So, you’ve finally tracked down one of Minecraft’s cutest new additions, the armadillo. You’ve painstakingly built a beautiful, cozy pin, led the little guy in, and now you’re standing there with a stack of wheat, some carrots, and maybe even a suspicious stew, and… nothing. It just stares at you, judgingly. You’re frantically searching, asking the void, “just what do armadillos eat in Minecraft?!”
Well, you can put that entire vegetable aisle away. This guide is the definitive answer you’ve been looking for. I’m not just going to tell you their one, weirdly specific favorite snack; I’m going to show you why they eat it, how to get a limitless supply of it, how to breed an army of scute-shedding buddies, and how to turn your favorite wolf into an unkillable, furry terminator. Let’s dig in.
So, What Do Armadillos Eat in Minecraft? The Big Reveal
Alright, let’s rip the bandage off. The one and only food item that armadillos will eat is…
Spider Eyes.
Yes, really. Not seeds, not apples, not golden carrots, and definitely not that questionable mushroom stew. They crave those creepy, crunchy, multi-faceted eyeballs dropped by their mortal enemies. It’s a bit weird, a little morbid, and frankly, hilarious.
But here’s the critical part: they don’t eat them just to survive. You can’t “tame” an armadillo like a wolf or a cat. Feeding them a spider eye does one thing and one thing only: it puts them in the mood for love. That’s right—spider eyes are purely for breeding.
The Armadillo: Your New Favorite Minecraft Passive Mob
Before we start our eight-legged buffet, let’s get to know this little critter. The armadillo is a minecraft passive mob, which means it won’t try to shank you with a tiny pixelated dagger. It’s completely harmless to you.
However, it’s not entirely defenseless. Unlike a cow or a sheep, which just accepts its fate, the armadillo has a very specific defense mechanism: it rolls into a blocky little ball!
Where to Find This Shy Creature
Armadillos aren’t just hanging out in your backyard (unless your backyard is a savanna). They spawn exclusively in Savanna and Badlands biomes. They’re relatively common, so a quick sprint through these areas should have you spotting one soon.
Ball is Life: The Rolling Mechanic
The armadillo is a bit of a ‘fraidy-cat. It will roll up into its protective shell whenever it detects a “threat.” What counts as a threat, you ask?
- A player who is sprinting.
- A player on a mount (like a horse or a pig).
- Any undead mob (Zombies, Skeletons, Husks, etc.).
- And, in a twisted bit of irony, Spiders and Cave Spiders.
When rolled up, it won’t move, it won’t eat, and it won’t breed. It just sits there, soaking up damage like a tiny tank. This is key: a stressed armadillo is a useless armadillo.
How to Get Spider Eyes: The Armadillo Buffet
You can’t start your breeding program without the main course. You need spider eyes, and you’re going to need a lot of them. Here’s how to stock the pantry.
The “Old Fashioned Way” (Whacking Spiders)
This is the entry-level method. Wait for nightfall, draw your sword, and go spider-hunting. Spiders can drop 0-2 spider eyes upon death.
You can also find them in mineshafts, which are often crawling with Cave Spiders. Be careful, though—those little blue monsters are venomous, and their spawner can quickly overwhelm you.
The “Evil Genius Way” (Building a Spider Farm)
This is the real specialist-level strategy. You don’t want to be hunting spiders every time you want a new set of wolf armor. The solution? An automated mob farm.
If you find a Cave Spider spawner in a mineshaft, you’ve hit the jackpot. You can build a grinder around it to funnel all the spiders into a one-hit-kill chamber. If you’re really ambitious, you can build a massive dark-room mob spawner that filters out other mobs and leaves you with a steady stream of string and spider eyes.
The “Oops, I’m a Witch Hunter” Method
It’s not the most efficient, but Witches also have a chance to drop spider eyes when killed. If you’ve got a witch hut nearby, you might get a few as a by-product of farming for potions and redstone.
Insider Secret: The “Looting” Enchantment is Your Best Friend
Do not, I repeat, do not go spider hunting without a sword enchanted with Looting III. Why? Because it’s all about efficiency. Looting I gives you a max of 3 eyes, II a max of 4, and III a max of 5. This is the difference between breeding two armadillos and breeding an entire dynasty. You’re investing time to hunt; maximize your return on every single swing.
How to Breed Armadillos (And Why You’re Asking “What Do Armadillos Eat in Minecraft” in the First Place)
Let’s be honest. You’re not here because you want to be a zoologist. You’re here because you want loot. And the armadillo provides one of the coolest new items in the game.
