Armadillos Digging Up Your Yard? What Baldwin County Homeowners Should Look For
Over the past week, we've been called to properties in Daphne, Fairhope, and Gulf Shores where homeowners were finding unusual holes, disturbed mulch, and digging around their yards.
In several of those cases, the signs were consistent with armadillo activity.
Armadillos are common along the Gulf Coast, but homeowners don't always see the animal itself. They're primarily active when many of us aren't outside watching the yard, so the first clue is often what they leave behind.
What Does Armadillo Damage Look Like?
One of the most common signs is small areas of freshly disturbed soil.
Armadillos spend a lot of time searching for insects and other food in the soil. As they forage, they can leave behind shallow holes and divots scattered throughout lawns, flower beds, mulch, and landscaped areas.
You may notice:
- Small holes or divots appearing overnight
- Freshly disturbed mulch or soil
- Torn or lifted sections of turf
- Repeated digging in the same parts of the yard
- Activity around shrubs, landscaping, and wooded edges
- Larger openings that could indicate a possible den or burrow
The damage isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's just a few small holes in otherwise healthy grass—the kind of thing you might initially blame on a dog, squirrel, or lawn problem.
Why Are Armadillos Digging in My Yard?
Usually, they're looking for food.
Lawns and landscaped areas can provide armadillos with access to insects and other organisms living in or near the soil. A well-maintained yard can still experience armadillo activity; their presence doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong with your lawn.
Mulched beds can make the signs particularly noticeable because freshly disturbed material stands out against the surrounding landscape.
Does a Hole Automatically Mean You Have an Armadillo?
No—and that's important.
Several animals can disturb lawns and landscaping, and not every hole is caused by an armadillo.
We look at the size and shape of the disturbance, where it's occurring, how the activity is distributed across the property, possible travel routes, potential den locations, and other evidence before deciding whether the findings are consistent with armadillo activity.
Sometimes an inspection confirms what the homeowner suspected. Other times, the evidence points in another direction.
What Can You Do About Armadillo Activity?
If the activity is limited, you may be able to handle the situation yourself.
The first step is figuring out where the animal is traveling and why it keeps returning to a particular area. Look around landscaped edges, fences, structures, wooded areas, and other locations that could provide a regular travel route or potential den site.
When appropriate, live trapping can also be used as part of an armadillo-control strategy. Trap placement matters because randomly putting a trap somewhere in the yard isn't necessarily going to intercept the animal.
Hilbun Offers Limited Wildlife Control in Baldwin County
Most people know Hilbun Pest Control for insects, termites, mosquitoes, and rodents, but we also provide limited wildlife-control services, including armadillo inspections and live-capture programs.
If you're finding suspicious digging around your property, we're happy to take a look.
We'll inspect the property and tell you whether the findings appear consistent with armadillo activity. From there, we can discuss things you may be able to do yourself or, when appropriate, set up and manage a live-capture program for you.
No need to turn every hole in the yard into a major ordeal. First, let's figure out what's actually causing it.
Seeing Similar Damage?
If you're in Daphne, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, or elsewhere in Baldwin County, contact Hilbun Pest Control and tell us what you're seeing.
Call or text our Alabama team at 251206-1245, or send us a photo of the damage.