If you are looking for an armadillo, the easiest way is to look for them at the right time of the day. In general, armadillos are nocturnal animals that tend to be at their most active state around dusk and dawn. This means they come out at night to forage and explore.
Armadillos can sleep for around 16 hours daily, and they come out to scavenge around the time of dawn or dusk. If not for this habit of theirs, you would hardly know that armadillos were around in the first place. Their teeth are not that strong, and they need to scavenge around for ants, grubs, termites, earthworms, crickets, and beetles. What do armadillos eat at night? They also love eating the flesh of carcasses of dead animals.
Armadillos are the second animal right after opossums that are mostly killed on the road. Their eyesight is poor, but they have excellent smell and hearing. During dry spells, sources of water are often attractive to the eyes of armadillos.
Traits and Characteristics of Armadillos
Since the mid-1800s, armadillos have been migrating to the north from the southern part of Texas. Cold weather hampered their migration because armadillos don’t hibernate and should eat daily.
Armadillos have many interesting aspects. These animals always have four young developing from one egg, making them identical. Thanks to this phenomenon, these offspring are a big help for research tests. Female armadillos also can delay fertilization when stressed. Four months is the longest time that was recorded of this, although there are claims that armadillos were able to give birth even after two years of being isolated in captivity. They can often survive for 12 to 15 years while in captivity.
How to Trap Armadillos
The task of trapping these animals is different from others since they dig for food. It is impossible to set a trap inside to lure them in. You need to figure out where the animal comes from and place the trap in the middle of the burrow and a freshly watered spot that it will dig. Once the trap has been set along the path, directional barriers such as concrete blocks, fences, or wood planks can be used for funneling this poor-sighted animal into the trap. As long as the trap has been correctly set with some fresh soil lining the bottom, the animal will walk inside it, tripping the trap door as a result.
You should be cautious when disposing of armadillos since they are known to transmit leprosy to humans. It is necessary to wear leather gloves all the time when handling them.
How to Keep Armadillos Out of Your Yard
It can be very tricky to stop armadillos from going to and using a certain area. You cannot expect to keep them at bay with the use of a sound machine or magic repellent. They are not even afraid of large dogs. Sturdy fencing is the best and most effective technique for armadillo prevention. This should go down at a minimum of one foot into the ground around the property’s perimeter. Armadillos can easily dig below fencing that doesn’t touch the ground.
The purpose of the animals for digging is to search for insects to feed on or create a hiding spot if humans or predators come around. This is why they are regarded as destructive animals. The constant digging of holes in yards is a major inconvenience for many people, making armadillos considered a nuisance. People therefore search for effective ways to keep armadillos out of their yards.
Methods to Keep Armadillos Out
Here are a few methods that you can try using to ensure that armadillos stay out of your yard:
- Install a strong and durable fence.
You don’t need a tall fence since armadillos don’t jump high from the ground. It is recommended to use a short but strong fence that could go deep into the ground. The animals won’t be able to dig a hole through this kind of fence.
- Make small openings or gates on top of burrows.
Ensure that the gate is made of metal and the animals must be able to see the outside. The fencing must be bigger than the hole so that the moment the animal leaves the hole, the door will fall back or go back to trap it. The trapped armadillo can now be removed to be killed or taken somewhere else.
- Ensure that your yard is inhospitable to armadillos.
To keep armadillos from your yard, you should make it as non-conducive for them as much as possible. You can use wood chips to keep armadillos away from your flower beds. Armadillos won’t be able to dig through hardwood chips.
- Remove small organisms in your soil that armadillos can feed on.
When you do this, armadillos will never take interest in your yard’s soil since it doesn’t offer them anything sumptuous.
- Mothballs don’t work so you might as well not use them.
Since mothballs have a displeasing and strong odor, the theory states that putting them in the holes where armadillos hide will drag them out. However, this is just a theory and it doesn’t work.
- Use special traps.
You can buy and use special traps that you can place strategically on yards invaded by armadillos. The armadillos could be trapped and killed based on how lethal your chosen trap is.
Being familiar with the time that armadillos come out at night is one of the first steps for you to know what kind of problem you are dealing with and what you can do to solve the issue. Through this, it will be easier for you to plan the necessary steps you need to take to stop these animals from causing damage and destruction to your property. Remember, armadillos are most active at night around dusk and dawn, making these times ideal for implementing control measures.
