Carol,
I've grabbed live armadillos by the tail, and believe me, when I say you'll need "somebody strong" to handle them, I'm not kidding! Your strongman should probably be wearing work gloves as well.
If you grab a coon by the tail, you'll be bitten and intentionally clawed. An armadillo won't bite or intentionally scratch, but he will put up a FURIOUS struggle and should be held at arm-length away from your body until you can dump him into a waiting sack or something.
Good luck!

brute, I can't stop laughing! You sound like you think I'm actually going to try this! LOL! LOL! LOL!

PLEASE, will you come over and do it for me? You can have your pick of any plant in the yard!

Carol

{{gwi:887183}}

I just grabbed this one up barehanded the other day and put it in a cage then relocated it the next morning, away from people.

No way could I grab an armadillo I'd be scared too. The meanest thing I grab are my roosters when they get outta line lol. We have a pesky oppossum that wants into the screenporch every night. There is nothing in there but furniture (no pet food or anything) but he still trys to get in. Dh chased it off one night but it came back a week later. I am thinking the previous owners of this house must of fed him out there or something. As long as he stays away from my chickens he can live lol.

I've got one too! It looks kinda small and young, probably not much more than a teenager, and I hate to hurt it, or have it claw up my 3 little dogs who can't resist chasing it all over the yard when I let them out to pee late at night. I can't tell you how many nights this summer I've been flailing around in the bushes in the dark trying to pull my dogs off this freaked-out and screaming armadillo while they bark their heads off and my neighbors do a little freaking out and screaming of their own. You'd think with 3 dogs harassing it every chance they get, it would pack up and leave - but it doesn't seem to be happening so far. I wonder if it is needing to stay close to my dog's water dish? Maybe with the rain we're getting now, it will move on. I sure hope so!

I have a recipe for Armadillo Sauce Piquante if anyone is interested. It's from Quelque Chose Piquante, Acadian Meat and Fish Recipes.

If you put a half pound of black powder in a baggie, insert a wick and tie it off with a bread tie. Then drop that into the 45 degree angle tube, wad up a couple of your hubby's old 'T' shirts and tamp that down at the bottom, tape the wick a couple places to the inside top of the tube leaving 2 or 3 inches sticking out, then add the worms. When you see the armadillo inside the tube poke him with a sharp stick so he will ball up, light the fuse and stand back a few feet and block your ears. That will launch the sucker clear across town and your neighbors will think it was only the kids shooting off fireworks again since it is so near the 4th of July. NOTE: There may be some puzzlement why it rained worms during the night right after the thunder clap.

hope this helps,
Lou

OK Lou , I award you the most novel way to rid one of these pests. Glad I live in an unincorporated area and the HOA has no qualms about shooting wild pigs which dig up the grass taxiways and runway. We also dispose of other varmits such as mango eating racoons (3 cases of rabid ones in our area this spring), possums. I haven't reverted to shooting the rabbits, the bob cats and florida panthers take those out when they make a pass through the airpark. I have to put a chicken wire around anything set out in the yard or the rabbits will cut it off.

Carol, Lou's idea sounds like a great way to celebrate the 4th, be sure to aim it away from the neighbor's houses LOL

bernie

LOL. Great thread.

I think I heard the newscaster telling about a recent earthworm population explosion scientists are studying here in FL. Something about it correlating with an increase of gun sales or something.....

After severely dredging through my rose beds for almost two months I think this bulldozer animal has left. He hasn't been here for at least a week. Do they have seasons of activity? Does all the rain we've been having bother them? Thankfully, I have no grass to be damaged. The grubs mostly did away with it and then I removed the rest, opting for granite gravel instead. I would be interested to know if anyone thinks the animal is gone for good.

Sherry

I would think that all the rain encourages grubs in areas other than your watered garden during a dry spell.

Good luck.

