Can you keep armadillos out of your yard permanently? It is hard to keep any wild animal away forever, but you can take strong steps to make your yard a place armadillos do not want to visit or stay. What are armadillos doing in your yard? They are mostly looking for food. Why are they in your yard? Your yard likely has tasty bugs and worms that they love to eat, and maybe some safe spots to hide. Getting rid of armadillos in your yard means making these things harder for them to find. This needs more than just one simple fix; it often needs a few different armadillo control methods working together.
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Seeing the Signs of Armadillos
How do you know if armadillos are the problem? They leave clear signs. The most common sign is digging. Armadillos have sharp claws. They use them to dig small holes or turn over patches of dirt or grass. They are looking for food like grubs, earthworms, and insects.
What Armadillo Damage Looks Like
- Small, Cone-Shaped Holes: These holes are usually 1 to 3 inches deep. They look like someone poked a stick into the ground and wiggled it around.
- Torn-Up Ground: They might flip over pieces of sod or turf. This leaves messy patches in your lawn.
- Damaged Plants: Sometimes, they dig around plant roots while looking for food.
- Burrows: They might dig larger holes near foundations, woodpiles, or thick bushes. These are their homes. A burrow opening is often about 7-8 inches wide.
Recognizing these signs helps you know you need to stop armadillo damage. If you see these things, it is time to think about how to prevent armadillo digging.
Figuring Out Why Armadillos Choose Your Yard
Armadillos come to your yard for two main reasons: food and shelter.
Food Is the Main Reason
Armadillos eat mostly insects and other small things living in the soil. Think of your lawn as a big dinner plate for them. If your soil is healthy and full of worms, grubs, and other bugs, armadillos will find it. They can smell these food sources underground. They dig to get to them. A well-watered lawn often has more bugs close to the surface, making it an easy place for armadillos to hunt.
Shelter and Safety
Armadillos need places to rest and hide during the day. They are usually most active at night. They dig burrows for shelter. These burrows can be under porches, sheds, dense bushes, or piles of wood or brush. A messy yard with lots of hiding spots is more attractive to an armadillo looking for a home.
To keep them away, you need to make your yard less appealing for food and shelter.
Different Ways to Control Armadillos
Stopping armadillos needs a plan. There is no single magic spray or device that works perfectly for everyone. You often need to use several methods together. These methods fall into a few main groups:
- Making the yard less attractive (changing the habitat).
- Putting up physical barriers (like fences).
- Using things they dislike (repellents).
- Catching and moving them (trapping).
- Getting help from experts (wildlife pest control armadillos).
We will look at each of these ways in detail. The goal is to make your yard a place where armadillos cannot easily find food or shelter, and where it is hard for them to enter.
Changing Your Yard to Make It Less Nice
This is often the first and most important step. If armadillos cannot easily find food or a place to live, they are more likely to go somewhere else.
Control Their Food Source
Armadillos eat insects and other small creatures in the soil. Reducing these food sources can make your yard less tasty to them.
- Water Less Often: A very wet lawn often has more earthworms near the surface. Watering your lawn less often, but deeply when you do, can make the worms go deeper. This makes them harder for armadillos to find. Let the top few inches of soil dry out between watering.
- Manage Grubs: Grubs (the young form of beetles) are a favorite armadillo food. If you know you have a grub problem, treating your lawn for grubs might help. However, use grub control carefully. Many lawn treatments can harm helpful insects too. Also, if armadillos are eating lots of different things, just getting rid of grubs might not stop them completely.
- Clear Fallen Fruit/Nuts: Some armadillos will eat fallen fruit or nuts. Clean these up regularly.
- Secure Trash Cans: Make sure trash cans are closed tightly. Armadillos might be attracted to smells coming from your garbage.
Get Rid of Hiding Spots
Armadillos look for safe places to hide during the day and build burrows.
- Clean Up Piles: Remove piles of leaves, brush, wood, or other yard waste. These piles offer shelter.
- Trim Bushes: Keep bushes and shrubs trimmed up off the ground, especially those close to your house or other buildings. This makes it harder for armadillos to hide under them.
- Seal Spaces: Close off spaces under sheds, decks, porches, and foundations. Use sturdy wire mesh or boards. Bury the bottom edge of the material to stop them from digging under it.
