As house pets, armadillos will require more space than what traditional pet owners are used to and their behavior will need to be assessed for proper welfare. Keeping armadillos is not really ‘hard’ unless an owner is expecting the swift adaptability of popular small domestic pets. “Armadillo” by David Shane is licensed under CC BY 2.0Īrmadillos are not pets for pet owners who are not used to or unwilling to adapt to the specialized needs of zoological non-domesticated animals. Only one species, the three-banded armadillo, is capable of rolling itself completely into a ball. They are mainly insectivorous and love to dig, which they use to locate prey and for creating burrows in which they reside. Their characteristic shell is composed of a leathery substance composed of dermal bone. What are armadillos?Īrmadillos are somewhat related to anteaters and sloths, being in the suborder Xenarthra. Is an armadillo the right pet for you? As you might have guessed, these animals are not popular pets in captivity, but they can be successfully owned by the right owner if they are legal in their state. One of the most obvious is their ability to roll into a ball, which was comically featured in the animated film The Road to El Dorado. These animals not only have a strange appearance, but they also maneuver differently and have unusual behavior. Armadillos are strikingly unique creatures, so it’s no surprise that some people are interested in keeping them as pets.

Armadillo lizard enclosure