How to Get Rid of Armadillos – The Destructive Animal

Armadillos are mainly an animal that comes out after dark, they are considered a nocturnal animal because of this. They have pointy snouts, long claws. Armadillos, like you and I are classified as mammals. Contrary to popular belief they are not related in any way to rodents. They are more closely related to sloths and anteaters. Luckily, those on the east coast don’t have to deal with the problems armadillos bring with them. Armadillos are mainly a west coast animal as they enjoy the warmth and heat that comes with living out west.

Armadillos can be very destructive, digging holes wherever they see fit and that includes even your garden. They do this to either look for food or a place to call home. You definitely don’t want an armadillo living in your garden. All that digging will surely ruin your hard work. Surprisingly enough, these animals can decimate your garden in a single night. Your best defense is to keep them out of your garden.

Armadillos can range in size from 5 to 9 inches and as big as 59 inches long, weighing in at 119 pounds. Their size alone is an indicator at what kind of damage they can do to your property and because of their size they may be hard to get rid of. They cause a lot of problems for whoever is trying to grow a crop for the season. There are many home-owners who would like to grow a garden as well, but these pesky, little armadillos show up and dig up what they have just planted.

Some Activities You May Find with Armadillos

• Holes dug around your yard that are 3-5 inches wide and approximately 3 inches deep. Armadillos will dig up any plants you’ve planted and even seedlings.
• They love to burrow next to side-walks, brush piles, shrubs and other sources of cover. So keep these areas free from over-growth, brush, rocks and keep your shrubs trimmed neatly
• Believe it or not, they will ruin underground piping, causing plumbing issues for your home.
• As a result of their digging and burrowing they will create cracks in sidewalks and driveways.

As you can see, armadillos are quite destructive and can cause a lot of expensive damage to your property. Deterring them from coming into your space is the best way to go. Armadillos are known for keeping ticks, fleas and other bugs away from your property. If you can create a barrier around your garden and use other tactics to keep them at bay, having them around to collect bugs might not be a bad idea.

If you have an armadillo problem, there are several ways to chase them away from your property and keep them away for good.

Ways to Get Rid of Armadillos

Fencing

Like cats, armadillos do not like pointy objects. By lining your garden with chicken wire or hardware cloth you can help deter them from your garden. Your fencing should be approximately 2 feet tall, and be 4 to 6 inches deep. Armadillos will dig and dig to get inside of a garden where there is food and shelter. By taking the chicken wire and laying it outside of your garden, they will leave that area. We don’t have an armadillo problem here on the east coast, but we do have a rabbit issue. We dug down about 4 inches and then laid the chicken wire covering it with dirt. Make sure you leave a few inches above ground so you can curl it forward.

Trapping Armadillos

Trapping armadillos is the most effective way to get ridding of those pesky little buggers. Once they find themselves in a new place, they will get busy making their own home and gathering what food they will need to stay there. Many hardware stores sell human traps that you can use. All you need to do is put a food that the armadillo likes inside and the trap will close. You can then take it to a remote location and set it free.

By trapping the armadillo or armadillos you can relocate them to a more suitable environment for them. Taking them deep in the woods will provide them with shelter and food and they will be much more comfortable in that kind of environment.

If you want to go high tech there are many different kinds of electronic repellents available on the market. Not only will they deter armadillos, but they keep cats away too. You can find more high tech ways by visiting Electronic Animal Repellent. If you’d like to learn more about how to trap and remove armadillos from your property you can visit Armadillo Control.

Removing Their Sleeping Grounds

If you find armadillo holes, your best bet is to fill them in. You can use dirt, rock and even mulch to keep them from going back to the same spot. This will force them out of the area and they will need to find a new place to call home.

Blocking Off Their Area

Armadillos like to wander, they go from place to place to find a new place to burrow, find food and give birth. Once you have removed your pesky armadillo, make sure all spots the armadillo was hiding is sealed off, the food is removed and a repellent is used to keep them at bay. By blocking off their area, use things like newspaper, leaves and loose gravel. Not only will this keep future armadillos and other pesky animals from making homes in your yard or garden.

Make sure you check the holes you covered up every few days for about two weeks. It’s not unusually for armadillos or other critters to create a new home in the area you just covered up and protected. You may find yourself trapping and relocating many different animals through this process.

More Natural Ways

There are a few more natural ways to scoot armadillos from your property. Armadillos do not like strong scents so most of these should help you with your armadillo problem.

• Castor oil and liquid dish soap: Create mixture in a spray bottle and spray around the hole and inside the hole. Castor oil will also ruin the food the armadillo is burrowing for, therefore moving their food source they will move along.
• Cayenne pepper: Cayenne pepper has a pretty strong, spicy scent. This is enough to chance many pests away. Be careful that you don’t get any on your skin or in your eyes, wash hands thoroughly when you are finished treating the area.
• Ammonia and murphy’s oil: Wear a mask and take precautions not to get any on your bare skin or your clothing.

Armadillos can be a pain to get rid of, but with a lot of persistence it can be done.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading. If you’ve experienced any problems with armadillos could you please share with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear how you managed to control them.