How To Stop Armadillo Digging

03.04.2004 - This is a photo of a Nine-Banded Armadillo digging a fresh burrow. I came across this animal while on an armadillo trapping project. Dillos usually dig several burrows within their home range. I'm not sure how many, but the number may be from 10-20. They usually have a primary burrow or two in which they sleep - and armadillos sleep about 20 hours per day. These big burrows are straight and deep, and may have a chamber at the end. However, most of the burrows that armadillos dig are merely short-term escape tunnels, in case they need to bolt from danger. In fact, sometimes armadillos will start digging as a defense mechanism - they can't necessaruly run away quickly for a long time, so they'll expose their tough behind and dig their way to safety. That's what the armadillo in the above photo was doing - it was trying to escape me. It didn't of course, but it made a good show of it. Armadillos are very strong, and they can dig quickly with their sharp claws. They can also hold on tight, so you can't really just grab them by the tail and pull them out. If you want to get an armadillo out of its burrow, you've got to dig it out! As for how to stop armadillos from digging in the first place, you really can't. If they want to dig, they'll dig. The only thing that will stop them is a physical barrier. So for example, if they have an extablished digging area, I can install a steel mesh a few inches under the ground, so that when they start to dig, they'll hit the mesh and are unable to go any further. But there's no chemical or natural armadillo deterrent or relellent that will keep them from digging.