Steve Jackson's
Badger Pages
Badger facts. Badger photos. The badgers of the world in words and pictures.
Part of Badgers on the Web .
Skip to site navigation
Skip to page navigation
Image: Eurasian badger (Meles meles).
Home » Eurasian badger (Meles meles) » Articles :
Information about badger setts and how badgers use them.
On this page:
Introduction | Types of setts | Bedchambers | Related Badger Pages
[Image]
Fresh excavation at a sett.
The European badger digs extensive underground homes known as setts, consisting of a network of interconnected tunnels and chambers. They are typically excavated in soil that is well drained and easy to dig, such as sand, and situated on sloping ground where there is some cover, for example in a wood, copse or hedgerow. The picture shows freshly excavated earth dug from the entrance of a sett in sandy soil in a wood not far from my home.
Picture © Steve Jackson. See the Photo File .
[Image]
Bedding bundle outside a sett entrance
In Britain, where much research has been carried out, several categories of setts have been recognised. Every badger clan has one main sett. These are occupied continuously and are used for breeding; they are usually large, well-established setts which have been excavated by several generations of badgers and are vital for the badgers' survival. These setts can become quite large over time: setts with a dozen to 20 or more entrances are common, and quite a number of setts with 50 - 100 entrance holes are known. Below ground, there are hundreds of metres of tunnels, created by the excavation of many tonnes of earth.
In addition to the main sett, most clans also have one or more secondary setts within their territories. These secondary setts fall into three categories - annexe setts, subsidiary setts, and outlier setts. Secondary setts are less important to the badgers than main setts, but they are useful nonetheless, especially if the main sett is disturbed. Disused setts may be taken over by rabbits or used by foxes; both of these species will also co-habit with badgers in occupied setts.
Picture © Steve Jackson. See the Photo File .
In the chambers inside the sett, the badgers make nests to sleep in. Periodically, fresh bedding material - typically dry grass, straw, bracken or dead leaves - is collected and dragged into the sett. Old bedding material is also removed from the sett from time to time.
Find out about the dens of:
b001 .
The Eurasian badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Steve Jackson. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.
Go to the Eurasian badger home page.
Go to the hog badger home page.
Go to the American badger home page.
Go to the ferret badgers home page.
Go to the honey badger home page.
Go to the stink badgers home page.
Go to the badgers of the world home page.
Buy badgery gifts and help badgers - select this link.
Text and images copyright © Steve Jackson except where otherwise stated.