Getting rid of an Armadillo

U

utmck

500+ Posts
I have had an armadillo come into my yard twice now since Sunday and dig a hole under my shrubs that is probably 18" deep and 12" wide. What can I do to keep him out?
 
Fiends who live out in the country, near Halletsville, say that dillos will not cross chicken wire... they lay the wire on the soil/grass with rocks to achor it down. Of course, who knows if it will just relocate its dig to another spot... I forgot to ask... but apparently a dillo will not walk on chicken wire.
 
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Dillos are usually rooting for grubs - make sure that your lawn is treated for grubs and the like.

As for your current problem, I have had good luck spreading copious amounts of cayenne pepper in areas where I need to get rid of unwanted guests.
 
When I posted this I wondered how long it would take before someone suggested that i open fire with a shot gun in a residential neighborhood.
 
Is trapping it and turning it loose somewhere else an option? If so you need a live trap and 2 posts to set on either side of the trap to act as a funnel in to it. If you do catch it, be sure to wear gloves when handling the trap. Armadillos can carry leprosy. The chances of you actually catching it from an armadillo are extremely rare, but I'm still not touching one with my bare hands.
 
OK, I tried Cayenne Pepper last night and it didn't work. A trap isn't a realistic option nor is a .12 shotgun. I don't know much about Armadillo's, but he comes around at night digs the hole and is gone when I get up in the morning.

I'm mostly concerned that he is gonig to kill my shrub that he is digging under.

Any other options?
 
[ How would I "tack down" the chicken wire? ]

do you have any rocks around? I don't believe your method here is crucial - perhaps just bend an inch or two at the edges, orient this bend down, towards the soft dirt, and stick it in.

BTW, I recall that the idea is to make a perimeter around the problem spot; just as a fence is a perimeter-type deal...obviously, the wire is laid horizontally.

Oh, Austin? You can get the wire by the foot at Breeds. 24 inch width, if I recall. this may be too big a project, I have no idea what scale you have in your bed.


And, I think the deal is that dillos have a real sesitive snout, which they keep at ground level while the forage, So they really freak when they come up on the wire... they go on elsewhere...at least they don't continue on the same direction (might be their feet... sometimes country folk don't know the whys.. they do know the results!)

I garden alot, I know of garden pins - they are large, fairly thick gauged metal things. They will probably hold down the edges. Ask for 'garden pins'... seems like Home Depot has 'em.
 
Man up and sit out late one night with a baseball bat and a twelve pack. Be careful for blood splatter though, leprosy and all.
 
Cage goes in the backyard, you go in the backyard. Dillo's in the backyard. Our dillo.

Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain. For we've received orders for to sail back to Boston. And so nevermore shall we see you again.
 
Why is a trap not an option? Killing it or hauling it away (far away) are the only options that are going to work.
 
I heard you have to take the Armadillo up to 500 miles away from their original territory. You could also make a straw coyote. I think that might work. Unless your HOA has a rule against straw animals that is.
 
I have heard gardening show hosts recommend spraying the area with a mixture of water, ammonia, and urine, but that's temporary at best. I agree with the baseball bat, 12 pack, and flashlight approach. You can walk right up behind the critter while he's digging if you're quiet and stay downwind. They have very poor eyesight.
 
Get a Dachshund. The cross breed we have has pulled a dillo out of it's hole by it's tail. It didn't come back in the yard after that.
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You need beer, a flashlight, a stick and some duct tape.

Sit on the back porch with the lights off and have a few beers. When you hear the armadillo start digging, give it a few minutes to make it's way down past its shell. Locate the dig site and sneak up behind the armadillo (shouldn't be a problem). Grab it by the tail and pull. It will dig it's claws into the ground so there is no way you can pull it out. Shove the stick ups its *** and it will pull all four legs in and you can just lift it out. Carry the beast to a neighbor's house that has a doggy door and shove it inside. Tape the door closed and run.
 
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