Armadillos

**Beach Runner** · 09-01-2010, 09:29 PM

All of a sudden we have armadillos damaging our freshly-landscaped property in GA that was just spruced up for the wedding.

Any ideas? Do I need to sit outside with my revolver at night? Not using the Beretta -- makes me too nervous. Don't want to poison our standard poodle in the patio area where she goes potty but where the nasty critters have recently invaded. They have also just invaded the front yard which is not part of Pepper's territory but where we have spent a boatload of money on new sod for the June wedding.

Should I call Orkin or Rid-A-Critter or what? I can't stay up all night with a gun. Classes started today. I need some sleep.

MFRS.

**Teresa** · 09-02-2010, 05:25 AM

ahhhhhhhhhh,, I love armadillos! we had whole families nesting in our huge fern beds under live oaks in Gainesville long ago. I would only see them at dusk, and they didn't see me or seem to care that I was standing right there. we didn't bother them and they didn't bother us. there was this possum that helped himself to the catfood IN the kitchen once....

anyway, not sure what to do about the problem of critters in your yard - surely the pros know what to do. hope they can be relocated but not sure if that is the solution for armadillos. I hope so!

DD · 09-02-2010, 07:17 AM

I feel your pain, BR. Between them and the moles, I only have flowers in pots--and the heat didn't help either. All the flowers in the ground are long gone. They leave holes everywhere. I don't wanna kill 'em, but dammit.

**Douglas the Intrepid** · 09-02-2010, 08:29 AM

Remember to cook them thoroughly before eating as they can cause leprosy! ;) I recommend a lovely spaghetti sauce as they can be a bit greasy...If you can't beat-em, eat-em! lol

**Lynnie** · 09-02-2010, 10:15 AM

BR, would a BB ricochet off an armadillo?

I had some kinda' critter eating my succulents (in containers), so I brought them all in and have managed to give them a slow death anyway. Dangitall.

**scooterbug44** · 09-02-2010, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by Douglas the Intrepid

Remember to cook them thoroughly before eating as they can cause leprosy! ;)

Did you get that from Royal Pains?

BR I was told that cayenne pepper would discourage armadillos - but the image of you armed and lying in wait is making me laugh - just don't shoot the neighbors!

**Teresa** · 09-02-2010, 12:07 PM

you think armadillos eat up plants? you should see these massive georgia thumpers that multiply every summer and grow into these huge grasshoppers and then they start munching. and we just let 'em go at it - what the heck they have to eat, right? plus, we don't do manicured anything in the woods so its not so horrible. I mean they eat whole plants. no, not as big as an armadillo, but they are huge for a grasshopper and huge in numbers!!!

**Beach Runner** · 09-02-2010, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by DD

I feel your pain, BR. Between them and the moles, I only have flowers in pots--and the heat didn't help either. All the flowers in the ground are long gone. They leave holes everywhere. I don't wanna kill 'em, but dammit.

OMG! If they start digging in the formal geometric gardens that we spent a fortune on, I WILL shoot them. Although I heard from a friend that when they're shot, they jump pretty high and explode. Not cleaning that up.

Originally Posted by Douglas the Intrepid

Remember to cook them thoroughly before eating as they can cause leprosy! ;) I recommend a lovely spaghetti sauce as they can be a bit greasy...If you can't beat-em, eat-em! lol

Our landscape maintenance guys (you know SWGB, the ones you saw with Big D at Pizza Bar

) said that their friends say armadillo tastes like pork, but they won't eat them. The landscape guys can't wait for their next trip to SoWal -- they love the restaurants! They are really nice guys.

Originally Posted by Lynnie

BR, would a BB ricochet off an armadillo?

I had some kinda' critter eating my succulents (in containers), so I brought them all in and have managed to give them a slow death anyway. Dangitall.

I dunno. That's why our daughter demanded that I not shoot.

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

Did you get that from Royal Pains?

BR I was told that cayenne pepper would discourage armadillos - but the image of you armed and lying in wait is making me laugh - just don't shoot the neighbors!

LOL. After our home invasion, no one would visit us without calling first. They were afraid I'd shoot them.