Sherry,

Who knows....perhaps he was run over by a car, maybe a neighbor of yours did away with it or maybe he just found a good food supply somewhere else. Sadly if he isn't dead he will be back.

Sherry,

Maybe your neighbor blew him across town with HIS 'dillo-mortar' and it's taking the armadillo time to waddle his way back to your yard following the trail of wounded worms.

Lou

Rabbit, your optimism has me depressed.

Lou, I loved and belly-laughed at your dillo-mortar. You're a definite nut. :)) You point out the one flaw of your "ultimate weapon" - the trail of wounded worms. You'll have to develop a stealth version.

Sherry

Will armadillo eat amaryllis bulbs? I have some potted ones which I just discovered that something ate big bites out of the bulbs grrrr. I know there are armadillos around here because I have seen a smashed one down the street from us. I am wondering if that is what is eating the bulbs. They are...'were' large bulbs.

SJN,

I know the moles eat bulbs, I lost $200 worth of tulip bulbs when I lived up north and I know we have moles here in Fla too. I have no clue if armadillos eat bulbs.

Lou

just the past few days i have been noticing big holes all around my pond and trailier i immeditley knew what it was those darn armadillos so i set a trap with fresh fruit and earthworms but it did not pay any attention to it i want to know were i need to shoot it. all i have is a 22 revolver do i aim for the chest? can anyone help me

Lou, I about had to change my underwear after reading about your 'dillo cannon! We have this problem every year and right now it's bad. I think the rain has brought them closer to the house, I guess the grubs are nice and fat and juicy right now. I know that if we use a bunch of chemicals to get rid of the grubs it would help, but that costs lots of dinero and although I do occasionally use them, I don't like to because we have a well and I don't like to pollute our drinking water with anything. When I learned that armadillos can spread leprosy I freaked, because when I was about 10 I caught one. (I was a critter nut.) I managed to lure it out of a culvert into a garbage can, quickly put the lid on, and dragged it into the house. Well, you better believe they can jump high, because this thing jumped up and banged against the lid for hours. Finally, my mom insisted that I get it out, so I tipped the garbage can over, opened it and let it out. It went into a corner in the living room and stayed there for 2 days. Finally I decided that there was no way to make a pet out of it and let it out. They have very large, sharp claws and will use them. I do know that they can't see very well. If you are real quiet and sneak up on them, they can't see you until you get real close. I don't like to kill anything but these things are a nuisance. We are in the process of fencing in our property, (posts are in, but no fencing or gates yet.) Maybe when that gets done and we get a dog things will get better in the critter department.

We caught an armadillo in a have a heart trap using an apple as bait. We also sprinkled apple juice around the cage. We took him to a nature preserve where it was very difficult to get him to leave the cage.

I hate to say it, but since they're so destructive to Florida's native insect and plant populations, I would have to say extermination is the best option, cute as they may be. The famed naturalist Archie Carr despised them and blames them for the loss of prodigious amounts of subterranean insect life.

This elderly woman next door to us in GA would bludgeon them with shovels, but I would have a hard time doing that myself... I say, trap them and have animal control euthanize them.

it seems when i go out there with my gun he is no were to be found when i am out in my pastor tending to my animals i find all these deep hole that could really injure my goat and horses.i as well cant do poison becouse we have a well.to me they are such a pest i cought a little babby one last night so i am going to see if i can use him for bait to get his brother sister and mom to come out i am tired of dealing with these pest i am just about ready to set there homes on fire with deasel are kerosene

Tank,

Wouldn't diesel or kerosene pollute your well also?

John

I was born n raised here, 60 yrs and believe me man has and does far more harm then the armadillo and every critter that has ever been. Just think about the countless parking lots, 846 walgreens,621 cvs's,1,681 supermarkets, who knows how many wally worlds and other big box stores, and then theres a few subdivisions, one or two strip malls, one or two malls, and a few miles of paved roads. I cant really say how I feel because it would surely upset the apple cart, just consider giving the critters a break. And im not tree hugger whatever you believe.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam

I now trap them and bring them over to the back woods of the Florida USDA plant testing station and dump them over the chain link fence. I'll let the Govt. deal with them. I'm lucky I live around a mile or two from the back end of their preserve. I figure they were here long before I showed up.

