Can a coyote be a good pet?

While most of us are content with a cat or dog, some want to spice up their lives with an exotic pet such as coyote. The person might be flamboyant, have more money than they know what to do with, be looking to save an animal, or might just always have had a fascination with a particular animal. Whatever the case, many will look at the wild coyote to fill in this role, but would they make good pets?

Threats They Pose

To get started, let’s look at the danger coyotes pose. They’re big and far deadlier than a typical dog. Sure, the two might be closely related, but the coyote’s time in the wild has made it more vicious and aggressive. It’s more likely to attack you, your pets, or someone passing by. While that might be enough to deter most, many want a coyote because they’re wild and dangerous. 

Coyote As Pet

In that case, it’s important to bear in mind that wild coyotes carry a number of diseases, the most notable of which is rabies. There are also plenty of other diseases – like canine hepatitis – that could affect your pets, or parasites – like worms or ticks – that can cause their own set of problems.

Challenges of Ownership

Okay, so you’re fine with them being dangerous and disease-ridden, but can you live with the number of inconveniences you’ll have to deal with?

Perhaps the biggest hurdle in getting a coyote as a pet is getting the rights for it. Because it’s a wild animal, plenty of states have outlawed its ownership and domestication, or require permits. That’s why you should first check to see if you can get a coyote in your state.

Another big hurdle is taking care of it. Coyotes are much more active than dogs, so you’ll need plenty of time and to be in great shape if you want to take care of them. They’re also active at night, so you’ll have to accept the fact that you’re going to have trouble falling asleep. Finally, you’re always going to have to worry about your pet.

Coyote As Pet

Sure, you might not have a problem with coyotes, but plenty of people do, so they could trap, hurt, or kill your coyote if it ever wanders away from your property.

Domestication

To answer the question posed earlier, coyotes don’t make good pets. They’re dangerous and taking care of them is a great burden. If you still want to go through with your plans, at least try to adopt a coyote as a pup, as it’ll be close to impossible to get rid of their wild instincts if they’re adults. A final piece of advice is to raise the pup alongside a dog, so the dog can become a role model for the young coyote.

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