Michael Mengak, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
I have recently received several calls about armadillo problems.
There are no repellents or poisons registered for armadillo.
Armadillo are not protected in Georgia – it is legal to hunt or shoot at any time UNLESS it is illegal in your city or county or prohibited by local ordinance. This is generally not a viable option in urban areas. You are responsible for following all local laws and ordinances.
For trapping, use a wood box trap. Traps that have previously caught an armadillo are more likely to catch another one. However, there is no bait or lure that will work on getting an armadillo into a trap.
The double door trap works better for armadillo (one that has an open door on each end) so the animal can more easily “wander” into the trap from either direction.
In a study at Mississippi State in 2009, they reported that 23 armadillos were caught in wooden box traps and only 3 were caught in standard wire cage traps. Here is a link to that study.
Other information you may find useful:
I have a dog that is terribly afraid of armadillos for some reason. She can take on humans and anything else, but not armadillos. It’s good to know that you don’t need to poison or use repellents for armadillos. I’ll call a pro to take care of them since I don’t know how to use a trap like you recommend.