Woman keeps anteaters in her washing machine to keep ants out of her kitchen

-Adapted from Daily Mail

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

According to Daily Mail, the 37-year-old bought Pua seven years ago and the Aurora in 2011 to keep her company.

And now the nocturnal pair are never happier than when they curl up in her washer during the day and roam the house at night - keeping her house free from pesky ants.

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.

'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.

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

'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.

'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.

'She spends a lot more time with Aurora now but she still really enjoys spending some time with me.'