What Do Armadillos Eat in Minecraft (And Why It Matters)

Last updated: June 18, 2026 9:43 am

3 Min Read

Armadillos are one of the newer mobs in Minecraft, and they’ve quickly become a fan favorite — mostly because of what you can craft from them. But before you can breed them, tame them, or farm scutes, you need to know what Minecraft armadillos eat.

Short answer: spider eyes. That’s their food. Just spider eyes.

Where Do Armadillos Spawn?

Before worrying about feeding them, you need to find one. Armadillos spawn naturally in two biomes:

Savannas
Badlands

They wander around in small groups and tend to roll into a ball when they sense danger — like when you sprint toward them or a mob gets too close. Approach slowly and they’ll stay calm.

How to Feed and Breed Minecraft Armadillos

Once you’ve found them, feeding is straightforward. Hold spider eyes in your hand and right-click on an armadillo to feed it.

Feeding does a few things:

Heals the armadillo if it’s taken damage
Puts it in love mode so it can breed with another armadillo nearby
Speeds up baby growth if you feed the spider eye to a baby armadillo

To breed two armadillos, just feed a spider eye to each one while they’re close together. A baby armadillo will appear shortly after.

Getting spider eyes is easy enough — kill spiders at night or dig into caves where they spawn. Witches also drop them, though spiders are the more reliable source.

Why Bother Feeding Armadillos at All?

Here’s the real reason people care about armadillos in Minecraft: wolf armor.

Armadillos drop armadillo scutes over time just by being nearby — but you can also use a brush on them to collect scutes faster. Breed enough armadillos and you’ll have a steady scute farm going.

Once you’ve got 6 armadillo scutes, you can craft wolf armor at a crafting table. It’s the only way to armor your wolf in the game, and it makes your dog significantly tougher in combat.

So the whole loop looks like this: