Coyotes Are Mainly Content To Keep Their Distance From Humans

Coyotes are remarkably intelligent animals with acute senses of survival. Their keen senses of sight, hearing, and smell make them effective predators, and their opportunistic nature often means that they’ll happily consume discarded food in more urban environments. Most coyotes in Houston are slightly smaller than the average German shepherds and can be identified by their erect ears, slender legs, and bushy, black-tipped tail.

Most coyotes are either grey or sand-colored, so as to better blend in with their habitat. Coyotes are omnivores and are very opportunistic. They’ll eat many different types of animals, including rabbits, rats and mice, insects, carrion, and even fruits and vegetables.

These animals use dens for birthing and rearing their young, but do not normally require much in the way of shelter. In keeping with their opportunistic nature, they usually prefer inhabiting abandoned badger burrows or natural cracks and crevices. In broad terms, coyotes tend to keep to themselves, but with human housing developments continually moving farther and farther into previously undeveloped areas, the chances that the average homeowner will have a run-in with a coyote at some point have increased.

Coyotes and bobcats are widespread in Texas, though trapping them and removing them may not be the wisest course of action. While trapping can alleviate the problem in some specific circumstances, it is not sufficient to completely eliminate coyote problems in urban areas. Still, there are a number of simple and straightforward ways to decrease the chances of coyote-related problems on your property. Bringing in pet food and water is a good first step, and making sure that garbage can lids are secured will keep them from rooting through your trash in the dead of night.

Coyotes are, after all, predators, which means that small pets may occasionally be at risk. Always walk pets on a leash, especially at night. Likewise, it’s important to keep bird seed and squirrel feed well off the ground. Coyotes will often be drawn to the seed, and will be drawn even more quickly to birds and small rodents that happen to be feeding on the seed. If you do spot a coyote in your yard, certain simple noisemakers and even thrown rocks are often enough to make them wary of entering your property again, at least for a little while.

Cantu Pest & Termite cares about safe and humane trapping of the wildlife that has invaded your home or business. We believe that wildlife invaders do not have to be killed in order to solve the invasion. After our professionals have properly and thoroughly employed measures that will eliminate future wildlife infestation then the property owner may choose to have any wildlife in and around the property caught in humane traps.

If coyotes or other common pests in our area have made unwanted appearances around your home, call Cantu Pest & Termite at 972-562-9999 (Dallas and Fort Worth areas) or 713-956-7822 (Houston area) and schedule an appointment today with one of our friendly, experienced pest control experts.