Making these changes helps prevent armadillo digging by removing what they are looking for.
Using Physical Barriers: Building a Fence
A strong fence is one of the most effective ways to keep armadillos out. But armadillos are good diggers. A fence needs to be built in a special way to stop them from just going under it.
What Makes a Good Armadillo Fence
- Material: Use sturdy material they cannot chew through. Woven wire mesh (like chicken wire, but stronger) or hardware cloth works well. The mesh holes should be small enough so they cannot squeeze through. About 1-inch or 2-inch mesh is good.
- Height: The fence needs to be tall enough so they do not try to climb over. About 2-3 feet above the ground is usually enough, as armadillos are not great climbers.
- Depth (The Most Important Part): This is where most fences fail against armadillos. You must bury the bottom of the fence. Dig a trench about 10-12 inches deep. Put the bottom of the fence into this trench.
- The ‘L’ Shape: For even better results, bend the bottom 6 inches of the fence material outwards (away from the yard) at a 90-degree angle before burying it. This creates an ‘L’ shape underground. When an armadillo tries to dig under the fence, it will hit this buried, outward-facing part and get stopped.
- Support: Use strong posts to hold the fence up. Put the posts on the inside of the fence line. This makes it harder for an armadillo leaning against the fence to push it over.
- No Gaps: Make sure there are no gaps under gates or between fence sections. Armadillos can squeeze through surprisingly small openings.
Building a proper fence to keep armadillos out is a lot of work, but it is often the best long-term solution to protect a specific area like a garden or a whole yard.
Table: Fence Requirements for Armadillos
| Feature | Requirement | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 2-3 feet above ground | Stops them from climbing over |
| Material | Sturdy wire mesh (1-2 inch holes), hardware cloth | They cannot chew or push through it |
| Buried Depth | 10-12 inches deep | Stops them from digging under |
| Bottom Edge | Bent outward 6 inches (‘L’ shape) | Makes digging under much harder |
| Posts | Strong, on the inside of the fence | Provides needed support |
| Gaps | None, especially at gates | They will find and use small holes |
A fence like this is a major step in effective armadillo control methods.
Trying Repellents and Deterrents
Many people look for an easy spray or product to get rid of armadillos. There are products sold as armadillo repellent effective solutions, and many natural armadillo deterrents or home remedies armadillo removal ideas you might hear about.
Commercial Repellents
Some garden stores sell liquid or granular products meant to keep armadillos away. These often use smells or tastes that animals dislike. Common ingredients include things like castor oil, predator urine (like coyote), or strong spices.
- How They Work: You usually spray or spread these products around the areas you want to protect or near armadillo holes. The idea is that the smell or taste will make the armadillo leave.
- Are They Effective? The success of these repellents is mixed. They might work for a short time or for some armadillos. However, if an armadillo is very hungry or has a good food source in your yard, it might ignore the unpleasant smell or taste. Rain and watering can wash them away, so you need to use them again often. They are rarely a permanent fix on their own.
Natural Deterrents and Home Remedies
People have tried many simple things they have around the house or garden to scare armadillos away. These are often called home remedies armadillo removal techniques or natural armadillo deterrents.
- Strong Smells:
- Cayenne Pepper or Chili Powder: Sprinkling spicy powders on the ground.
- Garlic Spray: Making a spray with garlic and water.
- Vinegar Soaked Rags: Placing rags soaked in vinegar near burrows or damaged areas.
- Mothballs: Some people place mothballs around. Caution: Mothballs can be toxic to pets and children and harmful to the environment. Many wildlife experts do not recommend them.
- Unpleasant Tastes:
- Castor Oil: Mixing castor oil with water and soap to spray on the lawn. This can make the insects taste bad or be harder to find.
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Sound or Light Devices:
- Motion-Activated Sprinklers: A sudden spray of water can scare them away.
- Ultrasonic Devices: Devices that make high-pitched sounds. (Effectiveness is often questioned for armadillos).
- Bright Lights: Keeping lights on at night. (Armadillos are mostly nocturnal but might get used to lights).