The entire reason we’re force-feeding spider eyes to these things is to get them to breed, creating a baby armadillo. More armadillos = more loot.
Here’s the step-by-step:
- Find Two Armadillos: You’ll need a pair. Use a Lead to bring them back to your base. Don’t try to herd them; it’s like herding cats.
- Build a Safe Pen: This is crucial. Make sure it’s well-lit and fully enclosed. A simple fence will do, but solid blocks are better. You must keep undead mobs and spiders away, or your armadillos will stay rolled up and refuse to breed.
- Feed Them the Eyes: Hold a spider eye and right-click on two adult armadillos. You’ll see the classic love hearts appear.
- Get a Baby! A tiny, adorable baby armadillo will spawn.
- Wait for the Cooldown: Like other animals, armadillos have a 5-minute cooldown before they can be bred again.
The Grand Prize: Armadillo Scutes and Wolf Armor
This is the whole point. This is the “why.” Armadillos are the only source for Armadillo Scutes.
What Are Armadillo Scutes?
An armadillo will passively drop a scute every 5-10 minutes, much like a chicken lays an egg. It just pops right off them.
But wait, there’s more! You can also use a Brush on an armadillo to get a scute. This has a cooldown, but it’s a great way to get a few scutes on demand. This is why having a lot of armadillos is so valuable.
Crafting the Legendary Wolf Armor
It takes six (6) Armadillo Scutes to craft one set of Wolf Armor. The recipe is simple: place three scutes in a “helmet” pattern on the top two rows, one in the middle, and two on the bottom corners.
This armor is a total game-changer. You put it on your tamed wolf (just right-click the wolf with the armor in hand), and it makes them practically invincible. The armor absorbs all damage—from skeletons, creepers, lava, falls—until it breaks. Your wolf’s health bar won’t even flinch.
You can even repair the wolf armor! Just use more armadillo scutes on it in an anvil. This is why a passive scute farm is the ultimate goal.
Pro-Tip: The Automated “Scute Shedding” Farm
Don’t just stand there waiting. The real pro move is to automate your scute collection. The “why” here is simple: your time is valuable. Build your large armadillo enclosure one block above a grid of hoppers that all feed into a chest.
Even better? Place a layer of hopper minecarts under the floor blocks (like dirt or sand). The items will clip through the block and into the minecart. This way, every single scute that’s passively shed is automatically collected. You just show up and grab your stacks of scutes, ready to armor another wolf.
Common Mistakes When Handling What Armadillos Eat in Minecraft
I see these blunders all the time on servers. Don’t be that person.
Mistake #1: Trying to Tame Them
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: You cannot tame an armadillo. Feeding them spider eyes only makes them breed. They will never follow you, fight for you, or love you. They are a livestock animal, plain and simple. Use a lead.
Mistake #2: Building a Sloppy Pen
If a zombie, skeleton, or spider can see your armadillos, they will constantly be in their rolled-up state. A rolled-up armadillo does not eat, breed, or shed scutes. Your “farm” will be completely useless. Build solid walls, light up the area, and give them a roof. A calm armadillo is a productive armadillo.
Mistake #3: Forgetting to Check Your Feet
What’s another threat to an armadillo? A sprinting player. If you constantly sprint around inside their enclosure, you’re stressing them out and stopping production. Walk, don’t run.
Mistake #4: Mixing Their Food
“But what if they eat poisonous potatoes? Or fermented spider eyes?” No. Stop it. Just regular, plain, vanilla Spider Eyes. Nothing else.
The Armadillo’s Weirdest Quirk: The Spider Paradox
Let’s end on the most bizarre piece of armadillo trivia. As we’ve established, they are terrified of spiders. It’s one of their main triggers for rolling up.
And yet… the only thing they will eat is a part of that very same creature.
This is what makes Minecraft great. It’s a complicated, tragic, predator-prey-lover triangle. They fear the spider, but they desire its eye. It’s a love story for the ages. For all an armadillo knows, a spider eye is the ultimate symbol of bravery—the eye of its vanquished foe. Or maybe they just taste really, really good. We may never know.
Your New Life as an Armadillo Rancher
So, there you have it. The definitive answer to what do armadillos eat in Minecraft is the humble Spider Eye.
You’re no longer the confused player wondering why carrots don’t work. You are now a specialist—a master armadillo rancher. You know what they eat, why they eat it, how to build a farm to get it, and how to turn their entire life’s purpose into an impenetrable suit of armor for your best boy, Fang.
Now go forth, build that spider grinder, and start your scute-farming empire. Those creepers won’t stand a chance.