I saw an Armadillo! (eat, suburbs, snakes)

[mawipafl]

My aunt used moth flakes (not moth balls - those, the armadillos just push out of the way) sprinkled profusely in her gardens - the naphthalene isn't toxic to flowers, but I don't think she used it in her veggie garden. I think she used castor oil saturation around her veggie plants.

Thing is, if you can corral them to stay out from your driveway's edge and other such places, they are quite beneficial because their favorite candy are mole crickets which are a bigger, more destructive pest.

In PA our problems were gophers/groundhogs and skunks. Rather than engage in a battle we could never win (remove one and another moves in), we let them live undisturbed under our shed and eat from the droppings from our bird feeders. As a result, my vegetables were untouched and since groundhogs are territorial, we only contended with Chuckie and her family (until the youngsters grew up and left for the wide world beyond our yard.) For all that rodents and such are suppose to carry diseases, we never were sick nor know of anyone in our neighborhood who caught something nasty from living with mice, skunks, groundhogs, deer, etc.

I don't know -- I'm not a treehugger or anything, but I've learned over the years that it's far better and less stressful to figure out how to co-exist with the animals our housing has pushed out.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by mawipafl

I don't know -- I'm not a treehugger or anything, but I've learned over the years that it's far better and less stressful to figure out how to co-exist with the animals our housing has pushed out.

Great advice Mawipafl !

I had to hire a trapper a while back to get some possums out of a house (not my house......long story !). Here's what I learned from the trapper:

Armadillos are not native, so if you hire someone to have them trapped, they are required by Florida to kill them . Armadillos are harmless, they're not going to bite you or anything, but you still want to give them their space of course.

Possums ("Opposums") are generally pretty peaceful, but they will bite if cornered and they will give you a nasty bite ! The trapper told me that they can carry rabies, but not to the extent of Raccoons or feral cats (feral cats very often have rabies.....watch out!).

Raccoons can be very dangerous and will tear you up - stay clear and don't ever try to trap one on your own.

My neighborhood is surrounded by a conservation area (it was designed to tuck into the woods and the woods are staying, never to be built on), so even though I'm not out in the country I see all kinds of wildlife here. In addition to the ones listed above, I've seen:

Grey Fox
Red-shouldered Hawk and other hawks
Woodpecker
Black Racer snake
Scorpions (both Hentz and Florida Bark)
Vulture
Monarch Butterflies (I "farm" them )
Dragonflies (the big ones!)
Hummingbird
Robins, Cardinals, Blue Jays and we have resident Canadian Geese and ducks .

[songgirl]

Thanks so much for the advice! I will try the moth flakes. I really don't mind living among the armadillos, but they can't ruin the foundation of my house or driveway, ya know? I didn't know that the trappers had to kill the them. That's sad.

I'm also thinking of replacing the mulch in my flower beds with stone. Maybe this will deter them somewhat. But I'll try the moth flakes first....lots cheaper!

[riveree]

Originally Posted by songgirl

Thanks so much for the advice! I will try the moth flakes. I really don't mind living among the armadillos, but they can't ruin the foundation of my house or driveway, ya know? I didn't know that the trappers had to kill the them. That's sad.

I'm also thinking of replacing the mulch in my flower beds with stone. Maybe this will deter them somewhat. But I'll try the moth flakes first....lots cheaper!

The armadillos are usually digging up grubs. If you have a lot of holes being dug, you probably have a lot of grubs - not a good thing. How's the lawn? Does it look weakened? The grubs eat the roots of the grass.

I don't know how an armadillo's sense of smell is, but many mammals are repelled by the scent of citrus (such as dogs). I leave chopped up pieces of lemon and sometimes orange rind in my flower beds to keep the neighborhood dogs out - it works on most dogs and it's completely harmless. I also buy red pepper flakes and black pepper in bulk (Costco ) and sometimes spread that out on the lawn too. I'm mostly working against dog p**p, but it might work for armadillos too .

