The 9-banded armadillo can make a real mess of your yard and garden.
I live in central Texas near Houston and my yard is being destroyed by armadillos. Every day I have to walk through my yard trying to patch up the holes they dig over night. A few weeks ago I noticed some movement outside, looked out the window and caught the critter red-handed digging in my yard. I ran outside, shouted and chased it away.
As it trundled off, it ran straight to my neighbor’s yard, where it went down a large hole next to and leading under their garage. Great! That must be where it lives. My neighbors couldn’t care less that their yard is a mess and full of holes. It is always a mess. I want to get rid of the armadillo, but why should I carry the burden when it is my neighbors who are sheltering the animal?
Anyway, I tried talking to my neighbors about the armadillo. “Aren’t they cute?! We love watching them root around.” That is about what I figured they would say.
So, they aren’t willing or even interested in getting rid of the armadillos and I am not interested in having my lawn destroyed. So what is the compromise? Well, I tried to research how to repel these animals and discovered that there are no armadillo repellents. People will tell you they have something that works, but the only testimonials are on the manufacturer’s site and that should tell you something. I looked for barriers or fences and discovered that I could probably buy a car for what it would cost to make my whole yard armadillo-proof.
So I finally broke down and called a trapper that I found listed in an online directory on Allstate Animal Control’s website. I still feel it is unfair to pay to get rid of a problem that is really my neighbor’s, but I don’t really care what they think about my choice, either. What took the bitter taste out of my mouth is that it cost less than I thought it would and it was fixed and over with very quickly. In fact, after I figured the cost of all I was doing to repair my yard, it was more than worth it. The guy came out and obviously knew how to get rid of armadillos. He trapped the critters very discretely and took them away very discretely and, poof, no more problem.
My yard is looking great again, and I feel much more at peace with myself, my yard and my neighbor. I don’t know that he will ever take care of his yard, but I am really proud of mine. Getting rid of armadillos is so worth it!
Armadillo Control and Removal Services: 1-888-488-7720