Lou

My armadillo problem has returned and somehow I stumbled onto my own old thread. Too funny - before I realized that, I was reading the top post and thinking, "Me, too. Me, too." And then I realized that *I* was the one who posted it!

Lou, I'm still giggling at the thought of you giving all those armadillos to the USDA. That is just tooooo funny.

Carol

I have this problem, too. I don't mind them far out in my back yard, but these are making holes closer to the house. I was wondering if planting a border of pepper plants might repel them?

We brushed our Golden Retriever and put the fur in each hole we found (one in the berm in the back yard, the other three at the fence lines) Never saw it again.

My granddaughter is bringing me some dog hair! But she also recommends a motion activated water spray. Has anyone tried this? I see them advertised for dogs and cats, also for deer, but nothing about armadillos. What do you think?

This thread is halirious, having lived here for too many generations to count it feels odd to tell how we dealt with these critters, but I will :-) They are fast and hard to catch by hand but it can be done, we simply pounced on them like a loose football, putting a lot of weight on them as their sharp claws give them great traction for escape, but once you've got your fingers up under their shell and webbing in the MIDDLE it is easy to pick them up and do whatever you want with them without fear of being scratched...brings up fond memories of the good old days of innocent and cheap entertainment :-) :-(

Tom

BTW, we didn't kill them, they were "relocated" ;-)

It's my understanding that cars are the natural enemy of these things. When you see one, hop in the Buick and take him out!

I had this problem too. I got so mad at those armadillos and borrowed a trap, I got one armadillo plus 3 possums. I called animals control to relocated and they said $150.00 each time.
Heck....we killed each one of them after we trap.

Still one more coming around, but I used pepper in front yard and it seems to work.

Marie

It was so funny to stumble on this oooold thread and see my post. Armadillos have moved on with no assistance from me. Had moles a couple months ago but after digging tunnels all over the front yard they seem gone too.

Neighbors cats have been climbing and putting holes in our screened pool cage so we put deterrents (slinkys and wire fencing) in places we saw them getting a leg up. Always something. New pit bull down the street but he's a good boy.

I am horrified at people wanting to get rid of armadillos. These animals eat the dreaded fire ants. Have you ever been bitten by one of these wretched ants?! It's as bad as being stung by a bee and itches much longer. Ever since moving to Florida, I am THRILLED when I spot an Armadillo!! Mail them all to my house, please.

Please Help with suggestions on my Armadillo Problem. I used chilli powder, hot sauce, jalapino's and the juice. It seemed to help for a little while, but he's back. I bought a trap, and the armadillo set it off, but he's not in the trap!
I'm planning to put down Rye Grass in the next few days but I think this armadillo will ruin that. Can I put down a grubb insecticide and then within a few days put down the new grass seed. Also, I have hard clay soil and want to put down cow manure that is sold in lawn stores. I'm worried that it will actually exacerbate the Grubb problem. Any suggestions will be appreciated! HELP!

The just left earlier in the summer, but now they're back. They dug two burrows under my backyard shed. I poked a full dry bag of cement into each burrow, jabbed it till it burst, then watered very slowly. My concern was not so much to get rid of them as to stop the undermining of the concrete floor. Can't see any new burrows, but again seeing little holes in the yard. Only thing I can think to do is to pour some sidewalks where I need to go in my yard, and stay on them. I need them anyway, getting kind of unsteady on my feet!

I had a dog that would crunch one in one bite....wish I still had her :(
However, we don't seem to have the armadillos we had when I was a kid...maybe a couple of cold winters got rid of most of them.

They only appeared during my lifetime this far north anyway.