[BlueWillowPlate]

Riveree, since moving here I have seen all the critters you named except for grey foxes and scorpions--I did see them when I lived over on the west side, at Port St Joe.
The red-shouldered hawks constantly scold Elwood, and the vultures have even dive-bombed him.
I know this is an exaggeration but I swear some of the dragonflies, like those red ones, are the size of sparrows!
Gardens Alive offers citrus-based products (harmless to people and pets) which helps prevent garden pests like slugs, maybe they have stuff that works on grubs too.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by cil

Riveree, since moving here I have seen all the critters you named except for grey foxes and scorpions--I did see them when I lived over on the west side, at Port St Joe.
The red-shouldered hawks constantly scold Elwood, and the vultures have even dive-bombed him.
I know this is an exaggeration but I swear some of the dragonflies, like those red ones, are the size of sparrows!
Gardens Alive offers citrus-based products (harmless to people and pets) which helps prevent garden pests like slugs, maybe they have stuff that works on grubs too.

I love Gardens Alive ! They do have a product called "Milky Spore" that is for grub control - all natural and safe. In our climate, we'd put Milky Spore in the ground in the cooler months, I believe, so we're heading into that time of year soon enough.

The grey foxes suprised me, I did not even know they were here. We hear them at night (weird baby-like cries) and we see them from time to time too (saw one climb a neighbor's tree.....that was cool !).

The scorpions are often seen in new construction/disturbed woods. I never saw one until this house and now I've seen plenty. They're not agressive and not really dangerous. I've found a few of the tiny hentz ones in the house and I just scoop them up in a cup and put them outside. They're a beneficial insect, no need to kill them .

[riley]

this past Friday I too saw an armadillo looking for food in the bushes at my condos...it was pretty cool took some picture with my camera...maybe when i can i'll reply again with them.

Originally Posted by titaniummd

I was just sitting in the Lanai surfing the net when in the corner of my eye, I sighted a small animal walking through the grass along the edge of the golf course. After first I thought it was a cat. Upon further inspection, I realized it was an Armadillo. Being naive, I thought that they were only in Texas and the Southwest region of the US.

I stood there fascinated as I watched it search for food.

Frequently Asked Questions

[Soflosteph]

We've had quite a few possums and used the 'Have a heart' method of capturing them. It is a cage that they go into but can't get out of. If you catch one, Animal control will come and take it away to relocate it to a forest or someplace and replace the cage for the next one. At least this is what they did for us, I currently live in West Palm Beach. Good luck.

I just read the reply that says they have to kill captured Armadillos. I didnt know that but the cage thing would work for opossums and raccoons.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I just saw an armadillo!
Wow, it was so nice to see one alive, scuttling along, instead of dead and in pieces on the road.
I never would have seen it if I hadn't heard my cat making weird noises on the patio. She had a lizard, and I went out to rescue it, and the kitty began running away from me, then suddenly turned around and came running towards me.
Behind her was an armadillo,who ran away from both of us, across the alley, into a spot of undeveloped land.
Kitty and I just stood there and stared at him.
That was cool.
PS--the lizard got away

[mawipafl]

I've yet to have my real encounter, so I'm envious! The only one I've seen was the guy who was waddling along very quickly in the high grass by a tree line, and it wasn't until he disappeared that I realized what it was.

However, I was tickled quite silly yesterday by the box turtle that ambled onto my patio. So much for finishing household tasks! They were put aside so that I could watch the little guy figure out how to maneuver under the PVC furniture--his shell was too tall to fit under the chairs, so it was fascinating to watch him move on and try other spots.

He didn't seem to mind me too much, and he enjoyed the pieces of lettuce I gave him (noisy eater!) But when the cats appeared at the screen door, he closed up with a snap (literally). Took him about 5 minutes to peek his nose out to see if it was all clear.

Although it was like watching grass grow, I was mesmerized.