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Do Natural Methods Work? Like commercial repellents, the results vary a lot. Strong smells or sudden scares might make an armadillo move on temporarily. But if they are motivated by food, they will likely return once the smell fades or they get used to the disturbance. These are generally not effective ways to keep armadillos out of yard permanently. They can be part of a larger plan, but do not rely on them alone.
Trapping Armadillos
If other methods fail, or if you have an armadillo causing a lot of damage right now, trapping is another option to get rid of armadillos in your yard.
Live Trapping
This involves using a cage trap to catch the armadillo without harming it.
- Type of Trap: Use a sturdy, live animal trap meant for animals about the size of a large cat or raccoon. The trap should be at least 10x12x32 inches.
- Placement: Place the trap near active armadillo burrows or along paths you see the armadillos using. Armadillos often walk along fences, walls, or other borders. Placing the trap along these paths can guide them into it.
- Bait: Earthworms are the best bait for armadillos. Put a handful of earthworms in a small container (like a plastic tub) buried flush with the soil inside the trap. You can also try rotten fruit or just placing soil and leaves in the trap to make it look natural.
- Guiding: Use boards or mesh to make a funnell shape leading into the trap entrance. This helps direct the armadillo towards the opening.
- Check Often: Check the trap often, at least in the early morning, as caught animals can get stressed or hurt.
- What to Do When Caught: This is very important. Check your local and state laws about trapping and relocating wildlife. In many places, it is illegal or requires a permit to move wild animals. If it is allowed, you need to move the armadillo several miles away (at least 5-10 miles) to a suitable natural area where it will not bother other people. If relocation is not allowed, you may need to call animal control or a wildlife professional to handle the animal.
Trapping can remove a specific problem armadillo, but it does not stop new armadillos from coming to your yard if the attractants (food and shelter) are still there.
Dealing with Armadillo Holes
Once you start taking steps to deter armadillos, you will also need to fix the damage they have already done. Filling the holes they dig is part of getting your yard back in shape.
How to Fill Armadillo Holes
- Check the Hole: First, make sure the armadillo is not still in the hole or burrow. Look for signs of recent use (fresh dirt, tracks). If it is a larger burrow, you might need to monitor it or use a method to encourage the armadillo to leave before filling it. One way is to lightly pack leaves or paper into the entrance; if they push it out, they are still using it.
- Clean Out Debris: Remove any loose leaves or garbage that might be in the hole.
- Fill with Soil: Use fresh soil or a mix of soil and sand. Pack it firmly into the hole.
- Add Seed or Sod: To help the area recover and blend with your lawn, add grass seed or place a piece of sod over the filled hole.
- Water: Water the area gently.
Filling holes helps repair your lawn and makes it less likely for the armadillo to reuse that exact spot. However, they can easily dig new holes nearby if the food source is still present. This is why preventing future digging is key, not just filling old holes. This task is a direct part of how to fill armadillo holes.
When to Call Wildlife Pest Control for Armadillos
Sometimes, the problem is too big to handle yourself, or you need expert help. This is when you should think about calling professional wildlife pest control armadillos services.
Reasons to Call a Professional
- Large Infestation: If you seem to have many armadillos visiting regularly.
- Major Damage: If they are causing serious damage to your foundation, structures, or valuable landscaping.
- Difficult to Trap: If you have tried trapping without success.
- Legal Issues: If you are unsure about the laws for trapping and relocating armadillos in your area.
- Persistent Problem: If you have tried multiple DIY methods and the armadillos keep coming back.
- Burrows Near Structures: If they have dug burrows under your house, porch, or shed, which could cause structural problems.
Wildlife control experts understand armadillo behavior. They have tools and methods that might be more effective. They also know the laws regarding wildlife. They can help you figure out the best plan for your specific situation. They might use trapping, specific repellents, or help you identify and fix the things attracting armadillos.
Creating a Long-Term Strategy for Permanent Results
Keeping armadillos out permanently, or as close to permanently as possible, is not about using one method once. It is about making your yard a less welcoming place for them over time. This means using a mix of the methods we have discussed and keeping up with them.
Combining Methods for Success
- Start with Habitat Changes: Make your yard less attractive first. Reduce food and shelter. This is a preventative step.
- Build Barriers for Key Areas: If you have a garden or a specific part of the yard you really want to protect, build a proper fence around it.
