Burrowing critter - Houston - Texas (TX) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

nmnita · 09-01-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leah52

We returned after a week away and our neighbor pointed out that a critter of some sort has been burrowing around our house. She thinks it is an armadillo. This is new to me. Does anyone have a suggestion about how to discourage this creature from doing this?

Well, we had the same problem here and our yard was a mess. They didn't burrow around the house as in trying to get under the house, but we do think mommy may have been living under our shed last year (not this year) anyway we had holes all over the front and back. Last year we did nothing, this year we bought grub killer from Lowes. Apparently the armadillos are after the grubs. It worked anyway and they decided to find another home. It does appear they are re-entering our back yard but fall is almost here so we will let it go til spring.

Nita

movingtohouston · 09-01-2009, 03:23 PM

Ugh, we have horrible armadillos that live under both of our neighbors back decks on both sides. They have tore up our backyard to cut through. My neighbor has tried unsuccessfully cayenne pepper, mothballs, cages, and most recently urine to keep the stupid things away. Nothing has worked so far. My neighbor read that if you have huge holes, you are supposed to bury a 2 ft long piece of metal in the ground (we haven't tried that yet).

Good luck, I am curious to see if anyone comes up with anything else that works. I will check out that blood meal and try that too.

BoydS · 09-01-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nmnita
Well, we had the same problem here and our yard was a mess. They didn't burrow around the house as in trying to get under the house, but we do think mommy may have been living under our shed last year (not this year) anyway we had holes all over the front and back. Last year we did nothing, this year we bought grub killer from Lowes. Apparently the armadillos are after the grubs. It worked anyway and they decided to find another home. It does appear they are re-entering our back yard but fall is almost here so we will let it go til spring.

Nita

Good advice, but grubs are just one of the little critters armadillos are after. They also feed on beetles, spiders, ants (even the Fireant) and others. You need to control the insects in your yard, after that the armadillo will seek greener pastures. It may take awhile to rid your yard of them, as it will not happen over night. Live animal traps can be set next to their burrow (if you find any), use boards (ie 2x6) to funnel to critter into the trap. You can buy a trap at Academy.

Good luck...

leah52 · 09-01-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

You didn't mention. Did the critter burrow a hole, like he could still be in there? Or did he just dig here and there starting holes but not deep enough to hide til dark?

It's a deep hole that I suspect he is still in. The hole appears to go under the house.

ShelbyGirl1 · 09-01-2009, 07:36 PM

If you trap him....they are nasty, nasty little guys that will fight to the death if they are cornored! Watch those front claws!

BoydS · 09-01-2009, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by leah52
It's a deep hole that I suspect he is still in. The hole appears to go under the house.

If it's an armadillo that hole would be about 8-10 inches wide. If you see fresh dirt around it, then you got a critter living in that burrow. The burrow of an amadillo can go up to 20 feet and may cause damage to your house foundation. You need to capture this critter. Please see my reply on using a live trap. They are fairly easy to capture.

If you do decide to buy a trap (which is made of steel), make sure it is the larger one. Dimensions in inches should be about 20L x 10H x 10W. Academy sells them and ask for this larger animal trap. Place the trap about 2 feet from the hole and place boards in a "Y" shape from the trap to the house foundation. When he bumps into the board he won't crawl over it, but continue his march straight into the trap. Don't bait the trap. Once you have set the trap cover the first 5-6 inches (into the trap) of the bottom with dirt (about half an inch coverage over the bottom metal). You have to understand that since the trap is made of metal (basically a wire cage) the armadillo has senistive feet and will know he's stepping into something unsual if he feels that metal. That's why you need to cover the bottom of the trap with dirt.

Once you have captured the critter and not comfortable with releasing it into the wild on your own, call the county animal control and they will come and remove it. If you do decide to release the critter on your own, make sure you drive several miles away from your home to do that. They tend to come back to their burrow if released nearby. Also, don't think since you capture one there ain't no more in that hole. Keep the trap there for a few weeks just to be sure. Then you can fill the hole in.

Oh, another thing I just remembered is that the county animal control will loan traps. But call them to verify that, as it's been a few years since I was informed of this freebee.

HookTheBrotherUp · 09-01-2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShelbyGirl1

If you trap him....they are nasty, nasty little guys that will fight to the death if they are cornored! Watch those front claws!

I would not try to handle them, you never know. Though leprosy can now be treated, the damage leprosy causes cannot be undone.

leah52 · 09-01-2009, 09:29 PM

I got the trap from the county. They loan them for one week, with a deposit. I have it set by the offended ground. I read the post about covering the bottom with dirt after I had it set. If I don't catch him tonight I'll add that element tomorrow. I may do that tomorrow even if I do catch one tonight, just in case ther are more in there.

The county animal control said to call when I have something trapped and they will come and take it to release it. They were emphatic that I am not to do this! I would not be tempted to, but I suppose others might be.

Thanks for all your input. I'll keep you posted on what happens. I hope I have a critter picture to post tomorrow!

ShelbyGirl1 · 09-02-2009, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leah52

I got the trap from the county. They loan them for one week, with a deposit. I have it set by the offended ground. I read the post about covering the bottom with dirt after I had it set. If I don't catch him tonight I'll add that element tomorrow. I may do that tomorrow even if I do catch one tonight, just in case ther are more in there.

The county animal control said to call when I have something trapped and they will come and take it to release it. They were emphatic that I am not to do this! I would not be tempted to, but I suppose others might be.

Thanks for all your input. I'll keep you posted on what happens. I hope I have a critter picture to post tomorrow!

Happy Hunting!

BoydS · 09-02-2009, 05:29 PM

Good for you Leah52. Hope you catch that critter (or critters). One thing I forgot to tell you is to throw an old dark colored towel over the trap (that does help). I've caught and released several here and I typically wear heavey gloves when I open the cage to let em go. I've never encounter an aggressive one yet. Now I did catch a stray cat once and it stayed in that trap til the next morning. You wanna talked PO'd, that cat was ... never seen anything move that fast once the trap door was opened...