Don’t mess with a badger! The badger is a formidable animal with long thick claws and razor-sharp teeth. They will defend their territory and their young.
Badgers are mustelids and related to otters, weasels, and ferrets. Like others in their family, they are very cute but have a ferocious attitude.
With a stocky flattened body and short legs, the average badger weighs 15 pounds.
Are Badgers Endangered Animals?
Badgers are not endangered animals although they are protected in several states.
They are protected in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois and can’t be hunted or trapped.
California lists them as a species of special concern which means they are monitoring declining populations.
In Canada, they are listed as a Canadian Species at Risk.
Where Do Badgers Live?
Badgers live throughout the western states and across the Great Plains regions. Badgers live in grasslands, prairies, and open farmlands. They like to live in places that have sandy or loamy soil.
They live in elaborate dens underground. These dens may have several rooms for sleeping, toileting, or storing food. They will redig dens as needed.
The den just has one entrance. You can spot a den because there will be a pile of dirt next to the entrance.
When a badger feels threatened they will go into their den and plug up the hole.
Territory of American badger
Wisconsin’s State Mammal
The badger was declared the state’s animal in 1957. Our nickname is the badger state because in the 1800s miners were digging holes looking for lead ore.
On a side note, the state of Wisconsin also recognizes the white-tailed deer as the state’s wildlife animal.
Buckingham U. Badger (“Bucky”) is the mascot at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Are Badgers Noctural?
No, badgers are crespuscular. They hunt mainly at dawn and dusk when their prey is also active.
However, they are also opportunists and may be seen hunting during the day or the middle of the night. In part that may depend on where they live and their dominant food sources.
American badger at the Henry Vilas Zoo. You can see his long claws. The paper was from an enrichment activity I put together for him (see video below) Photo by Ame Vanorio
Do Badgers Hibernate?
No, badgers do not hibernate. They experience torpor a state of lowered physiological activity. Animals in torpor experience lower body temperatures, heart rates, and metabolic activity.
Read our blog Nighty, Night Sleep Tight to learn more about the differences between hibernation and torpor.
Badger Reproduction
Male badgers are called boars and female sows. The babies are cubs. A group of badgers is a sete.
Badgers are predominantly solitary animals.
They come together in July and August to mate. Males may mate with more than one female.
Females hold onto the eggs until December or January before they start developing. This is called delayed implantation.
Technically the badger is pregnant for seven months however, gestation only takes six weeks.
The female digs an underground den which she lines with grasses and fur. One to five babies are born in March.
Babies open their eyes at four weeks. At two months the mother starts teaching them to hunt. They leave mom between five and six months old.
Fun Facts
Badgers can dig through pavement
Wisconsin State representatives loudly disagreed between the badger and the deer becoming the state animal which is why they are both represented.
Badgers sometimes team up with coyotes to hunt prey. Since they both have different hunting styles it helps them both.
Check out my video of the badgers
What Do Badgers Eat?
Badgers are carnivores and hunt a variety of burrowing animals such as ground squirrels, mice, gophers, prairie dogs, bob-whites, burrowing owls, and rabbits.
They are one of the few mammals that will hunt rattlesnakes.
You can check out our blog on the Virginia Opposum who also hunts rattlesnakes and has helped scientists develop anti-venom.
Who Eats Badgers?
Badgers have several natural protections. A thick hairy neck, ability to dig quickly, and the ability to bite and claw.
They also can release an unpleasant musk odor which may discourage predators.
But some animals do hunt badgers. Larger carnivores such as wolves and cougars as well as eagles.
How long Do Badgers Live?
In the wild, they live an average of ten years. In captivity, they can live fifteen years.
Rescue and Rehabilitation
Badgers are a species I have never worked within wildlife rehabilitation. It takes considerable forethought and planning to rehabilitate badgers.
Badgers need to be raised with no human contact so that they become appropriately wary of humans. So that means an enclosure where they can’t see humans, being fed using tools instead of picking up, and not talking around them.
Diseases/Zoonoses
Badgers are typically not listed as a rabies vector species however they can carry the virus.
The related domestic pet, the ferret, is required to be vaccinated for rabies in many states including Kentucky.
Badgers are considered a wildlife reservoir in Europe for the disease Meles meles which are caused by Mycobacterium bovis, the same pathogen that causes bovine tuberculosis in cattle. Badgers and cattle can pass the disease back and forth.
Badgers can live with bovine tuberculosis for several years before showing signs of infection. Eventually, the badgers succumb to the disease which has caused populations to decline. In some countries, wild badgers are vaccinated against this disease.
Hunting and Trapping
Sadly, there is a long history of trapping badgers and of several cruel sports such as badger baiting.
Badger baiting is a blood sport in which badgers and dogs fight each other. Typically it ends in the death of the badger and sometimes the dogs as well.
Ironically, it was smaller dogs such as dachshunds and Jack Russel Terriers that were used to fight them.
Badger fur is used for shaving and paintbrushes. If you are an artist make sure you look for brushes with non-animal tips.
Of course, another big threat to badgers is roadways. Wildlife crossings are needed to protect a variety of animals and humans from road collisions.
Threats to livestock or garden
Badger burrows can be a risk to cattle who may step in them and injure a leg.
Badgers will also sometimes break into chicken houses and kill chickens. Secure chicken housing is needed in badger territory.
Don’t use chicken wire to protect chickens as predators can rip right through. Use a heavy gauge wire. Make sure all possible holes are completely covered in metal.
Electric netting will also keep badgers out.
Badgers typically don’t come close to homes or barns where humans are active. You may experience them in fields or pastures. Badgers seek out mice and voles so can be a help to reduce the rodent population around crops.
However, they do dig oval-shaped holes and they may occasionally snack on corn.
To encourage badgers to leave your property a radio turned to a talk or news station and motion sensor lights may help.
Garden fencing needs to be dug twenty-four inches below the surface of the ground and made of 2x2 mesh welded wire.
Some studies show that dried chili pepper will make them leave an area. Human urine may also repel them.
Ecological Niche
Badgers are an important part of their ecological niche. Their burrows provide homes for many other species.
Badgers change burrows frequently. There abandoned burrows are often used by burrowing owls, foxes, skunks, and rabbits.
They deposit feces beneath the ground which adds fertility to the soil. In addition, the digging process aerates the soil which helps plant roots to grow.
Diggers like badgers and prairie dogs were an important reason the Great Plains was such a fertile landscape. European farmers flocked to the area for farming. Unfortunately, because many of their farming methods were unsustainable the soil suffered.
Pets
Badgers do not make good pets. They are wild animals that do attack when they feel threatened.
If you find a badger cub that you believe is injured or orphaned call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
Literature/Folklore
Badgers show up frequently in children’s literature. Beatrix Potter's Tommy Brock is a grouchy and even mean character in her book The Tale of Mr. Tod.
In another piece of classic British children’s literature, Badger is a character in Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl. Badger helps to save them all by doing what badgers do best, digging.
In Japanese and Chinese folklore the badger is a shapeshifter. Mujina in Japanese folklore is a badger or a raccoon dog that first showed up in 627 ACE.
It was said they turned into humans in the spring, sang sweet songs, and trick people.
Shout Out!
I want to recognize the fabulous Henry Villas Zoo in Madison, WI. I took these pictures and videos at the zoo. I also did a fabulous Behind the Scenes Tour with the badgers.
Author, Ame Vanorio, is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center. She recently moved to Wisconsin and has fallen head of heels in love with badgers!
Roads keep America moving. However, it’s important to remember that animals have places to be too. Wildlife crossings help them navigate roads safely.