Nifflers are used by goblins to dig for treasure. During the 1994-1995 school year, Rubeus Hagrid used them as part of his fourth year Care of Magical Creatures class. Before class, he hid 100 Leprechaun gold coins in the dirt in front of his cabin. He gave each student a niffler and promised a prize to whoever found the most gold. Ron Weasley asked Rubeus Hagrid if they could buy these nifflers as pets, and knowingly, Hagrid told him that his mother would not want one as they caused house damage, but this was not a definitive "no". This means that there is a high probability that magicians can acquire niffles. When Hagrid caught Gregory Goyle bagging the gold, he explained that trying to steal it made no sense, as Leprechaun gold was useless, as it disappeared after a few hours. Ron's niffler found the most gold, so Hagrid rewarded him with a large Honeydukes chocolate bar.

During Dolores Umbridge's tenure as principal of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lee Jordan used a levitation charm to levitate two scrubs through her office window to destroy the place. Umbridge blamed Hagrid for it, and this did not help him during the Hogwarts High Inquisitor inspections.