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Post by NellyDee on Nov 1, 2015 11:55:08 GMT
I have been trying to think what I could put out for the badger that the pine martens and jays wont eat or get in first to eat. I wondered if a specialist food might do - say a selective food for ferrets, or dog food. But do these selective foods contain anything that might be bad for either pine martens or badger or indeed any birds that have a nibble? I have sussed that it is only the pine martens that eat the sultanas, pre soaked in boiling water, that I put out, but can't think of anything for badger - at the moment it is just peanuts and the odd left over bits of meat poultry both of which of course are eaten by the others.
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Post by Tringa on Nov 1, 2015 13:36:45 GMT
The only thing I have seen that the badgers here eat and the pine martens leave alone are live mealworms.
Have to say this is based on very little evidence. Once when we were at just about the end of our live mealworms some, which during the day the birds ate, were left out at night. A pine marten ignored them but a badger that arrived a little later ate the lot.
The drawback with live mealworms (if my conclusion is valid) is that they are not cheap and I would not like to have to keep a badger in mealworms.
The martens here go for bread and jam, and, bread and peanut butter in preference to peanuts and therefore the peanuts are sometimes left and the badgers hoover up the leftovers.
This could be expensive, but if you put a lot of food out the martens may be more likely to leave some. Here they sometimes appear to get 'full up' and disappear for a few hours. I'm guessing your badgers are the same as the ones here - 'full up' is just something that happens to other animals.
I wonder if you scattered peanuts around the garden it would helps as, perhaps, the badgers might sniff them out more easily than the martens, though I can understand you want to attract the animals to your trail camera.
Sorry I can't offer an easy solution.
Good luck
Dave
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Post by shirl100 on Nov 1, 2015 16:15:37 GMT
What about root vegetables (e.g. carrots, swedes etc) although I don't know whether Pine Martens might go for those too. But if you keep good supply of the sweet items for the Pine Martens maybe they won't be interested in the veg?
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Post by NellyDee on Nov 1, 2015 17:47:08 GMT
Thanks  I think I will try the peanut or jam sandwiches, and the root veg - had not thought of that but something, and I now suspect, the badger has systematically dug up my root veg over the season. |
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notpop
Junior Member
and I think to myself.............
Posts: 50 
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Post by notpop on Nov 3, 2015 0:21:36 GMT
Badgers like dried mealworms,which are cheaper and less of a faff.
Once baited a sett with dried mealworms and a camera trap.
Got almost a thousand frames in one night ,270 badger (max 3-4 individuals) and the rest triggered by a pair of fieldmice who spent the whole night ferrying the mealworms away to their larder !
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I think I will try the peanut or jam sandwiches, and the root veg - had not thought of that but something, and I now suspect, the badger has systematically dug up my root veg over the season.
