The armadillo usually does well when kept in captivity, but to give the animal the best care it can receive outside of its natural habitat, you should learn as much about it as possible. Before you get a pet armadillo, you will need to find out whether it is legal to own one in your area. In general, your pet will need a proper diet and room to forage. Also, you will need to provide water, shelter and space for your pet.
If your pet armadillo is still a baby, you will need to feed it kitten formula through an eyedropper. It is important not to over-feed a baby armadillo, as this can lead to health problems and might even cause death. An adult armadillo, on the other hand, can maintain a healthy diet by eating moist cat food. Also, in addition to its usual food, an armadillo should have a varied diet, since it naturally has one in the wild. Other foods that you can feed to your adult armadillo include fruit, grubs and worms.
Your pet armadillo will need to be able to dig and forage as it does in its natural habitat. To enable your pet to do this, you can keep it outside in an enclosed area such as in a yard that is fenced. When the armadillo is in its enclosure though, you should monitor its activities, as it can dig its way out of the area with its large claws. If you are raising a baby armadillo, you will need to teach it how to forage by burying food, like grubs, in dirt and then letting the armadillo discover the food. Although armadillos might have poor eyesight, their sense of smell allows them to successfully forage so teaching a baby armadillo how to do this should go well.
Other considerations for taking care of a pet armadillo include providing access to water, shelter and space. The armadillo keeps cool and gains exercise from swimming in water, so it is important to have water nearby, like a pond or wading pool. When the weather is cold, the armadillo will need a warm place to stay as it normally lives in warm habitats and does not fare well in the cold. So, if the armadillo is usually kept outside, you should bring it inside during cold weather. A pet armadillo will need its space, as an overcrowded home can cause it to fight.
