Badgers Info

[badgerwatcher]

I need some badger info to do with moving things near the badgers sett in our garden. I thought, before I ring the council, and stir up a potential can of official worms, I'd ask all of you if you can advise me how to deal with this problem. We have realised that our summerhouse has an asbestos roof and back wall. The rest of it is woodworm-riddled wood, including the floor. Obviously not useable as a summer house, and needs to come down.

I don't know what the position is on removing asbestos, and so was going to ring the council. My problem is that our badgers main sett door is under this summerhouse. It is definitely the one they use most, as there are paths going to their loo up the hill to the left, and several paths going to various routes around the house and gardens. (They have a second entrance, or a different sett(?) under a tool shed at the side of the house, still used.)

I don't want to risk council workers coming round, if asbestos regulations require it, and trampling over my badgers sett, but I also don't know if, with appropriate protective clothing, we would be safe to do it ourselves, thus avoiding outside intervention. Also, would asbestos dust hurt the badgers?
Also, the neighbours were complaining gently that the badgers were digging up their lawn, although she told me when we first move in that she feeds them.

Badgers are protected, aren't they? No-one is allowed to disturb them, am I right in that? There are powers, presumably, that I could call upon for back-up.

Incidently, there was a really small one outside last night, about hedgehog sized, (had a stripy nose!) on it's own apart from a small fox. Isn't it late for babies to be born, or would that one be some months old?

[Alan]

Don't forget there are differenct types of asbestos. The ones your taking about - similar to corrigated sheets or flat roof sheets, are more stable than the insulating kind. As long as you don't drill into it or break it, you should be ok as long as you were some protective clothing - mask/gloves etc. You'll have to dispose of it with the council though. If in doubt ring them first as to remove certain kinds you need a license.

Check the following link out for more info:

Pollution control – asbestos : Directgov - Home and community

I wouldn't worry too much about the Badgers, they can often tolerate a bit of disturbance. The worse thing that can happen is that they may move for a while to another sett nearby, but will probably return.

Yes badgers are protected and you need a special order/license to deal with so called problem ones.

The little badger is very young to be out and it's the wrong time of year for breeding, and sounds rather small for one if you ask me. Are you sure it is indeed a badger?

Alan

[badgerwatcher]

Thanks for your reply, Alan. I'm sure the little one was a badger, but didn't see it last night, although I hung about late. It seemed weird to me as it was on its own too. Maybe I'm hallucinating through lack of sleep! My main concern with the summerhouse is I don't want to lose the badgers, so need to be very cautious.

[honeybee]

Do you want to do something with the summerhouse/build a new one? As Alan has said, asbestos is usually not harmfull if it's left alone. You could have quite a big bill from professionals removing it.

[Paul mabbott]

As Allen says, there's asbestos and asbestos - three kinds (at least) which are hazardous because of their physical structure - the damage is done by breathing in small fibres; they're not toxic by ingestion or through the soil. The sort used for roofing is the least problematic to health. I have some old asbestos of this kind at the end of my garden and have considered moving it but reason that the extraction and movement will probably release more dangerous fibres into the air than would happen if I leave it there to be covered in leaf mould, lichens and fungi!

[badgerwatcher]

Our main reason for needing to sort the summerhouse is that the wooden part is wormy and unsafe. Maybe I should put in a glass floor, and use it as a badger-watching hide! It's not an eyesore, as it's covered on each side by yew trees and has a cliff behind it, part of the terracing.
I saw the baby badger again tonight, he is really small. I've posted a picture on the Gallery, and above (hopefully). I had put a chicken's egg, raw, out, because it was cracked, to see what the animals made of it. I had photographed the baby badger and gone to copy them, when my son saw the baby find the egg, knock the end off, then pick it up, and get covered in egg white. He then ran off very excitedly, carrying the egg.

[badgerwatcher]

Sorry, I forgot to thank you all for your advice in my excitement.

[Pat]

Originally Posted by badgerwatcher

Our main reason for needing to sort the summerhouse is that the wooden part is wormy and unsafe. Maybe I should put in a glass floor, and use it as a badger-watching hide! It's not an eyesore, as it's covered on each side by yew trees and has a cliff behind it, part of the terracing.
I saw the baby badger again tonight, he is really small. I've posted a picture on the Gallery, and above (hopefully). I had put a chicken's egg, raw, out, because it was cracked, to see what the animals made of it. I had photographed the baby badger and gone to copy them, when my son saw the baby find the egg, knock the end off, then pick it up, and get covered in egg white. He then ran off very excitedly, carrying the egg.

Try putting peanuts out, badgers love them. Pat.

[Pat]

Not salted ones though. Pat

[badgerwatcher]

I originally saw them eating peanuts, Pat. I'd sprinkled them around for the birds as we haven't got bird tables up yet, and was amazed to see the badgers eating them. They also like the wholemeal bread (again put out for the birds) and fruit, including banana, and dried meal worms. I've also seen them eating leftover dog food which I put out if my dog doesn't eat it all by the next meal. (She's old and picky.) The foxes love peanuts too. I've seen them eating them with real relish, eyes screwed up in ecstacy.