You walk out in the morning and find your lawn dug up in small cone-shaped holes, or a fresh burrow under the driveway edge. That’s a nine-banded armadillo. We provide armadillo removal in Clermont, FL with targeted trapping and barriers that keep them from coming back to dig again.
Licensed & insured. Free inspection. Humane removal and sealing.
Armadillos love sandy ground, and this corner of Lake County has plenty of it. Sandy hillsides, former citrus groves and the rolling terrain that makes the area so unusual for Florida give them soft soil that’s easy to burrow into and full of grubs and insects to eat.
Armadillo Removal Clermont FL Homeowners Trust
Armadillos aren’t aggressive, but they’re hard on property. Across Clermont, they dig at night, which is why you rarely see them. One animal can root up a big section of sod in a single night looking for grubs, beetles and worms.
Removal works best when it combines three things: finding the active burrow, trapping in the right spot, and blocking the places they’d use next. We do all three.
Signs an Armadillo Is Living on Your Property
Armadillo damage looks different from other animals once you know what to check.
- Shallow holes in the lawn. Small pits about the size of a fist, usually in clusters.
- Burrows near hard surfaces. Round openings under slabs, sidewalks, pool decks and driveways.
- Loose sand fans. Piles of sand pushed out from a hole beside the house or along a fence.
- Flower beds turned over. Mulch and plants pushed aside overnight.
Why Burrows Under Slabs Are a Problem
A torn lawn is annoying. A burrow under a slab or pool deck is a bigger deal. Armadillos dig tunnels that can run several feet, and on sandy soil those tunnels can wash out and leave voids under concrete. Over time that can lead to settling or cracking.
Homes built into hillsides or on graded lots around Sugarloaf Mountain and other high ground north of town can be especially prone to washouts after heavy rain. The sooner a burrow is found and closed, the less soil moves.
Clermont is one of the few places in Florida where a backyard can slope noticeably. On a slope, water runs toward the low side of a slab and follows any tunnel it finds. A burrow on the uphill side of a pool deck is worth taking seriously. During our inspection we note where each burrow sits and which way the ground falls, then fill and close it so rain can’t carve it out further.
How We Trap and Exclude Armadillos
Armadillos don’t take bait the way raccoons do, so trap placement is everything. We set traps along the fences, walls and paths they actually travel, often using boards to guide them toward the opening. We check traps daily.
After capture, we fill and close the burrow and install barriers where needed. An L-shaped wire footer buried along a deck, shed or slab edge stops new digging. That work is part of our wildlife exclusion service. Armadillos are not protected in Florida, but we still handle every animal humanely and follow state release rules.
Where Armadillos Turn Up Around Town
Newer communities like Legends, built on open land, see a lot of armadillo activity, especially lots that back up to wooded ravines or undeveloped ground. Properties along Hancock Road and other corridors where subdivisions meet old grove land are also common spots. Neighbors in Minneola and Groveland deal with the same problem on the same kind of soil.
If you also see snakes using old armadillo burrows, which happens, our snake removal team can check those holes during the same visit.
Cutting Down Lawn Damage
Armadillos dig because they’re finding food. Heavy watering brings grubs and worms close to the surface, which draws armadillos in. Watering less often, early in the day, helps. So does treating the lawn for grubs if you see heavy activity, since less food in the soil gives an armadillo less reason to stay. Fresh holes in the same spot every night mean the animal lives close by, often under your own slab or a neighbor’s. Keeping brush piles and dense shrubs trimmed back from the house takes away daytime cover.
These steps help, but they won’t remove an animal that’s already living under your slab. For that, call us at (904) 729-6285. You can see the other animals we handle on our Clermont wildlife removal page.
More Wildlife Services in Clermont
- Wildlife removal Clermont FL
- Bat removal Clermont FL
- Snake removal Clermont FL
- Raccoon removal Clermont FL
- Squirrel removal Clermont FL
- Wildlife exclusion and sealing
- Attic wildlife removal and cleanup
Armadillo Removal in Nearby Cities
Armadillo Removal Questions from Clermont Homeowners
Why does my Clermont lawn get dug up overnight?
Armadillos feed at night on grubs, beetles and other insects in the soil. The sandy ground here is easy to dig, so they can tear up a lot of turf in a few hours. Small cone-shaped holes in clusters, with no animal in sight by morning, almost always mean an armadillo.
Can an armadillo burrow damage my pool deck?
It can. Armadillos often dig beside or under pool decks, patios and slabs because the concrete keeps the soil cool and protected. In sandy soil, those tunnels can let dirt wash away underneath and leave empty spaces. Closing burrows early and adding a buried barrier reduces the risk.
Do repellents or mothballs keep armadillos away?
Not reliably. Most home remedies don’t stop an armadillo that has found good food and a safe burrow. Mothballs can also be harmful to pets and kids. Trapping the animal and blocking access with a buried wire barrier is the method that holds up over time.
Are armadillos dangerous to people or pets?
They aren’t aggressive and usually run from people. Still, avoid handling one, since they can scratch with strong digging claws and can carry disease. Keep pets away from active burrows, and let us handle trapping so the animal is removed safely and legally.
Request a Free Inspection in Clermont
Tell us what you are hearing or seeing and we will call you back to set up an inspection. For a snake in the house, a bat in a living space or any emergency, call (904) 729-6285 now — we answer 24 hours a day.