Badgers are familiar visitors to many parts of the UK, particularly in rural areas, woodland, farmland and gardens close to suitable habitat.
Although they are sometimes thought of as predators, badgers actually have a very varied diet.
Earthworms are their most important food source in much of the UK, but badgers will eat many other animals and plant foods when they are available.
Their diet can also help explain some of the signs they leave behind, including holes in lawns, disturbed soil and visits to fruit and vegetable gardens.
Understanding what badgers eat can therefore help explain why they sometimes appear in gardens and why their behaviour changes with the seasons.
What Do Badgers Eat? (Quick Answer)
Badgers are opportunistic omnivores with a varied diet. Earthworms are usually their most important food, but they also eat insects, beetle larvae, slugs, snails, fruit, nuts, cereals, roots, bulbs and other plant material.
They may also eat small mammals, amphibians, carrion and, occasionally, other animals such as hedgehogs.
The exact balance of their diet changes depending on the season, habitat and availability of food. When their preferred foods are difficult to find, badgers can adapt by searching for other suitable sources.
Earthworms Are a Major Part of a Badger’s Diet
Earthworms are one of the most important foods for badgers in the UK.
They are particularly valuable because they are widespread in suitable soils and can provide a substantial source of protein.
Badgers use their powerful sense of smell to locate worms beneath or close to the surface of the soil.
They then use their strong claws and snout to investigate the ground and extract them.
This feeding behaviour is one of the main reasons badgers sometimes leave small holes or disturbed areas across lawns.
These are often known as snuffle holes.
If you have noticed this happening in your garden, why do badgers dig up lawns? explains why badgers dig and which types of food they may be searching for beneath the turf.
Badgers can consume large numbers of earthworms during a night when conditions are suitable.
However, the exact proportion of earthworms in their diet varies between studies and locations, so it is better to think of them as a major food source rather than the only important part of their diet.
Insects and Other Invertebrates
Badgers do not rely on earthworms alone.
They also search for a wide variety of other invertebrates, particularly when these are readily available.
Their diet can include:
- beetles
- insect larvae
- slugs
- snails
- other soil-dwelling invertebrates
Some of these animals live beneath the surface or within vegetation, so badgers may investigate soil, leaf litter, rotten wood and other areas where invertebrates are concentrated.
This can sometimes lead to more noticeable digging.
For example, beetle larvae and other grubs can occur beneath grass roots, providing an attractive food source for a hungry badger.
This is why garden damage can sometimes appear particularly severe during periods when particular invertebrates are abundant.
Badgers are not necessarily trying to damage the lawn itself.
They are usually interested in what is living underneath it.
Do Badgers Eat Fruit?
Yes.
Fruit can form part of a badger’s diet, particularly when it is readily available.
Badgers may eat fallen or naturally available fruit such as:
- apples
- pears
- plums
- blackberries
- elderberries
They may encounter fruit in woodland, hedgerows, farmland and gardens.
Fruit can become particularly easy to access when it falls from trees onto the ground.
This can sometimes encourage badgers to investigate gardens that would otherwise receive little attention from them.
If a garden contains fruit trees, fallen fruit can therefore become one of several food sources attracting visiting wildlife.
Badgers may also eat other plant foods, including nuts and seeds.
Do Badgers Eat Crops and Vegetables?
Badgers can eat a range of plant material, including some crops and garden vegetables.
Their diet may include cereals such as wheat, oats and barley, along with roots, bulbs and tubers.
In gardens, they may investigate vegetable beds when food is readily available.
This does not mean that badgers are primarily plant-eaters.
Their feeding behaviour is opportunistic, so they tend to take advantage of whatever suitable food is available in their surroundings.
A badger moving through a garden may therefore ignore one part of the garden while investigating another because the food available there is more attractive.
Do Badgers Eat Small Animals?
Badgers can also eat small animals.
Their diet has been recorded to include animals such as:
- mice
- young rabbits
- frogs
- toads
- other small mammals and amphibians
They may also eat carrion when they encounter it.
This broad diet helps badgers survive in a variety of habitats because they are not dependent on a single type of food.
The proportion of animal prey in their diet can vary considerably depending on what is available.
A badger is therefore better described as an opportunistic feeder than as a specialist predator.
Do Badgers Eat Hedgehogs?
Badgers can eat hedgehogs, although this is not considered to be the main component of their diet.
Badgers are one of the few native British predators capable of dealing with a hedgehog’s defensive spines.
However, it is important not to assume that every badger encounter with a hedgehog ends in predation.
Badgers have a broad diet and may encounter many potential food sources while foraging.
The relationship between badgers and hedgehogs is also more complicated than simply saying that badgers are responsible for declining hedgehog numbers.
Badgers form part of a much wider ecosystem, and hedgehog populations are affected by many factors including habitat availability, roads, garden management and food supply.
Do Badgers Eat Carrion?
Yes.
Badgers can take advantage of carrion when they encounter it.
This is another example of their opportunistic feeding behaviour.
A dead animal represents an available source of nutrients without requiring the energy needed to catch live prey.
Badgers may therefore investigate animal remains encountered while moving through their territory.
Their willingness to consume different types of food helps them adapt to changing conditions throughout the year.
Does a Badger’s Diet Change With the Seasons?
