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| How big is a badger? |
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What is the natural lifespan of a badger? |
| What do badgers normally eat? |
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Are albinos accepted by other badgers? |
| Should I feed badgers? |
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How do badgers relate to other species? |
| How many cubs do they have, and when are they born? |
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Do females without cubs help with 'baby sitting'? |
| Are badgers territorial? |
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Is it true that badgers bury their dead? |
| What is the distance between setts? |
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How many badgers are there in Britain today? |
| Are badgers widespread in the UK? |
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Do badgers store food? |
| Can badgers swim? |
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Do badgers make any sounds? |
| Do badgers pair for life? |
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Do badgers hibernate? |
| What can I do about badgers digging up my lawn? |
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How big is a badger?
Fully grown boars
are usually bigger than fully grown sows. They can be up to
three feet (almost a metre) in length (including a short tail),
and weigh up to 30 lbs (14 kg). So about the size of a large
Labrador dog (but not a very fat one!), only on very much
shorter legs.
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What do badgers normally eat?
Badgers are
omnivorous, which means they will eat almost anything edible.
The bulk of their diet is made up of earthworms (generally about
80%), but they will also eat small rodents, frogs and slugs,
fruit, nuts, wheat, sweet corn and grubs. They will also
eat carrion, and raid bees nests for the honey and wasps nests
for the grubs.
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Should I feed badgers?
As shown in the
last answer, badgers eat a wide variety of foods so the chances
are that they will eat most of what you put out for them (or for
the birds, or hedgehogs, or the dog!). But a word of caution.
When foraging in the wild badgers will eat a wide range of foods
giving them a naturally balanced and healthy diet. If you only
ever feed one type of food, and in such quantities that they
come to rely on it as a regular food source, this will upset
their naturally balanced diet. It will also mean that if you go
away, or suddenly stop feeding them for some other reason, the
supply on which they may have come to depend will be denied
them. If you want to feed small amounts on an irregular basis to
attract them to your garden, or at a particular location in the
wild to make sure they stay in one place long enough to watch
them successfully, the best thing to use is a couple of handfuls
of raw, unsalted peanuts (bird nuts). Badgers love these, and
will go out of their way to investigate once they get used to
being fed these at a particular spot. Just remember - don't
overdo it! Please also remember to leave out plenty of fresh
water at ground level where badgers can get at it. This applies
not only in hot weather, but also in winter when other sources
may be frozen.
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Do badgers hibernate?
No, not in the
sense that hedgehogs hibernate. Badgers will put on a lot of
weight in the autumn to see them through the lean winter months,
when earth worms and other foods are harder to come by. During
the winter months they sleep deeper and longer, and in very wet
or cold weather they may stay underground for days at a time.
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How many cubs are there in a litter, and when are they born?
Generally between
one and five, the usual number being three. Badgers will mate
all year round, but due to the females' ability to delay
implantation, the cubs are born between January and March,
peaking in mid February. They stay underground for about six
weeks after birth, but are still totally dependant on their
mothers for another three or four weeks.
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Are badgers territorial?
Yes, but sociable
within their own family group (clan). Adolescent males will leave their
birth setts at a year old to establish new territories and look
for mates from other social groups. Fights (almost always
between two males or two females) can cause severe injuries,
typically to the neck and back, just above the tail. There is
normally a clear 'pecking order' within a social group.
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What is the distance between setts?
A social group or
clan will have it's own territory, which will contain a single main
sett with a number of entrances, used and unused, and a number
of subsidiary and outlier setts. The size of any one group's
territory will depend on the nature of the countryside and the
available foraging area.
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What is the natural lifespan of a badger?
Probably five to
six years, although there have been recorded cases of
individuals living for ten or more years. It is estimated that
20% of the adult population is killed on the roads each year.
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Are albinos accepted by other badgers?
Yes, as a rule.
