What do badgers eat?

Badgers are short-legged omnivores found across Europe, Africa, North America and Asia.

Badgers all live underground. They live in burrows called 'setts', which may be very large. Some live on their own, moving from home to home. Others are known to form family groups called 'cetes'. Between two and fifteen badgers can live in a cete at one time. Badgers can run or gallop at speeds of up to 25–30 km/h (16–19 mph) for short periods of time. Badgers are only active at night. They can dig a hole fast enough to escape most predators. They fill in the hole behind them as they dig.

The badger’s diet is mainly small mammals; mice, gophers and squirrels. They eat amphibians, reptiles and birds. Badgers also eat earthworms, insects, grubs, and bird eggs. They will sometimes eat roots and fruit. In Britain, they are the main predator of hedgehogs. Badgers have been known to become drunk from the alcohol found in rotting fruit.