DIY Tips for Armadillos -
Armadillos are most commonly found in the southern part in the United States in there unstoppable search for food. Armadillos are unlike any other creature in North America, but it most closely resembles an anteater that is covered with a thick layer of scaly armor. The armadillo is a smaller creature, rarely getting bigger than the size of a large house cat. The color of the armadillo comes in a variety of shades, but is most commonly a ruddy brown color or gray color; it is rarely multicolored. However, the most striking characteristic of the armadillo is its sticky tongue that it whips out of its long snout to catch insects and ants.
Many people don’t realize that armadillos can be a nuisance to anyone other than the occasional car driver. While the armadillo can be quite dangerous to car drivers in areas that have poor night visibility, they can also do a number on your house and yard. One of the armadillo’s best attributes is that it keeps the insect population down to a manageable level, but it is also what makes them incredibly annoying. If you have an armadillo problem you will know it by all the holes in your lawn. Armadillos will also dig in your garden and burrow under your house which is especially dangerous because they can damage the foundation, plumbing and electrical wiring. If you have armadillos and you want to get rid of them, try some of these do-it-yourself tips and they will be gone in no time.
• The single most effective way of keeping an armadillo out of your yard and home is fence it out. Building a fence around the entire perimeter of your yard is the most effective way, but you can also just build it around your garden or around your house if you cannot afford to do your entire yard. Any type of fencing will do as long as it is sturdy and is buried at least a foot underground and a couple of feet above ground. The most common types of fencing are picket fencing and wire mesh fencing.
• Another effective way is to trap the armadillos that are on your property. However, please be aware that trapping is not legal in most states and you will have to check on this or risk facing getting into trouble with your local animal control agency. If it is legal to trap them, you can pick up a variety of traps at hardware stores, garden stores or rent one from a wildlife removal agency.
• A popular trap is a trap door that you put over the hole that allows the animal to come out but not go back in. There are also live cage traps that work well also. Trapping takes time and patience and once you have them trapped you will have to relocate the armadillos to a nice wooded place at least 10 miles away from your home. Once you have relocated the critters, patch up any holes that they may have dug and patch up your house to discourage them from returning.
• There are many repellents available that are supposed to keep armadillos away from your house, but there is a consensus that these do not work as well as they say they do. Some repellents use odors that are unpleasant to the armadillo but they wear off quickly and have to be constantly reapplied. These are the least effective repellents.
• There are some repellents that use sound and water that have proven to be a bit more effective than scent. For example, you can buy an ultrasonic sound emitter that makes a high pitched sound that is really annoying, but this device can annoy your pets so it’s not an option for everyone. There are also motion activated sprinkler systems that spray the armadillo every time is comes in range of the device. Eventually the animal will learn that they cannot go there without being sprayed.
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how to trap an armadillo.