Originally Posted by Teresa

you think armadillos eat up plants? you should see these massive georgia thumpers that multiply every summer and grow into these huge grasshoppers and then they start munching. and we just let 'em go at it - what the heck they have to eat, right? plus, we don't do manicured anything in the woods so its not so horrible. I mean they eat whole plants. no, not as big as an armadillo, but they are huge for a grasshopper and huge in numbers!!!

Well, we have deer eating up everything they can, so I hear ya. There have been several times that deer have almost hit our car while we were driving up the driveway!

Now we have had another attack from the animal kingdom. We went on the upper porch today and found almost a quart of animal droppings. They were right under one of our hurricane shutters (that BTW came in handy when Hurricane Opal came through GA in1995). Big D closed the shutter, and there was a bat attached to the brick siding! We ran like bunnies into the house. I dunno what we're gonna do. One of my colleagues is a bat expert, so I have emailed him.

Bat turds for real!

**megawisdumb** · 09-02-2010, 03:35 PM

An armadillo dug 20 or so deep holes all over my lawn last year. I placed my wireless driveway alert next to one of the areas and the beep came about 2am that evening which was followed by me exiting the backdoor with my pistol and coming up behind them. They have very poor eye sight so dont make any noise and they will not know you are around at night. He was a big boy at @30lbs and fit nicely into the hole I dug for him to rest peacefully. No more holes in the yard or for my horses to step into. Driveway alert is the way to go.

**megawisdumb** · 09-02-2010, 03:38 PM

Forgot to mention you can grab them by the tail and they cant bite you if you want to relocate them. They have limited ability to pull up like a raccoon just grab the tail and keep it away from your body and place them into a trash can. They do make all sorts of loud noises when you grab ahold so be prepared or you will drop them and run like a little girl (i did this the 1st time).

**Beach Runner** · 09-02-2010, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by megawisdumb

An armadillo dug 20 or so deep holes all over my lawn last year. I placed my wireless driveway alert next to one of the areas and the beep came about 2am that evening which was followed by me exiting the backdoor with my pistol and coming up behind them. They have very poor eye sight so dont make any noise and they will not know you are around at night. He was a big boy at @30lbs and fit nicely into the hole I dug for him to rest peacefully. No more holes in the yard or for my horses to step into. Driveway alert is the way to go.

Actually we installed motion detectors all over the property after our home invasion, but unplugged the alarm because we have so many deer in the yard that the alarm was keeping us awake at night. Maybe we should plug it back in until we kill off some armadillos.

That being said, our neighbor owns 4000 contiguous acres of undeveloped property behind our home. I wonder how many armadillos are coming from there. Rather have armadillos than developed property.

**scooterbug44** · 09-02-2010, 04:01 PM

Question - I thought you had a large dog? Can't she deal with them?

**Beach Runner** · 09-02-2010, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

Question - I thought you had a large dog? Can't she deal with them?

Honey, no way am I gonna let my fur baby get into a fight with an armadillo.

Plus she is restricted to the walled patio area due to a contract with the breeder. If she gets run over by a car, we have to pay the breeder $5000. We bought her as a show dog, but then when we found out what a pain that would be, we decided not to do that and had her spayed. The breeder wants all of her puppies to live as long as possible so that when a potential buyer wants to check on the family health history of a pup, there are longitudinal studies online. There are lots of online sites where one can check that stuff, like the Poodle Health Registry. Crazy, I'll admit. I don't want her run over because I love her and love the way she cuddles up to me at night or when there is thunder.

**wrobert** · 09-02-2010, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by megawisdumb

Forgot to mention you can grab them by the tail and they cant bite you if you want to relocate them. They have limited ability to pull up like a raccoon just grab the tail and keep it away from your body and place them into a trash can. They do make all sorts of loud noises when you grab ahold so be prepared or you will drop them and run like a little girl (i did this the 1st time).

If you shoot them in the rear with a .22 they will take off at a high rate of speed. Lead them enough though and you can put a stop to them.

**Beach Runner** · 09-02-2010, 08:01 PM

OMG! I just heard back from the Ph.D. colleague who is a bat expert. He says that inhaling the poop can cause a fungal infection of the lungs!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said we should keep the shutters closed, and if the bat doesn�t leave because of the moonlights, he will come to the house and catch it. Then he says we should hose the poop off the upper gallery and not touch it.

