Should you ever poison an Armadillo?

ANSWER: No, you should never poison any mammal! But that said, killing an armadillo this way is impossible. Armadillos don't eat surface food on the ground. They only eat live worms and grubs that they can dig out of the ground. So there's no way to administer a poison even if you wanted to. Your best bet is to trap the armadillo.



Many people who experience the Armadillo nuisance have thought of several ways of elimination of getting rid of the Armadillos in their lawns or yards. This is because they are destructive animals which humans consider as pests because of their behavior. They destroy gardens with flowers by digging out the vegetation in search for insects. They also dig holes all over the lawn for their settlement waiting to feed and to escape from predators. This is why humans have thought of killing these animals. Among other methods of Armadillo elimination, poisoning comes as one of the first thoughts that run through the human mind.

The real question is should anyone ever poison an Armadillo? Does poisoning really work? Is it as effective as the other methods of Armadillo eradication? The answer is NO. Why is poisoning of Armadillos not recommended? The reasons are discussed below:

1. Nature of the Armadillo to eat live organisms.
The Armadillo is a very unique animal. Its uniqueness can be seen by its body structure in relation to how it gets what it eats. It has big claws at the front which are used for digging out termites and ants. Armadillos also eat small invertebrates such as earthworms. The unique feature about its eating habits is that these organisms have to be alive when eaten. An Armadillo will not eat a dead organism.

The effectiveness of poisoning is drastically reduced since it is difficult to apply poison on a living organism waiting to be eaten by an Armadillo. Applying poison on the organism may kill it even before the Armadillo does.

Armadillos also have very strong smelling senses. It would easily sniff out poison on an organism or an object. Applying poison on a fruit can be considered useless since an Armadillo sniffs whatever it eats first. The moment is sniffs out poison on a fruit or on an organism it will not eat it.

All these efforts render the poison useless since the Armadillo will only eat a live organism and will only eat a “clean” organism or fruit. The poison will be wasted so it is not advisable to use poison to kill Armadillos.

2. Rules, Regulations, Policies and Laws
Different countries have different laws that govern the killing of animals. In some countries, it is illegal to kill some animals because the animals might be considered an endangered species. Therefore, Killing an Armadillo in one state may be illegal as compared to another. Some countries suggest that once an animal is captured, it should be handed over to the right organization which will know how to handle it.

3. Poisoning is inhumane
Poisoning an Armadillo is one of the methods considered 'Inhumane'.

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Poisoning an armadillo should be avoided at all costs. Poisoning armadillos is inhumane and even ineffective. There may even be laws where you live that prohibit the killing of armadillos through poisoning. Why would you consider poisoning an armadillo when there are so many other more effective methods of killing an armadillo that you have previously trapped? The desire to poison an armadillo may be a natural instinct, but it is good not to let your instincts win and allow more rational thinking to take control of the situation. Do not attempt to poison armadillos under any circumstances at all.



Most of the time, armadillos will not even eat dead animals. Also, most armadillos will not consume their prey if it is above ground. Armadillos tend to dig for their prey. This digging is why people want to get rid of them in the first place. It is hard to apply poisons on a living animal that is to be used as bait for an armadillo. Armadillos have a keen sense of smell which is another thing that will render your attempt to poison it useless. When poison is detected by an armadillo, it will simply not eat whatever has been poisoned.

Some species of armadillo are considered endangered species too. This is not the case for the vast majority of armadillo species, but it is always possible that you are dealing with a certain species that is in danger of going extinct. Regardless, being aware of what type of armadillo you are dealing with may or may not make your job a little easier. If you have the proper information, you will know the right course of action to pursue with the trapped animal. Do not use your poison, your time, or your money on things that are of questionable legality.

If you cannot kill the creature yourself, you should call someone who can kill the creature. Chances are, they will know much more about how to kill the animal in a humane and efficient way than you will. To put things in perspective, imagine that you are dealing with a house pet. You would not poison a cat or a dog to euthanize it. In fact, using that method of killing the animal will only cause it more pain than it should have to deal with. Therefore, do not resort to such cruel ways of disposing of various pests on your property.

You should never poison an armadillo no matter what. It is a waste of your time, your poison, and your money. There are much easier and cheaper methods to do this. Poisoning an armadillo can even land you in some legal hot water. On top of all that, killing an armadillo in that way is inhumane and does not reflect well on you as a person. Avoid killing an armadillo in this fashion at all costs. You will not regret taking a minute to think about your actions and using another way to achieve your goal of keeping your yard safe.

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