Armadillos: An Amazing, 9-Banded, Cuddlesome Critter

The armadillo has been both revered and despised by people in the United States. As excellent diggers and burrowers, armadillos can and do destroy property if they are found in urban areas. They can root like pigs while looking for insects, grubs, earthworms, and many will eat some vegetation such as lettuce or other greens. The average armadillo can eat over 200 pounds of insects each year. Spanish explorers believed the shell was similar to that of a knight's armor and they called the creature "El Armadillo" which is translated as "the armored one".

Armadillos have a thick, leathery, shell around its body that, in some species, changes into bone. Others have bands that allow enough flexibility for it to be able to roll up into a ball for protection. The most vulnerable area on an armadillo is the stomach, which is not covered by the leathery shell and why it tries to protect itself as it rolls into a ball. Other armadillos cannot roll into a ball and have to depend on speed or burrowing for protection.

In the 1930s, when President Hoover's comment "a chicken in every pot" did not happen, many people resorted to eating armadillo meat and called them "Hoover Hogs". Many armadillos were also killed to make lamps, baskets, ashtrays, purses, charango (a type of musical instrument), and other sellable items. Armadillos are found in Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and as far west as Colorado. As long as the weather remains mild, they will survive. However, intense cold even for short periods of time can kill them, as they do not have body fat or the ability to adapt to the colder temperatures.

Most of the nine-banded armadillos have young in groups of four pups, that all result from a single egg, thus making each sibling an identical quadruplet to the other siblings. Each set are always of the same sex, either male or female. Armadillos are also fond of water and can cross a river by either floating across it by inhaling air to make them more buoyant or just walking across the bottom of the riverbed itself. They are easily started, probably due to their poor eyesight, and many armadillos become roadkill on highways, as often due to their response to fear of jumping up in the air into the bottom of the vehicle as opposed to actually being hit by a vehicle. Armadillos do not bite because they only have a few peg teeth that are not covered by enamel. These teeth continued to grow throughout the lifetime of the animal and as they wear down.

Though armadillos are known to be solitary animals, they have been kept successfully as pets without showing any undue stress or concern. Therefore, when a friend brought me a 9-banded baby armadillo that was only weeks old, it was a frantic moment as we tried to learn as much as possible about baby armadillos in a very short time. Because armadillos are often used in research about leprosy due to their low body temperature (90 degrees) being perfect to contract and carry the disease, I also had Drop Dead Fred (as he was named) vetted at the local veterinary office in order to make sure he was leprosy free. Fred was a favorite amongst the hospital staff as he was very curious and acted quite a bit like a kitten.

Checking with the Florida Department of Natural Resources, we found that an outside cage had to be at least six feet in a circular shape (to keep the armadillo from getting stuck in a corner) with wire placed underground at least two feet deep to allow for digging. It also included a wooden box that was half buried in the sand and that was filled with hay and a child swimming pool for him to play in.

Because armadillos subsist in the wild on insects and other small invertebrates, purchases were made at local pet stores and bait shops for earthworms, mealworms, crickets, and grubs. Canned cat food supplied the rest of Fred's diet. One of his favorite activities was to be placed into a brown paper bag with a dozen crickets. By the time he was done eating and the bag re-opened, the only thing left was just the legs of the crickets. Another insect that armadillos allegedly enjoy were ants, however Fred was not fond of them and would only eat one or two before walking away to find something more to his taste. He was taken outside every day and allowed to run loose in the yard where he quickly learned to dig in the grass for native insects and around dead logs for grubs and worms.

Fred also enjoyed being in the house and spent much of his time gathering socks and towels, rolling them into a ball under his front legs and against his stomach, and then hopping backwards from the bathroom to the living room where he would hide them under the sofa. Even so, he also had a penchant for anything that was flashy or had bright colors. If it made noise or jiggled, it was immediately his and car keys were not safe from his hoarding. If anyone missed a sock or even a toy, he or she knew where it would be found, as Fred was consistent in that his hiding place was always under the sofa.

Contrary to much of what has been written about armadillos, Fred was indeed cuddlely and loved to be picked up and held. He would snuggle under anyone's shirt or chin and go to sleep. He was also very soft to the touch and did not feel "hard" or hairy from the sparse hairs on his body. He would come running when his name was called and he always let everyone know he was hungry by snorting and snuffling around his food dish.

Alas, it is also true that armadillos have very small brains, literally about the size of a pea, and they can usually only concentrate on one thing at a time. One day while hanging up clothes, I had brought Fred out to play. At some point, he must have zigged while I zagged and he went off into the wild. Not even an armadillo hunting party was able to find Fred as he probably went in a straight line and was long out of the range of hearing his name called. I am confident that his ability to find food and dig holes while hunting for food left him competent to hold his own back in the Florida woods. He will always be greatly missed since he was a wonderful, loving pet.

Sources:

Nine-banded Armadillo

Hoover Hogs are Coming: Armadillos of the Americas

Personal Ownership