Florida armadillos have become legendary destructive forces in lawns, landscapes and gardens. They are active chiefly from twilight through early morning hours in the summer but during the day in winter. They dig burrows in rock piles, around stumps, brush piles/ terraces and thick woodlands or bush. Here they raise their young and is their shelter. Their dens are numerous in their home range to use for escape.



A few things you need to know about these creatures is that they have poor eyesight but an acute sense of smell, they are good swimmers, can run when in danger and traverse, small streams. Their activity is spotted in shallow holes, 1-3inches deep and 3-5 inches wide dug in search of insect food, worms and grub, uprooted flowers and other decorative plants, burrowing under foundations, driveways and other constructions, rooting in lawns and vegetable gardens and noise made by rubbing their shells against structures. However, the causative agent of leprosy can infect them.

This nuisance brought about by armadillos may make one want to trap them and look for ways of getting rid of them. The key to trapping and armadillo is not the type of bait used but the location of the trap. They should be traced near the den or along a path, the armadillos frequent. This is how we do our Orlando armadillo trapping services.

Steps:

• 1. The size of the cage should a minimum size of 12 by 10 by 30 inches; this is large enough to fit an armadillo. The trap should be sturdy as armadillos are tough animals with strong and sharp claws. Place it near their daily routine. Strong barriers are positioned on either side of the trap’s opening and path leading to it. They should be at least 12 inches apart and parallel to each other to funnel the armadillo into the trap. The barriers take advantage of its poor eyesight. Wooden planks, fences or concrete blocks can be used. A number of traps can be used at the same location or different places.
• 2. Armadillo urine in a trail of droplets about 8 inches apart, a few rotten earthworms hung in nylon stocking and other armadillo foods may lure it onto the trap but baits hardly work because they dig for their food and attract other animals. Using dirt or soil is more effective.
• 3. Alternatively, build one yourself out of wire mesh and scrap wood. The bottom of the trap should have a simple rocker platform, when the creature steps on the rocker, the latch holding the sliding trap door is displaced sliding it shut. Barriers still have to be erected to lead the animal into the trap.
• 4. Once trapped, relocate it to a remote or wild place where it is unlikely to come back like near water (stream, pond, lake) and bush/cover where it can hide. They mare try to use their claws in retaliation one should be very careful.
• 5. Fill in the holes in your yard once the ‘visitor(s)’ is safely away.

If this fails, and you are unable to catch it by hand or net it, you can always shoot the annoying little creature. Of course, that's not a part of our Orlando armadillo removal process. To learn more about our services, visit the Orlando wild animal removal home page.