Yes.
Food availability changes throughout the year, so badgers adjust their foraging behaviour accordingly.
During wetter periods, earthworms and other soil invertebrates can be easier to find.
At other times of year, badgers may make greater use of fruit, insects, small animals, cereals or other available foods.
Weather can also have a major effect.
Cold, dry or drought conditions can make some food sources much harder to access.
Earthworms, for example, may become less accessible when soil conditions are particularly dry or cold.
Badgers can respond by searching more widely or making greater use of alternative food sources.
This seasonal variation can also affect what people see in their gardens.
A garden may receive little badger activity for several months and then suddenly show signs of digging or foraging when natural food becomes harder to find elsewhere.
Why Do Badgers Visit Gardens?
Gardens can provide several potential food sources for badgers.
These can include:
- earthworms in lawns
- insect larvae beneath grass
- fallen fruit
- vegetables
- bulbs
- compost
- food deliberately left outside
- food spilled by bird feeders
A garden may also form part of a badger’s regular route between feeding areas and setts.
This means a badger does not necessarily need to be attracted by food before it enters a garden.
It may simply be passing through and taking advantage of an opportunity to forage.
This is particularly important when trying to understand garden damage.
If badgers are digging your lawn, they are usually searching for something rather than deliberately trying to destroy the grass.
Should You Feed Badgers?
Regularly feeding wild badgers is generally not recommended.
Although putting food out can provide an opportunity to watch badgers, repeated feeding can encourage them to become accustomed to artificial food sources.
It can also cause problems if larger numbers of badgers begin visiting neighbouring gardens where they are not wanted.
For this reason, organisations including the Mammal Society and Badger Trust advise caution around regular supplementary feeding.
If natural food is temporarily difficult to find during severe weather, some organisations provide limited guidance on supplementary feeding.
However, this should not become a substitute for the badger’s natural foraging behaviour.
If you already have badgers visiting your garden, it is generally better to understand why they are there rather than deliberately increasing the amount of food available.
What Does a Badger Eating Tell You About Its Behaviour?
A badger’s diet can reveal a great deal about how it uses its surroundings.
A lawn covered with small holes may indicate that the animal is searching for earthworms or other invertebrates.
Fruit disappearing from beneath a tree may indicate that a badger has discovered an easy seasonal food source.
Repeated visits to a particular area may occur because the location provides reliable feeding opportunities.
Badgers are highly adaptable animals, and their feeding behaviour reflects that flexibility.
Understanding this can make it easier to live alongside them without treating normal foraging behaviour as a problem that needs to be stopped.
If a badger is regularly visiting your garden, it is also worth remembering that badgers are generally more interested in finding food than interacting with people.
Are badgers dangerous? explains why most encounters with badgers are uneventful and what to do if you encounter one at close range.
Common Questions About Badger Diets
What is a badger’s favourite food?
Earthworms are one of the most important foods for badgers in the UK and form a major part of their natural diet. However, badgers are opportunistic and will eat many other foods when they are available.
Do badgers eat meat?
Yes. Badgers can eat small mammals, amphibians, carrion and other animal foods. However, their diet is varied and is not primarily made up of meat.
Do badgers eat bird food?
Badgers may investigate areas where food intended for birds has fallen onto the ground. Spilled food can therefore become an additional attraction in some gardens.
Do badgers eat garden plants?
They can eat fruit, vegetables, bulbs, roots and other plant material. However, digging around plants may also mean that a badger is searching for invertebrates living in the soil rather than eating the plants themselves.
Why do badgers dig up lawns?
Badgers commonly dig lawns while searching for earthworms, insect larvae and other food beneath the surface. The damage is usually a consequence of foraging rather than deliberate destruction.
Should I put food out for badgers?
Regular feeding is generally discouraged because it can encourage badgers to become dependent on artificial food sources and can increase conflicts with neighbouring properties.
Key Takeaways
- Badgers are opportunistic omnivores with a very varied diet.
- Earthworms are one of their most important foods in the UK.
- They also eat insects, beetle larvae, slugs, snails, fruit, nuts, cereals, roots and bulbs.
- Badgers can eat small mammals, amphibians and carrion when these foods are available.
- Hedgehogs can occasionally form part of a badger’s diet, but they are not a primary food source.
- Seasonal and weather-related changes can significantly affect what badgers eat.
- Badgers may visit gardens because they provide natural food such as earthworms, grubs and fallen fruit.
- Digging in lawns is usually a sign that a badger is searching for food beneath the surface.
- Regular supplementary feeding is generally discouraged.
- Understanding a badger’s diet can help explain its behaviour and make peaceful coexistence easier.
Sources and Further Guidance
The following sources were used to inform this article and provide further information about badger ecology, diet and garden behaviour.
- Mammal Society – Provides information on badger ecology, including diet and the importance of earthworms.
- RSPCA – Provides general information about badger behaviour, habitats and diet.
- RSPCA – Useful guidance on badgers in gardens, feeding and practical coexistence.
- RHS – Provides information on badger feeding behaviour and why they dig lawns and gardens.
- Badger Trust – Provides information on badger diet, behaviour and natural history.
- Mammal Society – Provides specific guidance on supplementary feeding of badgers and other wild mammals.
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