Can You Use Lethal Traps for Armadillos?

Although it might seem like a good idea, lethal traps are actually not the best approach for armadillo removal, because the animal is — quite literally - plated with armour. It has what are called carapaces all over its body, and this is an armoured shell.

Lethal traps work much in the same way as large rat traps — the animal comes along, disturbs the trap, and is caught inside in such a way as it clamps shut, that death is instant. This method of animal removal is one of the more humane approaches, but only when it works correctly. There's no way for you to ensure that death is instant, especially if the animal doesn't run into the trap in quite the way it is meant to. What this leaves you with is an animal that can't get away, is probably quite badly injured, and is now vulnerable to other animal attacks. It is essentially a dinner feast just waiting to happen.

This stuck-and-vulnerable outcome is the most predicted outcome for an armadillo in a lethal trap, because the trap won't be able to penetrate the armour of the animal enough to actually cause instant death. Younger armadillos have softer carapaces than their adult counterparts, but they're still much tougher and stronger than the average animal's fur. These lethal kill traps are not designed for armadillos, they're not humane when used for armadillo removal, and we highly recommend that you avoid using them. You do not actually need to kill this animal in order to get rid of it.

The best way to get rid of an armadillo and then stop it from becoming a problem again in the future is to first trap and remove the animal (using a licensed and insured wildlife professional where possible), and then take steps to protect the property. In the most basic forms, this will mean adding a fence around the exterior of the property that also covers you from an underground perspective, adding sharp rocks, stones and gravel to underground digging spots to make the land less bearable for the animal to try and work through, and also protecting areas where the animal decided to feast. There are plenty of weekend-DIY-jobs that you could do to protect your land, and that's the best way to deal with an armadillo problem.



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