Last month, I lost my favorite pet wolf to a stray skeleton while exploring a savanna biome. I’d heard wolf armor could stop that from happening, but I had no clue where to get the scutes needed to craft it. After a few hours of digging through forums and testing tricks in my survival world, I figured out how to breed armadillos in Minecraft to get a steady supply of scutes with very little effort. This guide breaks down everything I learned, no confusing hacks or creative-mode cheats required.
What You Need Before Breeding Armadillos
First, you don’t need any fancy enchanted gear or rare resources to start breeding these little mobs. Armadillos only spawn in dry savanna biomes, so you’ll want to track down at least two of them first before you start prepping your space. They’re easy to spot with their brown, scaly shells and slow waddling movement, but they’ll curl up into a ball if you run too close or if a hostile mob is nearby.
Before you lead them back to your base, gather these essential supplies to make the process go smoothly:
You might be wondering why spider eyes are on the list. I made the mistake of bringing carrots and wheat my first time, and the armadillos completely ignored me. It turns out armadillos only eat spider eyes, so you’ll want to farm a few stacks of them from cave spiders or regular spiders before you get started.
How to Breed Armadillos in Minecraft: Simple Step-by-Step Process
Once you have all your supplies and your two armadillos are locked safely in the pen, you’re almost ready to start breeding. First, stand still near the pen for a minute or two so the armadillos can calm down. If they’re curled up into tight balls, they won’t accept any food, so don’t rush this step. I usually sit on a block outside the pen and scroll through my inventory while I wait for them to unfurl.
When they’re walking around normally, hold a spider eye in your main hand. They’ll slowly waddle over to you, just like cows follow wheat or pigs follow carrots. Right-click on the first armadillo to feed it, and you’ll see small red hearts pop up above its head. Do the same for the second armadillo, and they’ll move toward each other to spawn a baby armadillo after a few seconds.
There are a few small details to keep in mind here. Adult armadillos have a 5-minute cool down period after breeding, so you won’t be able to breed the same pair again right away. Baby armadillos take 20 minutes to grow into adults, but you can feed them extra spider eyes to cut that growth time by 10% per eye. You’ll also get one armadillo scute automatically every time a baby armadillo grows into an adult, so you don’t have to kill any mobs to get the crafting material you need.
Common Mistakes That Stop Armadillos From Breeding
I wasted almost an hour my first time trying to breed armadillos because I didn’t know about their unique behavior quirks. The most common mistake new players make is using the wrong food. Only spider eyes work for breeding armadillos—they won’t touch any other food item, even if it’s a rare or expensive one. Double check your hotbar before you head to your pen to save yourself the frustration.
Another mistake is building a pen that’s too small. Armadillos need space to move around to feel safe, so a 2x2 pen won’t work no matter how much food you have. I tested this myself early on, and the armadillos just curled up in the corners and refused to eat until I expanded the pen to 6x6. You don’t need anything bigger than that for a small breeding pair, but you can make it larger if you plan to expand your farm later.
Rainy weather will also completely stop breeding attempts. Armadillos hate getting wet, so they’ll stay curled up in their shells the entire time it’s raining. Wait for a clear sunny day to breed them, or build a roof over your pen to keep the rain out. I don’t bother with a roof most of the time, since savanna biomes have very little rain anyway, but it’s a good addition if you’re building your farm in a wetter area.
Finally, make sure there are no hostile mobs within 10 blocks of the pen. Zombies, skeletons, and creepers will all make armadillos too scared to breed, and creepers can blow up your pen entirely if they get too close. Put torches all around the perimeter, and fence off the area around the pen if you’re in an area with lots of mob spawns.
Key Perks of Building an Armadillo Breeding Farm
You might be wondering if it’s worth the effort to breed armadillos instead of just hunting wild ones for scutes. The biggest benefit is the steady supply of armadillo scutes you’ll get without having to travel across the savanna every time you need more wolf armor. Once you have 4 or 5 breeding pairs, you’ll get enough scutes to make armor for all your pets, plus extra to trade with other players on multiplayer servers.
Wolf armor gives your pet 10 extra armor points, which is enough to stop most regular mobs from killing them in one hit. I have 6 wolves that follow me on exploration runs now, and none of them have died since I started using armor made from my farm’s scutes. It’s also a lot more fun to build a small farm than it is to run around chasing wild armadillos, especially if you’re playing on a server with lots of other players who might have already cleared out nearby savanna biomes.
You can also use extra armadillos as decorative mobs for your base. They’re quiet, don’t make much of a mess, and look really cute wandering around a savanna-themed build. I have a small group of them outside my trading hall, and visitors always comment on how cool they look. Just make sure you keep them enclosed, or they’ll waddle off into the wilderness before you know it.
If you want to expand your farm later, you can add a hopper system to automatically collect any scutes that drop, but it’s not necessary for small, casual farms. I just check my pen every 30 minutes or so when I’m working on my base, and I usually have 3 or 4 scutes waiting for me every time.
Breeding these little scaly mobs is way easier than most players think, once you know what supplies you need and what mistakes to avoid. Learning how to breed armadillos in Minecraft is a small project that pays off big if you rely on pet wolves for protection, or if you just want a fun new mob to add to your base. Give it a try your next survival playthrough, and you’ll never have to worry about losing your favorite pet to a random stray again.