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Three nine-banded armadillos stand side by side.

Our three armadillos have been in our care since 2008!

If you’ve visited the Zoo, you’ve likely met a lot of our more than 800 animal residents. Some animals are easy to spot, but others are often not as easy to see because of their habitat set up, their personalities or their sleep cycles among other things. We wanted to start a “Meet the Animals” section of our blog to introduce you to some of the residents that you may (or may not have) met yet!   

What’s grey, armored and cute all over? Nine-banded armadillos, duh!  

Our Zoo is home to three female nine-banded armadillos:17-year-old Gaia, and 16-year-olds Athena and Persephone. These girls are “retired” and live off habitat in a behind-the-scenes area of our Wild Florida loop. 

The trio were former ambassador animals, interacting with guests for educational Zoo Chats and appearances. However, since 2021, we’ve shifted them off habitat out of consideration for their animal wellbeing. The trio are considered geriatric. We’re committed to providing all our animal residents with the greatest possible physical, mental and emotional health throughout their lives with us. 

“Being an ambassador animal requires them to have more human interaction and be awake during the day,” said Wild Florida keeper Christen Carrillo. “Armadillos are nocturnal animals, so we wanted to allow them to have more choice and control to do more natural behaviors.”  

And although the trio is not guest facing, they receive just as much love and attention as the next animal! Adorn with nine scaly “bands” along their bodies, these nocturnal mammals live in a spacious habitat with a 3-foot dig barrier. This allows them to burrow and make dens — two of their many natural behaviors — while remaining safe and secure. 

About once a week, our Wild Florida keepers collapse their dens and add more substrates to their habitats…then, the armadillos get to dig and burrow all over again! 

An armadillo sticks its head into a peanut butter jar.

Because aramadillos are scent-driven, peanut butter always does the trick while trying to wake them up!

Our animal care team tends to be more hands-off with the armadillos to let them sleep during the day, keeping a close eye on their behavior through camera footage. But when the night comes, the armadillos can come down with a case of the zoomies!  

“They will run and roll around the habitat when it’s raining or when they get a random burst of energy,” Christen remarked.  

The girls are fed soaked insectivore pellets, a combination of insects, veggies and eggs. Keepers like to shake up how the armadillos are offered their meals by stuffing diet items in objects like puzzle feeders, too! This provides plenty of cognitive enrichment and foraging opportunities for the ‘dillos. 

Two armadillos lick peanut butter out of a blue puzzle feeder item.

This method of consuming their meals stimulates the armadillos both mentally and physically.

“Gaia is the worker of the group,” Christen said. “She is the most active at night and is seen doing the most digging and substrate gathering for their burrows. All three are pretty spunky!” 

Twice a week toward the evening time, keepers dig the armadillos out of their burrow to practice target and scale training. During training sessions, keepers use positive reinforcement with the girls’ absolute favorite treats: peanut butter and worms! 

Whether they’re digging, burrowing, or sleeping the day away, Gaia, Athena and Persephone are always a pleasure to care for. We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into their daily lives! 


Special thanks to Flammio Financial Group, Stifel-Garvin Wealth Management Group, Artemis IT, and Jim and Darleen Barfield. Their generosity makes our work possible! 

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.