Are armadillos legal to have as a pet in the uk?

[mandymandy]

Earlier on I was raking leaves in my garden when I came across an odd looking leather ball so I tried to rake it but it was too heavy so I attempted to pick it up when it unravelled and it had a face and a long tail like a rats and this creature ran away so I jumped back shocked and screamed, my next door neighbor came running outside and tried to console me as I was shaking and hysterical, when I calmed down I explained what I saw and he asked me what had happened so I explained, he asked where it ran to and I pointed at his bush and he then went to get it and came over with this creature which was in ball form again and he told me it was his pet armadillo which he had picked up on his travels. He has many other exotic lizards, snakes and spiders which UK terrified of which is the reason I never go round for a cup of tea. Are these creatures legal here and are they dangerous? Iim now frightened to go out into the garden and have locked all my doors and Windows and am constantly checking behind my couch and under beds. It's one thing to have spiders, lizards and snakes in safe glass tanks but its complete another thing to have an armadillow on the loose.

[mandymandy]

What's a pangolin? Do these creatures carry diseases and can they scratch or bite?

[mike11111]

Cue for a song:
"Is this the way to Armadillo?"

[boxtops]

doesn't look like its a problem if he knows how to look after it - the 3-banded armadillo rolls itself into a ball. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo I guess he would have needed an import licence to bring it into the country, and presumably some sort of quaratine before it entered the YK (as would be rest of his stuff if he brought it into the UK).

[mandymandy]

Thanks that does look like the creature I saw apart from the one from next door is considerably larger. I don't like the look of it one bit but thankfully I feel more at ease now.

[sara3]

to be fair, I'd probably have heart failure if I picked that up expecting it to be a football!

[boxtops]

You probably gave him a fright too!

[wheaten]

Can I have one? The dogs would love it, cross between a football and a cat!

[redman41]

Is your next door neighbour called Tony Christie ' Is this the way to Armadillo' ( Amarillo ) by any chance ! ;-))

[mandymandy]

Sara3 I can honestly say I've never been so scared in my life which makes me feel a little silly now,. Bottoms that's true but what would you do if in inanimate object suddenly sprung to life in you hands. I'm worried now at what else maybe lurking in my neighbors undergrowth now.

[boxtops]

LOL mandy, is that me your're calling Bottoms?!

[mandymandy]

Ha ha, I've just understood what you and mike1111 meant redman .

[mike11111]

"what would you do if in inanimate object suddenly sprung to life in you hands. I'm worried now at what else maybe lurking in my neighbors undergrowth now."

Careful, now. This could be open to misinterpretation.

[Mamyalynne]

Quite surreal and wonderful.

[mandymandy]

Oh my word, I'm sorry boxtops I did spell your username correctly but the predictive text function must. have altered it as it usually does when it sees accord rats not in its memory,it can be really funny at times and sometimes confusing tor the recipient of a txt message.

[mandymandy]

Ha ha yes I suppose you could mike111. Mamyalynne its something that ill have a laugh about later on in my life but I'm still a little shaky and am having a glass of Guinness for my nerves.