Armadillos
The Nine-Banded Armadillo is an unusual creature. It is very ancient, in a family similar to anteaters. They have the unique advantage of wearing a suit of armor, made of bone-like material. They thrive in warm climates with soft soil, such as Texas and Florida. They dig for all of their food, which consists primarily of grubs and earthworms. They also dig large, deep burrows into the ground in which they live and raise young. Armadillos always have identical quadruplets.
They have an excellent sense of smell. When startled, they often jump straight up, then run surprisingly fast. They are usually about two feet long and about 12 pounds as adults. They are primarily nocturnal, but sometimes emerge after a rain or in cool weather.
Armadillos are expert diggers. They can cause serious damage to a lawn or a nicely landscaped area. However, most of the calls I get regarding armadillos involve their large burrows. They often dig holes in undesirable places, such as underneath a concrete porch, the foundation of a house, or near gas/water lines. If they remove too much dirt from under a concrete foundation, the foundation faces the danger of cracking. Their burrows also attract other animals. If you see a large hole on your property with a lot of dirt thrown out, that’s the work of an armadillo. They need to be trapped.