There are no ants in her pants! Woman keeps pet anteaters in washing machine to keep insects at bay

Angela Goodwin keeps Pua and Aurora in her home in Oakridge, Oregon

They sleep in her washing machine by day and roam her house at night

They love nothing more than raiding her fridge for their tipple of chilled ants

She says they are very intelligent and can open doors, drawers and windows



There are no ants in Angela Goodwin's pants... because she keeps a pair of anteaters in her washing machine.



The 37-year-old bought Pua seven years ago and Aurora in 2011 to keep her company.

And now the nocturnal pair are never happier than when they're curled up in her washer during the day or when they're roaming the house at night - keeping it free from pesky ants.

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Anteaters in her pants: Pua and Aurora Now curl up in her washer during the day and roam the house at night - keeping her house free from pesky ants

High five! Pua stands on a washing machine at Angela's home in Oakridge, Oregon. She bought one of the unusual pets seven years ago and a second in 2011

Angela, an online administrator from Oakridge, Oregon, USA, says her besnouted pets are very intelligent and can open doors, drawers and windows.

And they can even break into her fridge to raid their favourite snack - chilled ants.

She said: 'I have to keep everything locked and bolted when they are not being supervised just to prevent problems.

Sleepy time: Angela, who lives alone with the furry pets, says she managed to house-train her first anteater, Pua (pictured), by using a litter tray and now lets her sleep in her bed

Ant licker: Anteaters have long tongues so they can lick up as many ants or termites as possible in the wild. Their tongues are covered with thousands of tiny hooks called filiform papillae which are used to hold the insects together with large amounts of saliva

Angela, an online administrator from Oakridge, Oregon, says her pets are very intelligent and can open doors (left), drawers and windows and love nothing more than dressing up (right)



Creatures of the night: Pua and Aurora are of the tamandua subspecies and largely nocturnal, although occasionally go for walks with Angela during the day

'They can't be taught as easily as a dog but they will learn to do things if there's something in it for them.'

Angela, who lives alone with the furry pets, says she managed to house-train her first anteater, Pua, by using a litter tray and now lets her sleep in her bed.

And the long-clawed creatures - native to the forests of South America - also like swinging from her shelves in her living room.

She said: 'One of the best things about having anteaters is they are entertaining - even when they are getting into trouble and raiding the refrigerator.

An anteater's life: To accommodate her pets Angela puts tree branches around her house for them to clamber on, and logs for them to scratch... as well as a cosy hammock to rest in

Curious creatures: And they like to go for trips with Angela in the car where they usually spent the entire journey with their snouts pressed against the window, looking out

'You can't really be mad at them because they are not being bad, it's just in their nature.

IT'S ALL IN THE NAME: WHY THE ANTEATER'S CALLED AN ANTEATER

Anteaters are most commonly found in the wild throughout South and Central America, although smaller numbers can now be found in parts of the U.S. They have long snouts, tongues and claws to help eat their preferred meal of ants or termites. Their method of eating involves flitting between ant hills or termite nests very quickly, licking up as many ants as they can before they get bitten.

Giant anteaters are known to get through up to 200 nests in one sitting to sate their huge appetites.

Their tongues are covered with thousands of tiny hooks - called filiform papillae - which trap the insects in their huge amounts of sticky saliva.

The anteater's stomach, like a bird's gizzard, has hard folds which contract and relax to grind the insects down - a digestive process helped by small amounts of ingested sand and dirt. The tongue is attached all the way down to the sternum and can flick 150 times per minute.

'Pua will get into the fridge because I keep ants in there for her.'

And she found that their favourite spot to curl up is the washing machine.

Angela said: 'Pua used to sleep in my bed, but then she found the washing machine and loves being in there.

'She's learned to open the door just enough that it closes behind her when she gets in.

'Aurora often leaves the door open which really irritates Pua.'

Pua and Aurora are of the tamandua subspecies and largely nocturnal, although occasionally go for walks with Angela during the day.

In the wild anteaters live on a diet of ants, terminates and bees - but Angela says her pets have developed a taste for blue cheese.

To accommodate her pets Angela puts tree branches around her house for them to clamber on, and logs for them to scratch.

She said: 'They can be quite destructive when they get bored. I came home once to find they had burrowed through the dry wall.'

And for potential owners there are more downsides.

Angela said: 'Anteaters are quite smelly - people say they smell like skunks.

'They are also very messy and their food gets spread around from sticking to their claws. I'm constantly clearing up after them.

'Sometimes the dogs will follow them around hoping for food to fall off their claws.

Creature comforts: In the wild anteaters live on a diet of ants, terminates and bees - but Angela says her pets have developed a taste for blue cheese

Bed time: Pua and Aurora relax in their washing machine bed with blankets to keep warm and a couple of jarres of chilled ants for a late-night snack

Messy: Angela says anteaters are smelly and very messy and 'their food gets spread around from sticking to their claws'

Cute: Anteater Pua sits in a carrybag as it wears a jean jacket

'I wasn't able to house-train Aurora so she's happy wetting the bed where she's sleeping.'

However, Angela is undeterred and says her anteaters make great pets.

She said: 'Pua loves to spending time with me - she'll sniff my breath and play with me.

'We've spent hours running up and down the hallways and wrestling.