Badgers are short, stocky animals and are omnivores (plant and animal eaters). They can be found in Great Britain, Ireland, North America, and parts of Europe and Asia. A pet badger may sound cute, but having a pet badger is so much more.
Can I have a badger as a pet?
In Great Britain it is an offense to keep a badger as a pet. In some parts of the US, you must have a license to keep a badger. They are considered wildlife and not household pets.
That said, if you find yourself in a situation where you can keep a badger as a pet, it is recommended that it be hand-raised from a young age. They can be ferocious animals and have extremely long claws and even hand raising them is no guarantee that they won’t turn on you.
The most common reason you will find a baby badger is if it has been lost or its mother has died. If you are not in a position to take him to a veterinarian or to a wildlife reserve, you can start caring for him yourself, if you meet the legal requirements. If you find a puppy in daylight, it is definitely abandoned.
What can I feed my badger?
Assuming you find a badger as a pup, you can feed it a variety of formula milk. It is better that you limit yourself to one type of milk and do not change it.
Feed every 2-3 hours during the day and longer periods at night. A bottle with a teat can be used. When the badger has a body weight of 500 g to 600 g, you can feed it every 6 hours.
Starting weaning when the permanent incisors appear and introducing biscuits, canned dog food, finely ground meat and dry dog food are all good options.
From 8-14 weeks a variety of foods can be used such as scrambled eggs, cereal, grapes, yogurt, cream of rice, crackers, sunflower seeds, minced meat, sausage and cheese. Food can also be soaked in meat broth to increase nutrition.
You should feed your pet badger at night once it is weaned.
Where can I house my badger?
Badgers like to live underground. That said, anything you put your badger in it will naturally try to get out of it. With really sharp claws, it will rip and dig through just about anything, even a wire cage. So be aware of all these issues and the fact that wherever you house your badger, it will do damage when it tries to dig.
As you can see, it is not recommended to have a badger as a pet, there are many things to consider that are different from having a regular household pet. If possible, give your badger to an organization that knows how to handle it. Badgers are best kept in pairs and it is recommended that they be reintroduced to the wild. Minimal human contact is also recommended for an easy return to its natural habitat.