[gnubber]

I have a nocturnal animal that has burrowed into my patio and made and underground home. I can't kill him. I have tried drowning, and "gassing? with ammonia but to no avail. I need somebody that will either kill this animal or trap him. Help.

[gomoho]

armadillo???

[Uptown Girl]

If it is indeed an armadillo, you are going to need professional help. Their holes are usually 7 " around and they make a series of long tunnels, with sometimes 12 different exits. March-April is when they have their babies- usually 4 in a litter.
Trapping them requires a very long tunnel- like trap. I doubt that you would readily find the one you need.
There are no chemical deterrents for them currently. Even if you succeed in trying poisoned bait (like baited, soft fruit), you may end up having it die and decompose in the tunnel under your patio. Don't want that.

I would begin looking in the phonebook- like for County animal or wildlife control (?) or under 'wranglers'. If nothing else, maybe an alligator wrangler would help!

(P.S. Surprisingly, armadillos can climb, too.)
Hope you will find the assistance you need!

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by gnubber

I have a nocturnal animal that has burrowed into my patio and made and underground home. I can't kill him. I have tried drowning, and "gassing? with ammonia but to no avail. I need somebody that will either kill this animal or trap him. Help.

We, too, have something burrowing under our patio. The entrance and exit holes that we have found have been very small so we are treating it as a mole. But, if you have someone in to handle your problem, would you post the results here please?

[dblwyr]

We used Gary DePalma, Nuisance Wildlife Specialist, Inc. 352-326-5830. Wanted him to find a snake that had been seen on our property. Never found it, but he was knowledgeable and we would call him again if needed.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

If it is indeed an armadillo, you are going to need professional help. Their holes are usually 7 " around and they make a series of long tunnels, with sometimes 12 different exits. March-April is when they have their babies- usually 4 in a litter.
Trapping them requires a very long tunnel- like trap. I doubt that you would readily find the one you need.
There are no chemical deterrents for them currently. Even if you succeed in trying poisoned bait (like baited, soft fruit), you may end up having it die and decompose in the tunnel under your patio. Don't want that.

I would begin looking in the phonebook- like for County animal or wildlife control (?) or under 'wranglers'. If nothing else, maybe an alligator wrangler would help!

(P.S. Surprisingly, armadillos can climb, too.)
Hope you will find the assistance you need!

I had NO idea we had armadillos here! Your knowledge is amazing. I KNOW you are an excellent gardener and CFrance says you are also a WONDERFUL decorator. WOW.


Back to the burrowing animal.

[KathieI]

Originally Posted by dblwyr

We used Gary DePalma, Nuisance Wildlife Specialist, Inc. 352-326-5830. Wanted him to find a snake that had been seen on our property. Never found it, but he was knowledgeable and we would call him again if needed.

I saw his truck yesterday but couldn't write down his number so I thank you for posting it.... side note.. armadillos??? OMG. We didn't have them in da bronx....

[delima2000]

Yes we have armadillos here is a picture of one I saw in our backyard a few weeks ago

[gnubber]

This is an update. I had Gary DePalma come out to view the problem. His price is $179 to visit and another $100 when the pest is caught and removed. He and I spoke for some time. He is very knowledgeable in that area.He covers at least a 30 mile radius. He was heading to Tavares yesterday to get rid of a squirrel and the day before he removed 3 hogs from somewhere around here. He immediately recognized my problem and it wasn't a burrowing pest. When put some edging around my patio I had punctured a sprinkler line and it would cause sand to be brought up to the patio like a burrowing animal. The tip as to the cause was the color of the sand which was very white like it had been filtered. I run my sprinklers at night so I assumed it was a burrowing nocturnal animal which had left 2 small holes. (where the water had forced out the sand). I paid him for the visit but no charge beyond that because there was no animal to trap. I'd use him again for the real thing.

[Uptown Girl]

Very happy to hear that your problem has been identified!