportunities
Your property may offer ideal hiding or denning spots for coyotes, especially during breeding season. These can include:
- Dense shrubbery and tall hedges
- Under porches or decks
- Sheds or outbuildings rarely used
- Wood piles or junk heaps left undisturbed
5. Wildlife and Rodents
Coyotes often enter residential areas in search of other animals to prey on. Your home may unintentionally support wildlife populations that, in turn, attract coyotes:
- Rats and mice drawn to birdseed or garbage
- Rabbits or squirrels living in lush landscaping
- Deer populations nearby that share grazing spaces
6. Human Habits and Urbanization
As humans expand into coyote habitats, these animals adapt to survive. Several human behaviors make this easier for them:
- Feeding wildlife like raccoons or feral cats, which eat and leave scraps behind
- Lack of fencing or weak fences that coyotes can jump over or dig under
- Nighttime silence and low human presence in yards that make them feel safer
Prevention Tips for Pet Owners
To keep coyotes away from your home and protect your pets, follow these essential preventative steps:
- Bring pet food indoors and avoid feeding pets outside.
- Store garbage securely in animal-proof containers.
- Clean up fallen fruit and food scraps from the yard promptly.
- Keep pets indoors, especially during twilight hours.
- Install motion-activated lights and sprinklers to scare off nocturnal visitors.
- Fence your yard with at least a 6-foot-high structure, preferably with an overhang or buried bottom edge.
- Eliminate water sources in the backyard and fix leaks quickly.
- Trim dense bushes and clean up debris to remove hiding places.
When to Contact Authorities
If a coyote appears aggressive, does not flee when approached, or you experience repeated sightings near your home, contact local animal control or wildlife management services. They can assess the risk and provide additional support.
Final Thoughts
Understanding what attracts coyotes helps you stay one step ahead in protecting your home and loved ones. By practicing good property maintenance and altering enticing habits, you can significantly reduce the chances of a coyote encounter.