Thank God I didn�t touch the shutter. I have long QT syndrome of the heart which means there are certain meds I can�t take, like anti-fungals, because they could cause me to have a fatal heart arrhythmia.

Argh!

**megawisdumb** · 09-02-2010, 08:47 PM

No Ph.D here but here's a news flash for you.....inhaling any type of poo is not heathly. It's poo and as such carries bacteria. I got crapped on by a seagull last month...haven't laughed that hard in months.

**Beach Runner** · 09-02-2010, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by megawisdumb

No Ph.D here but here's a news flash for you.....inhaling any type of poo is not heathly. It's poo and as such carries bacteria. I got crapped on by a seagull last month...haven't laughed that hard in months.

I was running one day and got pooped on by a bird. GROSS! I feel your pain.

I guess I am clueless because I know that poop stinks, but I didn't think that it has germs unless the pooper has an infection.

BTW I sleep with a dog.

**Teresa** · 09-02-2010, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by megawisdumb

No Ph.D here but here's a news flash for you.....inhaling any type of poo is not heathly. It's poo and as such carries bacteria. I got crapped on by a seagull last month...haven't laughed that hard in months.

bat guano (especially large quantities due to hundreds of bats in an attic or enclosed space in the home) is a health risk due to the spores of a fungus in the guano - can go airborne and cause a lung infection - histoplasmosis. not sure if a bat hanging outside is going to give any cause for alarm but may as well consult a pro and have it removed/relocated. we do need our bats! just not in the house.

I saw an entire segment on this recently and it was pretty amazing watching hundreds of bats get removed from an attic and set free so they could find another, more natural location. Guano removal had to be done very carefully by the pro.

**Beach Runner** · 09-03-2010, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by Teresa

bat guano (especially large quantities due to hundreds of bats in an attic or enclosed space in the home) is a health risk due to the spores of a fungus in the guano - can go airborne and cause a lung infection - histoplasmosis. not sure if a bat hanging outside is going to give any cause for alarm but may as well consult a pro and have it removed/relocated. we do need our bats! just not in the house.

I saw an entire segment on this recently and it was pretty amazing watching hundreds of bats get removed from an attic and set free so they could find another, more natural location. Guano removal had to be done very carefully by the pro.

Wow! Thanks for letting me know!

**megawisdumb** · 09-03-2010, 06:00 AM

Isn't gange and guano the same stuff? Man, I knew I got had. If there are 10's/100's or more bats than yes call the pros and remove the poo but one bat and one pile...ur good with a little windex. I had one fly into me years ago and it knocked him out. I placed him on the porch rail and watch him for about 15 mins or so until he came around and flew off. Neat looking dude. He didn't poo.

DD · 09-03-2010, 06:34 AM

I love bats. Wouldn't want them or their guano in the house, but they are pretty cool. I had a family member at the NH one time that rehabbed bats in her house.

**Teresa** · 09-03-2010, 06:58 AM

BR:

its time for you to call Billy the Exterminator!

who has seen this show? its hysterical! and he teaches all kinds of stuff about whatever animal he's removing, such as bats.

Billy the Exterminator - A&E TV

**Will B** · 09-03-2010, 08:51 AM

Scary thing is Billy Bretherton is the real deal. He's a certified Entomologist!

**Lynnie** · 09-03-2010, 09:23 AM

So, I popped in to see what was going on and BR's Bat Poop post was the first to pop up. Somehow, that confused me and I then had to double check to see what thread I was in. I thought gange (gonja?) was meant to be inhaled and cures what ails ya'.

Does anyone else think that exterminator dude resembles his catch? Love the Celtic Cross and ginormous rivets on the T-shirt! New fad?

Sweet Pea and L'il Pussy are so laid back, I think they invite critters into our yard - they don't run off anything. L'il Pussy growls when man types are on the roof, however.

**Douglas the Intrepid** · 09-03-2010, 09:54 AM

Lil Pussy? Is that Cowboy!? ;)

**Teresa** · 09-03-2010, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Will B

Scary thing is Billy Bretherton is the real deal. He's a certified Entomologist!

His show is a riot, mama and all.

I can tell though, underneath the hairdo and freakish cowboy/skull/motorcycle/heavy metal clothing that he is a total nerd.