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Armadillo

August 12, 2005

      Within the last few weeks, we noticed a number of holes near the roots of our plants amongst our landscape.  One hole in particular seemed to grow larger every day we looked at it.

             

      At first, before we could appreciate the size of hole it would become, we thought it might was a mole.  We had problems with moles when we lived in California and the holes in the yard were reminiscent of those days.  We first tried to cover the hole with dirt, then eventually with a large panel of pegboard covered with bricks and more dirt, but covering the hole didn't stop a new one nearby from being created and each new one larger than the first.  Still thinking it might be a mole, we applied mole repellent, then poison peanuts, but nothing seemed to stop the hole from being renewed and enlarged.

               

      I then used Copernic and searched for keywords on the Internet and the word Armadillo sprung up everywhere I looked.  It turns out that Armadillos are incredibly resilient and pay little heed to repellents or other deterrents.  The only solution, apparently was to trap it.

                  

      On August 10th, I invested $45 and purchased a medium size animal trap.  The employee at the store advised me not to buy too small of a trap.  As bait, I cut the bottom off of a plastic cup and broke apart an uncooked sausage link.  I then wrapped the cup with saran wrap and poked holes in it.  The idea was to keep the meat contained until the intended animal was able to get in the trap to get at it.  The trap was placed near the hole.

           

      I wanted to make sure that the trap did not snare a neighbors cat so I checked it regularly.  In the dark of the 4 a.m. hour on August 12th, I noticed that the trap had done its job.  A very sizable Armadillo had found its way in and tripped the door shut behind it.  The red in the photos is the cup I that had placed the bait.

               

      I did not want our new "pet" to startle passersby the next morning as they walked their dogs or pushed their strollers past our home.  I placed large rags over the trap to keep it calm and carried it to the back yard.

               

      By morning, we found that the Armadillo had figured out how to remove the saran wrap, eat the sausage and fall asleep snuggled up with its head in the darkest area of the cage.  It remained fast asleep as we removed the rags and took a few photos.

               

      The information I had found on the Internet stated that Armadillos smell very bad and they are right.  Apparently that stench doesn't go away fast if you try to transport them in an automobile so that will not be an option for us.

               

      I called Seminole County Animal Control and they provided a list of phone numbers of companies that might remove the animal.  They said that I cannot remove it off the property myself unless I first obtain a trappers license.  They added, however,  that since the Armadillo is not native to Florida, we could humanely kill it and we might call Florida Fish and Game for more information.  (Hmm, note to self, I am not a native of Florida.)

                

      Florida Fish and Game told me the same information as did Animal Control also adding that I may choose to humanely kill the animal.  I knew that some neighbor might yell and scream if they saw me try to drown it in the lake, so I pressed for an idea of what humane means I might try.  Strangling it with my bare hands just seemed like an awkward proposition.  She suggested shooting it.  Yea, I'll just whip out my lizard hunting rifle I keep stashed and take care of that straight away.

                 

      In the Oviedo phone book, I located a company called Whitaker Exterminating Company in Chuluota.  Their phone number is (407) 365-8535.  They said that will pick up the animal, then return my trap soon thereafter (empty I trust) for an even $25.  I gave them a credit card number and instructions that the animal was located in the trap in the back yard in case I would not be home when they arrived.

                    

      The plan then is to hose down the trap, and reset it to see if this little guy has any housemates.  So far, the cost to identify and dispose of this armadillo has been about $96.

              

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