Armadillo-- How to get rid of them!

rsrey

I would like to ask for advice on how to repel an armadillo.

An agressive armadillo is attacking my mulched flowerbeds and shrubs nightly.

I have tried trapping but a bait-stealing raccoon always interferes. I have spread blood meal, coffee grounds, cat box scoopings, chopped garlic, cayenne powder, and Louisiana hot sauce. I have net yet peed on the mulch myself, but I am willing to try anything.

I am not willing to spread poisons. I do not want to shoot it. There is a large wooded area right next to the garden. I just want the dillo to leave my flowerbeds alone.

What have you tried that has worked for more than two days?

Confused

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Sarah

opabinia51 · Mod Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4676 Location: Victoria, BC

Try a little fence. You can buy these little white metal fences. My father uses them to keep his pets out of the pansies and I use them to keep the rabbits from my vegetable garden.

The Helpful Gardener · Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:08 pm Post subject:

My friend Lisa, who I occasionally do a radio show with, is always a proponent of the urine approach. "That's how everyone else in Nature does it!" says she, and you know, she's right. Try it...

Not my usual critter in the garden but the principle remains the same. If this does not deter, try predator urines like coyote (THERE's a job I don't want; collecting coyote pee).

I choose to live and let, and have chosen urine as my weapon of choice,

Scott

opabinia51 · Mod Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4676 Location: Victoria, BC

As I told my father with regard to his pansies: Don't plant them if you know the dog will dig them up. Plant Juniper or a cactus and she'll only try digging that once!

Around here deer are a big problem and the one sure fire plant that they won't eat is: Death Camus.

Anyway, try your new found methods and see what happens.

Good luck!

The Helpful Gardener · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 9:18 pm Post subject:

Native plants are usually not as big a draw for wildlife as they can find them when they want them. The Ladybird Johnson WIldflower Center is one of the best in the country, and is certainly on top of wildflowers for Texas Gardens; that may be worth a look...

http://www.wildflower.org/

Scott

birdhouse-lady · Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject: Dillos in the garden

I had a whole family of them digging up my front and side yard. You can forget the "little fence" idea. They just tore mine down and dug away! The only thing that works is the preditor spray/coyote urine. (borrrowed it out of my hubby's hunting bag) but is really expensive for the amount of space I have to cover. I tried to shoot them, but they are VERY FAST! they can run across the road and into the brush before I can shoulder and shoot! Does anybody have a real coyote for rent?

opabinia51 · Mod Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4676 Location: Victoria, BC

Have you tried Cayenne Pepper? It's not one of my favourites to use because it can be nasty for mucus membranes but, it seems to work for most pests.

The Helpful Gardener · Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:45 am Post subject:

Might help to address root causes for digging...

They feed on grubs mostly, so milky spore treatments twice a year for two years should eliminate them from digging in your yard...

Here's a great site wiith some other ideas for getting rid of them: I had no idea they were so sensitive to smells...

http://www.msu.edu/~nixonjos/armadillo/problems.html

Scott

opabinia51 · Mod Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 4676 Location: Victoria, BC

Looks like a great site.

my_secret_garden · Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 7:16 am Post subject:

I had no idea that armadillos were agressive. I live in the Mid-West so we don't have anything like that here. Luckily the only things I really have near my yard are squirrels and birds and maybe the occasional cat if it can get over our large privacy fence. Nothing else can really get into the yard because of the fence.