A Badger Cub Grooms Herself

Although they are very clean animals, badgers do get fleas and lice. They can get quite itchy sometimes. This is why badgers love to groom themselves. They scratch themselves with their claws, and nibble their fur with their teeth. These lovely pictures are taken from some video film that I shot a few years ago. They show a young female badger cub called Nightshade . . .

"Now, where did that pesky flea get to? I know it's down here somewhere!"

"Ah, that's better! There's nothing like a good scratch!"

"Now, let's just have a little nibble. Sometimes a scratch just isn't enough!"

"Look at me! I can scratch my chest with my right paw, and my nose with my left paw!"

"Oh! Where did you come from? Don't you dare push me - I'll roll away!"

This last picture shows Charlie, Nightshade's older brother. Charlie was born the year before Nightshade.