Although albino (white) and erythristic (ginger-red) badgers are
rare, experienced badger watchers have noted that they seem to
be accepted by the rest of the social group in which they live.
For the genes to perpetuate at least some of them must breed
successfully.
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How do badgers relate to other species?
Surprisingly
well. Other species which have been recorded as sharing badger
setts include foxes and rabbits, as well as much smaller 'prey'
species such as voles and mice.
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Do
females without cubs help with 'baby sitting'?
During their
first few weeks of life the cubs are suckled exclusively by the
mother, who remains fiercely protective but will leave them for
periods while she goes above ground to forage. Once the cubs are
old enough to venture out, although not yet weaned, they will
begin to interact with other members of the social group. Two
important factors in this socialisation are play and mutual
grooming, during which the group members will come to recognise
each other principally by scent.
Unweaned orphaned
cubs will die of starvation if not rescued and reared by hand.
If old enough they may venture above ground to seek their
mothers, and are thus more easily rescued.
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Is it true that badgers bury their dead?
Almost certainly
not. Badgers which die underground may well be walled up and
that part of the sett abandoned, but that is not quite the same
thing. Future generations may then unearth badger bones in
extending their sett, and it is the occasional finding of these
bones in the spoil heaps which helps the rumours persist.
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How many badgers are there in Britain today?
It is generally
accepted that there are about 30,000 occupied main setts, which
given an average social group of five adults means some 150,000
individuals.
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Are badgers widespread in the UK?
Some areas of
Britain are devoid of badgers. They are most heavily
concentrated in the south east and south west of England, west
and central Wales, and north east England.
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Do badgers make any sounds?
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As a general
rule, badgers are silent animals. However, scientists
working for the Wildlife Conversation Research Unit of the
Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford have
identified thirteen distinct calls made by badgers in particular
circumstances, namely bark,
chitter, churr, click, growl, hiss, kecker, purr, snarl, snort,
squeak, wail and yelp. You can read all about them at the Badgerland
site.
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Do badgers store food?
No, not in the
sense that squirrels store food. However, they do lay down
reserves of fat in the autumn to see them through the lean
winter months ahead.
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Can badgers swim?
In common with
most mammals badgers are able to swim, but they usually try to
avoid doing so. They will go out of their way to make use of
bridges across streams and rivers, and will utilise fallen trees
if available. Instances have been reported of badgers making use
of a suitable tree fallen across a stream over many years, to
the point where the bark was worn away and the top surface
polished smooth by the passage of feet over many years. But
there are also reports of badgers swimming across a canal to get
to particularly good foraging ground on the far side. So badgers
can swim, but whether they do or not depends on their need and
the circumstances.
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Do badgers pair for life?
No, but they may remain
as partners for many years. Each family group has a dominant
boar, which will mate with the dominant sow only for as long as
they both remain dominant, as well as any other breeding females
in the group. On reaching maturity, male offspring usually leave the
group to find a group or partner elsewhere. Once a dominant boar
is past his prime, and no longer able to defend his territory
and group, he may be ousted by one of his own offspring or an adolescent male from a
different group and gene pool.
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What can I do about badgers digging up my lawn?
This can be a
common problem in dry weather when lawns are being watered,
bringing worms nearer to the surface. Also in some areas, and at certain times of
year, when the
badgers are after the grubs of the cockchafer and crane
fly (daddy-long-legs), which lie just below ground level and eat
the roots of the grass.
There are chemical
sprays which will deter all animals (domestic and wild) that do
seem to work. (Note that Renardine is now banned, so must NOT be
used) You could also
consider more
'organic' methods... If you have a dog (rather than a bitch)
encourage it to lift its leg where the badgers are digging, or
at the point where they are entering the garden. This invariably
deters them - male members of the household performing the same
function will have the same effect, but not everybody is willing
to try this! (This is not a service we provide! -
it's very much a do-it-yourself remedy, but it really does
work). It should only be for a short while until the badgers get
the message.
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