What do Armadillos eat in Minecraft?

It's not what you'd expect.

Armadillos following the player in Minecraft.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Armadillo mob is one of the most unique creatures you can meet in Minecraft. These shy critters can be tricky to befriend since they roll into a ball when threatened, but it’s a lot easier when you know what to feed them.

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Many Minecraft mobs have weird food preferences, but the Armadillo has perhaps the strangest favorite food of all. The item you need to feed this creature isn’t one you’re likely to figure out, so here’s what Armadillos eat in Minecraft.

What to feed Armadillos in Minecraft

Feeding Armadillos a Spider Eye in Minecraft.
Armadillos have pretty weird taste. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Armadillos can only be fed spider eyes in Minecraft. This is an odd choice because it’s something you likely don’t even consider a food item, even though you can eat it too. When you eat this item, it poisons you, but spider eyes are harmless and actually provide benefits to Armadillos who consume them.

Spider eyes can be pretty tricky to obtain. Each time you vanquish a Spider, you have a one-in-three chance of obtaining a spider eye as a loot drop from it. Luck plays a huge role in how easy or difficult it is to get this item.

You can increase your odds of getting spider eyes if you use an enchanted sword or enchanted axe equipped with Looting. This is the only way to boost the likelihood of obtaining this item and you still might need to eliminate a few Spiders before you get one.

If you feed two adult Armadillos spider eyes, you can breed them to spawn a baby Armadillo. Baby Armadillos are cute but have no use, so these tiny creatures can be aged up more quickly if you gather additional spider eyes to feed them.

Armadillos also follow you wherever you go if you hold a spider eye in your hand. This behavior works the same as it does with other creatures, so if you’ve ever tried leading mobs like Cows using wheat or Pigs using carrots, then you know exactly how to lead Armadillos too.

How to feed Armadillos in Minecraft

To feed Armadillos in Minecraft, you must approach them slowly, calmly, and carefully with a spider eye in your hand. Feeding Armadillos isn’t as easy as it is with most other passive mobs since they get scared quite easily.

All Armadillos can only be fed when they’re unrolled. They roll up anytime they sense possible danger, which includes simple harmless actions you might take like sprinting or riding around on a horse. Because of this, moving cautiously is required if you want to feed an Armadillo.

Armadillos following a player holding Spider Eyes in Minecraft.
They’ll follow you anywhere as long as you’re carrying a spider eye. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Regardless of whether you feed Armadillos, this mob periodically drops Scutes you can pick up. This is an essential item for crafting wolf armor for all the wolf variants. You can also get additional Scutes if you brush Armadillos.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.