Armadillos put on diet and exercise regime after overindulging over Christmas
A PAIR of armadillos have gone on a diet — after snuffling out too many treats over Christmas.
Twins Patsy and Eddie overindulged like their hedonistic namesakes from classic sitcom Absolutely Fabulous — but will now go an exercise regime.
The bony-shelled mammals spent much of the festive period staying up all night, scoffing and having monster lie-ins — resulting in them both putting on a kilo each.
But their handlers have drawn up a plan for the oval-shaped duo to shed the excess at Drusillas Park near Alfriston, East Sussex.
Zoo section leader Helena Farley said: “We do expect them to put on a little bit of weight but it seems our girls have over-indulged over the festive period.
“A lot of it will be due to them being very sleepy and not moving around much during colder months. Being nocturnal animals, they tend to choose to stay in bed a bit longer most mornings — I suppose like many of us over the Christmas break.”
She said the yellow armadillos — which arrived last summer — will have extra physical activities and a reduction in their diet, which includes mealworms and crickets.
She added: “Once warmer weather kicks in, they should start being a lot more active, and this’ll bring their weight down too.”
After their arrival, zoo animal manager Mark Kenward said: “I’m a huge fan of armadillos. They come from the same family as sloths.”