Armadillos as Pets

Armadillos are small mammals, predominantly characterized by a leathery armor shell. There are around 20 living species of this mammal, with the size ranging from 5 inches (Pink Fairy Armadillos) to 5 ft (Giant Armadillo). The most common armadillo species in the United States, the Nine-banded Armadillo, can grow up to a length of around 20 - 42 inches. On one hand their armor-like skin acts as a natural defense for this animal, while their sharp claws make them very good diggers. Armadillos tend to have poor vision. Although they have short legs, they can move swiftly. These mammals are known to stay underwater for as long as 5 minutes. Their gestation period spans for around 60 to 120 days and normally the litter size ranges between 1 to 8 individuals. This was about the armadillos in brief. But can we have armadillos as pets? We need to take a few things into consideration to answer that question.

Can You Have Armadillos as Pets?

Keeping a wild animal as a pet is never a good idea, not just because it may be harmful for you, but it may be harmful for that animal as well. Though most of the wild animals tend to display signs of stress in captivity, armadillos are an exception. But that's in general, in certain circumstance, mostly for self defense, they can take an aggressive stance and thus end up hurting either the owner or themselves. The second thing is their musky smell, which not many people would like. They are continuously involved in digging and foraging, which can tend to be harmful for your lawns. If all of these things don't really affect you, then you can happily have armadillos as pets.

Guide for Having Armadillos as Pets

In most of the places keeping a wild animal as a pet is deemed to be an illegal activity and hence the foremost thing you should do is check with the concerned authorities about the law pertaining to the domestication of animals. In some areas, you require a license to keep armadillos as pets. If it's a baby armadillo, you can feed it with a feeder or eye dropper like you would feed a kitten. If it's slightly grown, you can give it moist food items and gradually shift it to its natural foods like ants, worms and grubs. You will require to train the pet armadillo in foraging as well. This can be done by hiding its food beneath a shallow layer of mud. You will have to arrange a large outdoor enclosure for you pet armadillo, so that it can continue with its natural activities - digging and foraging. A wading pool will be a good option as armadillos prefer spending time in water. Remember that it's a wild animal, and it will have to be supported by natural habitat. Armadillos cannot withstand cold climate, and therefore when it's cold, you will have to keep your pet armadillo inside. Keeping more than one armadillos together, can lead to struggle between them, which may eventually lead to some severe injury.

Lastly, before deciding whether you want to keep armadillos as pets, you should also consider that these are nocturnal animals, which means when you go to sleep they will be awake and vice versa. If they are kept as pets, there are chances that this animal will throw tantrum at night, thus disturbing your sleep. Depending on their size, they can also create a havoc in your living room! Now that you know all the facts about armadillos, you can decide for yourself whether armadillos are good pets or bad pests?