Feeding badgers in your garden

While it's not advisable to make wild animals reliant on an unnatural food-source, when the weather's really grim, it's a good idea to throw out some scraps to help their stores through the worst of the cold months.

Unless you have a set nearby putting out badger feed is unlikely to bring badgers into your garden. They are creatures of habit though, so if a badger discovers that your patch is a reliable food source they might alter their regular foraging route.

Feeding any wildlife in your garden should be done with consideration. When feeding badgers it's most important to try to ensure they don't get too fat or become to reliant on your handouts.

Watch: Gordon sets some hungry badgers a challenge

• Offer a little food and infrequently - not every day. This will encourage the badgers to continue to search for their own food.
• Feed them for your pleasure, not for their existence. This way they shouldn't come to rely on you.
• Badgers and foxes thrive on worms, slugs and snails. During hot, dry weather, turn over your compost heap (if you have one) to unearth them when they are hard to come by.
• The best foods for badgers (besides their natural foodstuffs) are peanuts, fruits (including soaked dried fruit) and vegetables or, if you're feeling generous, a little bread smeared with peanut butter.
• If you have a vegetable patch, be warned: badgers love root-veg! Leave out some cooked potato or fruit to divert them.
• Meat scraps should not be fed to badgers. Also avoid onions, cucumber or citrus fruits.
Contrary to popular belief, you should never give any wild animals milk.
• Contrary to popular belief, you should never give any wild animals milk.
• Badgers love sweet foods such as cakes, jams and honey, but these cause tooth decay. Give them only in small quantities as an occasional treat.
• Be warned that badgers do sometimes see hedgehogs as a tasty meal.
• In dry weather put out water as well.

It's best to leave food in a quiet part of your garden, away from any dangerous areas such as pond edges. As badgers have a routine route for foraging, you might be able to predict what time they'll visit each day.