Home/Armadillos
Armadillo Removal in Lafayette
An armadillo can turn a good lawn over in a single night, and the burrows go under concrete.
Soft, wet Acadiana ground is ideal armadillo digging, and a pier and beam foundation gives them something worth burrowing against. The lawn damage is cosmetic; the burrow under a pier is not.
Armadillos in Lafayette Parish: who does what
Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries is explicit that it does not remove nuisance wildlife. It permits individuals to do it for a fee. A Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator permit is issued to a person rather than a company, every individual doing the work must hold one in their own name, and getting it requires a Louisiana trapping licence, a basic hunting licence, and 80 per cent on the department's exam. The permit also lists exactly which animals may be taken, raccoon, squirrel, opossum, skunk, armadillo, beaver and nutria among them.
The Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center lends traps for wildlife: residents sign a loan agreement on a weekday between 8 and 5, and an officer collects the trapped animal.
For identifying an animal or damage before anyone is paid to look, the LSU AgCenter, Lafayette Parish office is at 1010 Lafayette Street, Suite 325, Lafayette, LA 70501 (office page).
What Louisiana law says about armadillos
Armadillos are “outlaw quadrupeds” in Louisiana: licensed hunters may take them year-round in legal shooting hours, and on private land the owner, or a lessee or agent with written permission, may also take them at night. All Louisiana rules →
Sources: Lafayette Consolidated Government, Animal Shelter FAQ; LDWF: outlaw quadrupeds; Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Nuisance Wildlife Control and Removal. Checked October 2026.
Signs, and why they matter
- Dozens of shallow cone-shaped holes across the lawn, appearing overnight
- Lifted or rolled-back turf where they have rooted for grubs
- A burrow entrance about 7–10 inches wide beside a slab, driveway or foundation
- Burrows undermining driveways, patios, slabs and foundation edges
- Repeated and expensive lawn damage
How removal works
Armadillos are poor candidates for bait trapping; they are after live grubs, not bait. Removal relies on directional trapping along travel routes and burrow entrances, then exclusion fencing dug in and angled outward.
Armadillo questions
How much does armadillo removal cost in Lafayette?
$250 – $550 typical, depending on access and whether young are present. After a long stay in an attic the cleanup is often the bigger bill (attic restoration).
Is there a wrong time of year to deal with armadillos?
Year-round in the Deep South, worst in warm wet spells when grubs are near the surface.
Who handles armadillos in Lafayette Parish?
The Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center lends traps for wildlife: residents sign a loan agreement on a weekday between 8 and 5, and an officer collects the trapped animal.
Request a quote
We read every request and pass it to a licensed wildlife operator covering Lafayette where one is available. We are still building our list of operators here, so we cannot promise one is available or say how quickly they will respond.