Badgers are increasingly having to adapt to urban life, due to pressure on our Countryside. They may occasionally be a minor nuisance by eating fruit, flower bulbs or root vegetables, or by making shallow pits in lawns when searching for insect grubs or earthworms. Apart from a minor nuisance, remember that badgers also eat garden insect pests, and other small mammals (especially vermin species like mice, rats and rabbits) as well as clearing up any small animal carcases/carrion so are not 100% bad in gardens.

Providing badgers with an alternative food-supply may help reduce any garden damage, and badgers can make fascinating visitors.

You can help badgers by providing a bowl of water and occasionally a little wet or sloppy cat food or dog food, as badgers will come out of their setts to feed during the evenings. They will also eat apples, pears, plums, plain peanuts or brazil nuts (no salt or chocolate), peanut butter sandwiches, a few Sugar Puffs. Whilst a pile of peanuts on the patio makes life easier for the badgers, you may find it more entertaining to scatter them across the lawn - the badgers will then have to sniff them out - meaning you have longer to watch them. However, wild animals will come to rely on artificial feeding; so it's best if you provide food in times of greatest need (winter and spring) or as an occasional treat. In terms of quantities, we would recommend no more than the equivalent of a single handful of peanuts per visiting badger - except when badgers are looking hungry or poorly; when they may be given a little more.

Note: If you leave out a dry dog food or cat food, then leave a spill-proof metal dish or trough of water too. Water is especially important in hot periods; as many badger cubs die of dehydration if they can't get enough wet food to drink.
Providing fresh clean water in the summer is a great benefit for badgers and other species; and we would encourage gardeners to do this if they can.

Remember, when feeding badgers you are essentially trying to replicate their natural diet (mainly earthworms with their high protein and high moisture-content).

If you wish to use a feeding bowl (!), then use a heavy metal dog-food bowl; and was it in very hot water with a good detergent. Do not use the same wash water, dishcloths or tea towels for animal-dishes and human-dishes.

Hedgehogs, Foxes and Badgers

Some people wish to feed a variety or nocturnal visitors to their gardens - including Hedgehogs, Foxes and badgers, and wonder what to do for the best.

Hedgehogs are daft enough to eat soggy bread in cows milk BUT IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THEM (as dairy products can damage their digestive system). Experts often advise putting out wet cat food for hedgehogs. As some badgers have acquired the skill of opening up a rolled-up hedgehog and eating it; your hedgehogs might stay away if they can sense badgers having visited or being nearby.

Foxes and Badger are in competition for some types of food. Both animals will eat wet cat food and other meat products. Normally a badger will "muscle-in" ahead of a fox and eat first, whilst the fox maintains a safe distance. However, if the badger is outnumbered by foxes, they may try and rush in a grab a bite to eat. For this reason, feeding foxes and badgers is best done with a mixture of small lumps of cat food (for the badgers who will eat things where they find them), and larger lumps like burgers (for the foxes who are more inclined to manage a take-away).