Possum on the half-shell!

Joanna · February 28, 2007, 07:34:24 AM

I caught me one! I caught me one! I finally caught one of those nasty armadillos!

I borrowed a live-trap, but you can't bait them with anything because nothing works on armadillos. Their favorite food is earth worms, and they only like them live. Plus they are too stupid to hunt, they only walk around till they smell something then dig (worse than moles!)

I went out the other day and found a couple holes that looked like armadillo burrows. And set the trap by an old chicken house, but I think there were too many exit holes from under there. You have to set it right in their pathway, and they're supposed to be stupid enough to just walk right in. I tried to set it to funnel them in, like you do cattle with panels to the calf-shute.

About 8 that night, Squirt was barking and when I went out I saw her chase one under the porch at the empty house next door. The next day I moved my trap over there. I had to stuff old boards in the other holes I found around there, didn't want them using the back door or anything! And sure enough, about 8 last night Squirt starts barking again, this time at the critter in the cage! Yippee! Now if there weren't a dozen more to catch, I'd be ecstatic.

Oh, I'm so proud of myself. Now I have to find someone to take it away and bring the trap back (Marty won't be home till after dark tonight) I know, it's kind of like fishing when you're too girly to clean your own fish ~ but that's one less vermin to dig holes all over my yard. I'm not going to do anything with it, it makes growling-grunting-huffing noises when I get close and it's creepy.

Hope I can catch more; I know they're here, my yard looks like tiny land mines went off all over it.

Wilma · February 28, 2007, 08:09:56 AM

Make sure it leaves town by quite a few miles. I am only 3 blocks away from you. South, that is. Go north.

genealogynut · February 28, 2007, 08:15:04 AM

Joanna, Don says that when you're finished with your yard, you can come and trap the pesky vermin that we have here. They are a nuisance! Ever try mowing your yard with all those "land mines?" For the past few years, we've been seeing lots of dead armadillos along the roadsides. (roadkill) and wonder just where the buzzards are.

MarineMom · February 28, 2007, 09:40:22 AM

They do seem to have been very busy already this year, they live in the empty house next to us, have often thought about throwing some bug bombs in there but then they would probably move into our crawl space and I would like that even less. I wonder if moth balls would send them far away $:-\$

Sorry Teresa, has the perfume lessened any yet?

Joanna · February 28, 2007, 12:11:53 PM

That's funny MarineMom. I read that armadillos have an extreemely powerful sense of smell and they hate bad odors. It made me think of mothballs too, but because I was forwarned by Teresa's 'mothball incident', I knew better than to try scattering them around.

Besides, that would have probably just chased them down the street and then Wilma would be after me!

Some of the things I read about them suggested spraying vinegar or amonia around the garden, but what's the point of having a nice garden if the stink keeps you out as well as the armadillos??? And vinegar and amonia probably aren't good plant food either

Now it just occurred to me that the only good thing about skunks is that they'd chase the armadillos away. Okay, it definitely would not be a good trade...

Anyhow, I got my empty trap back and set up again. Don't know if I'll be as lucky a second time, but I'm going to try. I read they have 4 offspring a year so I figure there's probably quite a few around here (I know they were here last year too)

Wilma · February 28, 2007, 01:27:55 PM

Thank you, Joanna, for thinking of me. I don't think there are any armadillos around here, but something has been digging small, shallow holes around the yard. Like maybe they are sampling or testing.

I have crocuses blooming this morning. Been waiting since last November for them.

indygal · February 28, 2007, 05:34:31 PM

Garsh, I always thought the little 'dillos were cute. Dumb as a door knob, but cute. Of course, I'm one of those weirdos who actually like opposums. Go figger.

The funniest thing I've heard about armadillos is how they kill themselves under a passing car. They don't move fast enough to get out of the way, so it's pretty easy to avoid hitting one. But when you drive over it, it gets scared and jumps up....cracking its noggin on the bottom of the car, which kills it. Now THAT'S DUMB!

Coyotes, armadillos....are you sure we're in Kansas and not Texas?

Wilma · February 28, 2007, 06:09:23 PM

Coyotes we've always had as far back as I can remember and that is quite a ways. But armadilloes were nonexistent in Kansas. I can't remember exactly when I saw my first one. We were on hiway 99 about halfway between Severy and Eureka. A semi in front of us stopped and the driver got out and went around in front of his truck. Then I saw what he was doing. He was checking to be sure that what he was seeing was an armadillo. It toddled off the side of the road and the truck driver got back into his truck, shaking his head. This was before 1979.

Janet Harrington · February 28, 2007, 09:52:40 PM

Joanna, You should have just gone over to Donnie Helms and had him shoot the stupid thing in the head. That way we would know that it would not come back. They are slimy things. I hate them.

Joanna · March 01, 2007, 07:27:17 AM

I did check Janet, but he wasn't home. Gone duck hunting or ice fishing or whatever it's the season for today...
Today I caught a bunny rabbit. I know some folks don't like them, but I do (I'll probably change my mind when I get a garden up and going). Marty let it go before he left for work. Guess I'll try to find a different burrow to set the trap on today.

Possum on the half-shell!

genealogynut

MarineMom