- Use Repellents Strategically: Repellents might help push armadillos away from a newly treated area or discourage investigation, but do not rely on them alone for long-term control. Use them along with habitat changes and barriers.
- Use Trapping for Stubborn Visitors: If one or two armadillos keep coming despite your efforts, trapping and relocating (if allowed) can remove those specific animals.
- Be Consistent: Check your yard regularly for new signs of digging or activity. Address problems quickly. Keep up with yard maintenance.
- Monitor: Watch your yard to see if your efforts are working. If you still see new holes, you might need to adjust your strategy.
Think of it like protecting your home from bad weather; you do not just fix the roof when it leaks. You make sure the roof is strong, the windows are sealed, and the drainage is good all the time.
Using a combination of armadillo control methods is the most effective way to stop armadillo damage and get rid of armadillos in your yard over time. Preventing armadillo digging through physical barriers and removing food sources is key to success.
Table: Combining Armadillo Control Methods
| Method | Action | Best Used For | Effectiveness for Permanence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat Change | Reduce food (water less, manage grubs), clean up shelter | Prevention, making yard less attractive | High (long-term reduction) |
| Fencing/Barriers | Build buried fence, seal spaces under structures | Protecting specific areas, stopping entry | High (physical block) |
| Repellents | Apply smell/taste deterrents | Temporary discouragement, testing areas | Low to Medium (needs reapply) |
| Trapping | Catch and remove armadillo (check laws) | Removing specific problem animals | Medium (removes this one) |
| Professional Help | Call experts for complex or large problems | Difficult situations, advice, safe removal | High (expert solutions) |
No single solution is perfect, but combining high-effectiveness methods like habitat control and fencing offers the best chance to keep armadillos out of yard permanently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are answers to some common questions about armadillos in your yard.
Are Armadillos Dangerous?
Armadillos are generally not dangerous to humans or pets. They are shy and will usually run away if approached. They might scratch or bite if cornered, but this is rare. They are not aggressive.
Do Armadillos Carry Diseases?
Armadillos can carry the bacteria that causes leprosy (Hansen’s disease) in humans. However, the risk of getting leprosy from an armadillo is very low. It usually requires long contact. Still, it is wise to avoid touching wild armadillos and use gloves if you need to handle anything they have touched.
Are Armadillos Protected Animals?
In most states, armadillos are not protected wildlife. In many places, you are allowed to trap or remove them if they are causing damage. However, laws vary by location. Always check with your local wildlife agency before trapping or harming any wild animal.
What Time of Day Are Armadillos Active?
Armadillos are mostly nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. They do most of their digging and searching for food between dusk and dawn. You might see them during the day if the weather is cold or cloudy.
How Quickly Can Armadillos Damage a Yard?
An armadillo can dig many holes in a single night while it is searching for food. Serious damage can happen very quickly, sometimes in just a few nights.
How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Armadillos?
There is no set time. Removing a specific armadillo through trapping can be quick. But if your yard still has food and shelter, new armadillos might arrive. Preventing them from coming back with barriers and habitat changes is an ongoing process that takes time and regular effort.
Will My Dog Keep Armadillos Away?
Dogs might bark at or chase armadillos, which can sometimes scare them off temporarily. However, dogs are usually not a reliable long-term solution for keeping armadillos away, and they can get hurt if they try to confront an armadillo.
Wrapping Up
Armadillos can be a real problem for your yard, turning nice grass into a mess of holes and torn-up ground. Stopping armadillo damage and preventing armadillo digging for good takes effort and the right approach. While getting rid of armadillos in your yard permanently is a high goal, you can make it very hard for them to live there.
The most effective ways involve making your yard less appealing by controlling their food sources and cleaning up potential shelter spots. Building strong physical barriers, like a properly buried fence, is also a powerful method to keep armadillos out. Repellents and home remedies armadillo removal ideas might offer temporary help, but they are rarely enough on their own. Trapping can remove problem animals, but remember to check local laws first. For big problems, getting wildlife pest control armadillos involved is a smart choice.
By using a mix of these armadillo control methods and staying consistent, you can protect your yard and enjoy it without the unwanted digging. It takes a bit of work, but a secure and less attractive yard is the best defense against these digging visitors.