"I wouldn't get the gun out because it would just encourage a couple of neighbors to get theirs out and then OMG."

Interesting (to some of us with small rifles and food-marauding pests) fact is when you shoot, through an open window a critter that is outside, and you are seated on a comfortable chair that is well inside, no one but you will hear the shot.

A few years back I roto tilled and re-sodded about 400 sf of our front lawn. Over the next few months an armadillo(s) re-roto tilled it for me. Oddly enough they ignored the rest of the lawn and plowed up only the new turf. By late fall I would swear there wasn't a blade of grass left. The armadillo(s) moved on an then next spring a funny thing happened. The St. Augustine came back like gang busters. It became the lushest part of the lawn. I'm not recommending this as a method of growing turf but thought I would add it to the discussion---which by the way has been very civil and entertaining.

I'm trying to trap the darn Armadillo. I'm using plastic erosion control fencing. Almost got him last night. I'm also going to rid the food supply. Hopefully once the food supply is gone, the Armadillo won't want to come onto the property. I'm planning to overseed with winter rye, but must get rid of this pest first. Wish me luck!

This sounds interesting. How do you use the fencing? Is there a burrow that you are covering?
I'd like to try this!

It's a losing battle. And if they eat fire ants it's news to me. Obviously they don't eat enough of them. DH had a magnificent begonia bed in a little microclimate area here and the dang armadillos uprooted every. single. one. They are the only animal besides humans that carry M. leprae, so if you are pulling the blasted critters out of traps, glove well! We have relocated a few (to heaven).

Medium to large dogs

Around 1958-59 at U of F homecoming just as the players were coming back on the field at halftime somebody turned several armadillos loose on the field. That same somebody also disrupted a swim meet the same weekend by throwing several in the pool. Although I was not in on the scheme I immediately recognized the perpetrator as my college roommate who later became a Volusia County Vet.

i found a great trap that caught my little pest the first night. defiantly spring for the scented trapits well worth it !! http://thearmadillotrap.com/

Can only relate my one brief experience in getting an armadillo to go away for good ! A few days after I bought this mobile home on a 1/4 ac lot I realized I had an unwelcome visitor. Across the back of my lot there is a wide wire fence that separates our park, from an RV park behind us that has tiny lots.
Early every morning, ( while still dark ), this large aggressive armadillo would scratch his way under the fence at a small gulley he had dug in the grassy soil.
I was shocked at first, ( city boy, 1st one I had ever seen ), and ran at him, he'd turn & scurry back under the fence at the spot he dug out, and disappear into the RV park.
I would see the rutted holes he dug in my garden after he left. In the beginning I wasn't persistent, but soon I was up at the crack of dawn every morning and ran back out there scaring him off. I even closed up his entryway by placing a large brick over the hole. He just dug another entryway. I believe it was my consistent harassment however, every single morning, for three ( 3 ) consecutive weeks, that caused him to burrow in someone else's yard. Never saw him again !
About a year later I found a large armadillo lying dead on my front lawn early one morning,...no way near where the original activity was. Not sure if he was the same critter. Buried him in raised bed garden out back.
Have never seen another armadillo here, ( it's been 5 yrs ),..so my theory is that constant harassment over a period of 3, 4 weeks will discourage the rodent and make him do his rutting elsewhere,..just MHO.

Just to let everyone know, I think the Armadillo problem has been solved. I removed the food source by using a product that killed grubs within 24 hrs.. I then fertilized the lawn will a product call Kow. After that, I reseeded my yard with winter rye. I also closed any areas that the Armadillo could use to enter my backyard. I wasn't able to trap that guy, but I think with all the stuff I put on the lawn, it deterred him. Hopefully, he won't be back!

Armadillo will not go in a trap. Camouflage the trap with leafy sticks, put leaf material on floor. Make long runway near a fence or wall, that leads into the trap. They wander in, on bait needed.