It’s amazing how much destruction just one armadillo can do in just one night! The problem arises in how they do their job! The armadillo is a natural earth mover! He has a snout built for digging and moving dirt, along with a set of powerful front and rear paws with sharp claws, making for an accomplished digging critter.

Although armadillos are beneficial because they eat insects and other invertebrates, they become a nuisance by digging in lawns, golf courses, vegetable gardens and flower beds. They can be very destructive, digging holes wherever they see fit. The biggest issue is in pastures where armadillos dig their holes in the ground. It can cause livestock injury.

Raccoon damage looks similar to the damage caused by armadillos.  However, raccoons use their hand-like paws to dig. Also, the shape of the divot they create is different. Raccoons generally cause damage to an entire lawn. Armadillos damage areas along the borders of a path or garden. A trained wildlife professional can easily spot the difference between damage done by raccoons and damage caused by armadillos.

A bacteria known as Mycobacterium leprae or M. Leprae is the primary cause of leprosy or Hansen’s disease in armadillos. It can take 3-5 years for symptoms of leprosy to manifest.
Because same-sex quadruplets normally are born, the docile armadillo is an ideal laboratory animal for various types of medical research. The genetically identical young provide build-in controls! The armadillo has been especially valuable for leprosy research since it is only known mammal, other than humans, that can be infected with this disfiguring disease. Hopefully, through this research, the armadillo will provide the key to a cure for human leprosy.

Another name for armadillos is “Poor Man’s Pork”.  Yes, there are people who eat armadillos and say it tastes like pork!  Several armadillos captured in the wild in southern Louisiana and East Texas were found to have mycobacterial leprosy. Those people who eat armadillo meat will find that thorough cooking should make the meat non-infectious. That is the secret.

However, the greatest hazard of becoming infected is encountered during cleaning and dressing of the animals. It is possible to contract leprosy through contact with body tissue or fluids from armadillos.

Armadillo breeding takes place from September to December. The young are born in March and April. The nine-banded armadillo delivers four identical pups of the same gender in each litter. Armadillos are the only mammal that regularly deliver multiple young that form from a single egg. The embryo starts as a single individual. Through a process of section, followed by a second sub-division, four clone-like embryos are formed, each enclosed in its own membrane sac.
Pups are born with their eyes open and become mobile within a few hours of birth. With the exception of their soft, leathery shells, the young pups are miniature copies of the adults. Since the shell cannot be shed and replaced with a larger one, it increases in size as the young armadillo grows. It does not harden until adult size is reached.

Armadillos are the only mammal with a hard shell. The shell is tough and flexible with armor-like plates. The shell is simply modified skin that covers the armadillo’s body for protection. Armadillo is Spanish for “little armored one”. Other armadillo monikers include: near-sighted rooter, armored possum, Texas speed bump, and Hoover hog, just to name a few. 
The nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo species in the US. It is primarily found in the southwest, but has migrated to the southeast. Armadillos do not hibernate and have no fat stores to insulate them against cold temperatures. They prefer temperate-to-warm climates. They cannot endure prolonged freezing weather.

If you have an armadillo on your property, then it’s likely there is a good source of food nearby. They are primarily insectivores. They don’t have strong teeth and must scavenge around for grubs, ants, beetles, crickets, termites, and earthworms. 90% of their diet consists of insects and insect larvae. They are also considered to be omnivores because they will also eat both plants and animals.

The armadillo diet primarily consists of insects, insect larvae (grubs), plants, bird and lizard eggs, seeds, some fruits, and worms. Their finely barbed, sticky tongue makes it easy for them to access ant hills and remove an abundance of ants for a snack. They have poor eyesight with a highly developed sense of smell. It is said that armadillos are able to sense the movement of termites in the ground!

Armadillos are a misunderstood, fascinating species. Yes, they look like an alien life form, but they are excellent to have around for the control of insects. They also eat snakes, snails, and spiders!

Armadillos are nocturnal which makes them active at night. They sleep about 16 hours each day and come out to forage around dusk. It it wasn’t for this, we would hardly know they were around.

When awake it is rare to find an undisturbed armadillo that is not digging burrows or foraging for food. They dig and root, constantly driven by an insatiable appetite for delectable gourmet delights - insects and grubs - that can be harmful to lawns and gardens.

Armadillos are good diggers, but poor climbers. A fence does not have to be very tall. However, it must go deep beneath the ground level, enough to prevent armadillos from digging under to get in.

Armadillos love to swim and they’re pretty good at it, too. They have a strong doggy paddle, but they can also go a far distance underwater. They can hold their breath for up to six minutes.

The three-banded armadillo is the only species that can roll into a ball for protection. Its armor works well against most predators. When startled or scared, armadillos can jump four to five feet high. Usually this surprises any creature trying to have it for lunch. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work so well when startled by a moving car, which is why they are common road kill.

So if you have a little armored friend you need removed from your property, give Apex Wildlife Control a call today!  We're here to help!