Does the 9-banded armadillo eat turkey & quail eggs or not?

They're like most other similiar animals (opossums, raccoons, etc.) in that they will gladly eat whatever they can stomache; they prefer insects, but will also eat eggs, or anything else with enough nutritional value that they can swallow (they have very small teeth, so that eliminates a lot of possibilities).
 
Maybe quail eggs; I'd be dubious about turkey eggs. Armadillos go absolutely nutzoidal over earthworms, though.

Art
 
I'd suppose they will eat anything which will hold still long enough to be et, much like a possum, though with less powerful jaws. They are a danger to immature moles, ground squirrels, mice, ground nesting birds and all types of plants. This summer one dug up and ate every single one of my Yukon gold potatoes, which has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
 
Good question FF. I have never seen a armadillo ( AKA Possum on the half shell) eat anything but worms and grubs but I hear stories of them eating quail eggs. I wrote it off as an Rural Legend. That does not mean that it is not true and I would think they would. I also have heard that Cow birds(egrets) eat quail eggs. People around here blaim everything on the decline of quail.
 
Drifting off toward quail, I'd say that around Tallahassee is like anywhere around "far ain't" country: Quail decline. The baby chicks are quite susceptible to fire ants.

It's a shame that armadillos don't consider fire ants to be yum-yums.

Art
 
Well, thanks all. Hmm, I'm trying to decide whether, when I see them (very often), to "pull out my jammy and flat-blast them" or not.
 
First Freedom, I know you've told us before, but just how far north are you? Surely you're not talking about these shelled monsters being in Pennsylvania are you? That would be really scary.
 
This is Okla. I don't see raccoons or possums during the day, but I do see a lot of "hard-shelled possums" - if they're just as hard on the game birds' eggs as the others, I may start to use them for target practice. Thanks.
 
uhhhh...

...If you honk as you pass over them...they turn into basketballs...They are diggers...Pick on the ants, they're a lot more destructive...and ouchy...
rauch06.gif
 
Armadillos are among the world's more hostile and vicious animals. They're often seen lying on their backs on highways, waiting to trap a car.

Art
 
They are coming FF, They are coming! No matter what you do the plague from Brazil will be in your front yard and up your pant legs before you know it:mad:
 
Oh man, I hope not. Hopefully they cannot survive the winters above a certain latitude - we'll see. Australia has its cane toad, and we have our fire ants. Chalk this up in the "Case Against" column (the existence of an omniscient, omnibenevolent diety, that is). :mad:

Found studies on the predicted range....

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=9164

Doh! Doesn't look good. We have GOT to "fight fire with fire" and find some species of anteater hybrid that is hardy enough to release into the wild and control them!
 
You started the armadillo jokes so here is one that those who live in Florida, and much of the South will understand.


Why did the chicken cross the road?

To prove to the armadillo it could be done.


As for their eating turkey eggs. Years ago we had few turkeys here in Florida and a TON of dillers.

Today we have a TON of turkeys and still have a TON of dillers.

Bobcats & coyoties are the problems for turkeys.
 
No matter what they eat, they are a shoot on sight for me. They make holes all over camp and several, including myself, have twisted ankles going out to take a wizz at night. The catalyst to the killing was when my buddy's wife fell in one of the holes. They are now shoot on sight in and around camp. We don't seem to have made much differance.
 
What is worse is when you have fire ants AND armadillos. The armadillos sometimes will tear into a fire ant mound and make a giant pothole not only big enough to sprain a woman's ankle, but to entirely bury the front end of a riding lawn mower and pitch you out of the seat.

Luckily there is a parasite for fire ants, being released in test batches across the south. It is a critter called a phorid fly. Phorids lay their eggs in the fire ant's head, then when the larvae hatch the head falls off. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top