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How to Get Rid of Armadillos In Your Yard With 5 Simple Tips

dwarf armadillo coming out from a hole

If you’re a homeowner living in the United States, you’ve probably seen an armadillo or two in your yard. Armadillos can cause quite a bit of damage to your lawn, flower beds, and even your house. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to get rid of armadillos in your yard. So let’s look at some ways to get rid of them and reclaim your yard.

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The 5 Tips to Get Rid of Armadillos In Your Yard

1. Find Their Entrances

To remove armadillos effectively, you’ll first need to figure out where they are entering your yard. Most animals, including armadillos, enter your yard through holes in your fence. So, to trap an armadillo, you’ll need to dig around your fence and find these holes.

If you don’t have time to dig around your fence and find the holes, you can also install a camera and a motion sensor near these holes. This will trigger the camera and alarm, letting you know where the holes are. Once you’ve found the location, then you can close up the holes.

Hole in yard with yellow plastic natural gas
Image Credit: J.J. Gouin, Shutterstock

2. Reduce Their Food Supply

Termites, grubs and other insects are an armadillo’s favorite food. To make your yard less attractive, reduce their food sources. Be sure to trim bushes and shrubs, as armadillos search for overgrown areas since they’re often home to insects. Also, protect your crops by using things like wire mesh to cover your vegetable garden and high flower beds.


3. Install Electric Fencing

An electric fence can be used to keep armadillos away from your lawn and your grass. However, it is not recommended for areas with children or pets. To keep armadillos away, consider placing one 3- to 4-inch-tall strand with posts at least a foot from your fence. But first, you may want to check with your county or city to confirm whether electric fences are permitted in your area. Many towns prohibit the use of electric barriers due to safety concerns.

electric fence around farm
Image Credit: Alzbeta, Shutterstock

4. Eliminate Their Comfy Spots

The best thing that you can do for your yard is to eliminate any areas that armadillos can hide in and feast. This includes tall grasses, shrubs, and any trees that may provide them with additional protection. Armadillos love to hide beneath foundations, decks, and under rocks and large piles of debris. So be sure to keep your bushes and grass cut and remove any deadly piles of fallen branches from your yard.


5. Bait and Live Traps & Baits

If all else fails, you can trap the armadillos and relocate them. But before using any types of bait traps you’ll need to see what the wildlife laws are within your state. As long as everything is perfectly legal, you’ll want to pick your trap or bait device and monitor your yard. Most armadillo traps will measure about 12 in. by 32 in., as these animals can get quite large. It’s always best to place a little bit of bait in your trap, such as a common armadillo food source, to attract them to the trap.

armadillo trapped in a live trap
Image Credit: Carl Banks Photography, Shutterstock

Consult a PEST-CONTROL expert

Find a pest-control specialist in your area, and get free, no-commitment estimates for your project.

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Wrapping Things Up

There are a few ways to get rid of armadillos in your yard. If you’ve tried trapping and repelling, and you’re still finding armadillos in your yard, there’s one more option: modifying the environment to disincentivize them from entering. You can do this by making sure there are no holes in your fence for these animals to enter. And finally, make sure to keep your yard as clean and tidy as possible to prevent armadillos from digging in it for shelter.


Featured Image Credit: ymgerman, Shutterstock

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