YOU GO GIRL! I can't wait to tell my DH tonight, he'll be laughing his hinie off. I shoot squirrels, but probably miss more than I hit with my little air rifle. Can't stand those things and they have destroyed 3-4 hummingbird feeders. I will definitely be on the trail of any armadillo's that show up. We've seen a few dead ones on the road 2-3 miles from us, so I imagine it's a matter of time.

The armadillo's are definitely marching north at an alarming pace. We can generally keep the squirrels from overwhelming us with a dog, a cat, baffles, and squirrel-proof feeder, but I'm not so sure about the armadillos. I'd be interested in some of our South Alabama gardeners' observations about life with them.

I just moved a few months ago and I had them at my old house last summer. They kept digging up my plants and every morning I was having to go outside in the heat and humidity to replant and water my poor plants. I did some research and discovered that every spring they typically have quadruplets. I went to the local nurseries looking for poison anything to kill them and was told that there was nothing I could do except shoot them, between 2 and 4 a.m. is when they are most active or kill them with a shovel, but they jump they told me. They told about customers who lost thousands of dollars of plants. Well, DH was not interested in shooting a gun in our neighborhood at night nor in staying up all night to kill them with a shovel. Several of my neighbors did shoot them, though. I learned from some old-timers at the nurseries that they rarely go very far and that their nests are usually very close to where they are seen. They advised that they tunnel deep and particluarly like to be near slabs, AC slabs, shed slabs, and house slabs and that they tunnel under them. When I asked if I could flood them out, I was told no, they have a ledge that is dry that they build in the tunnel. Well, I was pretty determined to eliminate them. I discovered a huge scary hole in the back of one of my beds behind some shrubs near my AC unit. I also discovered another scary hole in the back of another bed. Well, once DH found out that they were doing more than just destroying my plants but tunneling under the slab, he became interested in eliminating them. He bought two large gallon bottles of bleach and stuffed them with the cork undone in each of the two holes and gassed the suckers. We never had a problem with mine again. My neighbor discovered that they were some living under his shed and he eliminated his as well. GOOD LUCK!! I hope the information helps.

oh my - i am gonna try that - i will get some bleach! I found the hole they are in - one of them anway - and i personally think they have been living under my deck/house (crawl space)....thanks for the tip - and i always have old faithful, the 38, if it doesn't work!

Does this officially make you a 'diller killer?? :)

Yes, i believe it does - i just wish i could get the others. No sign of them since Sunday - but i bet it is too much to hope for that they "ran away"....

Rosey, I just remembered. As you dispatch these critters to armadillo heaven, be sure to transfer the corpses using gloves, etc. Armadillos are know carriers of the Hansen's virus, commonly known as leprosy. Be very careful how you handle the remains.

I live in southeast Mississippi, and there is a possibility we might buy land to build on or land with a house already on it in the northeastern part of Alabama, in or around DeKalb County. One thing I DON'T want to have to deal with is armadilloes - they've been the bane of my existence down here! My husband has shot 5 or 6 over the past couple of years, but they're still everywhere. I can't stand them! I had tremendous hurricane damage, and I've planted new plants to replace some I've lost, but have had to get up in the mornings and replant many of them. I wasn't in time for all of them, some of them have died. Others I've left in their containers to plant until they get big enough to survive armadillo digging.
Are armadilloes in the DeKalb County area?
Sherry

Isn't it possible to use Havahart traps and transfer these elsewhere?

Not in my neck of the woods - i am not chancing my cat getting caught in anything. I actually considered it. Still haven't got the others...but i am gonna try it.

I live in Etowah County (Gadsden) and have seen a couple of armadillo road-kill close to the southern city limits, so they're on the way toward DeKalb Co. I haven't heard of any in Gadsden yet. I haven't researched it, but maybe there's a limit to how far north they can survive. We haven't had any cold weather to speak of for a year or two. Would a couple of good hard freezes take them out?

airren: Please don't have a heart with these creatures. Raccoons, yes, but armadillos, NO. There's no place you can take them where they won't be destructive and unwanted.

Aw...I'm kinda sad about this but haven't been in Alabama for more than 7 years now and still have no experience with the guys. We don't seem to have any around here except for squashed on the street.

Can someone tell me what damage they do? All I see here is that they uproot plants. We are in their territory yes? Can you eat them if you can't relocate them? I know I'm making some people laugh...

Damage?!? You want to know about damage?? We just put in, this year, a raised bed around our azaleas and gardenias that line the front of our house and for WEEKS I shot killer looks at every loose dog in our neighborhood (yes, people ignore the leash law)thinking it was a dog's (had THAT happen before too!) doing (we only have cats and a caged rabbit). Then, as if it wasn't bad enough having to replant or toss, EVERY SINGLE MORNING,the flowers that I had planted between the bushes, our female rabbit, Bea, died, poor baby. We had to re-bury her FOUR times!!! We have several 'dillas that live around here, we're in mid-Alabama, right on the Georgia line. You can stand on our roof and see the Chatahoochee River. And now that I know that they carry the leprosy virus I'm gettin' out the gun, even if it DOES make me fall backwards and wet my britches, I've got kids and grandkids! Sometimes you just have to use the brain God gave us and do the right thing... No offence meant... Nancy

I want you to know - these hideous little creatures are not scared of anything. I parked my truck, and they MOSEYED right out of the flower bed next to me, shuffled under the deck. I ran in and got the gun - shot at them, but missed (I don't do so well night firing)....but i am GONNA get them! I am SOOO tired of them rooting stuff up in my beds...i have found that the beds that are lined with two or more landscape tires are not as much fun for them - i guess it would be laziness on their part?