Strange Eating Habits?

[Roughquest]

Can someone enlighten me as to what badgers actually eat? For several nights now we have had 2 visit our garden and throughout the night they are sat under our bedroom window and all we can here are muching and crunching sounds, quite loud, almost as thought they are tucking into bones and all! This morning I got up to find they had ripped open a bad of BBQ charcoal and had munched through this ! On the floor were also remainders of snail shells a plenty....I am astounded that they would not actually be eating the charcoal would they ????

[Clanad]

Badgers (assuming related species as here in the western U.S.) are omnivorous... they eat many things but subsist primarily on earthworms and other critters found digging for worms. They enjoy voles, mice, snails, slugs, the occasional slow frog and I've observed them eating eggs of our ground nesting Meadow Larks (and, I assume, their young if hatched). They do eat seeds and nuts if avialable. Thoroughly mean tempered and aggressive and related to the even more aggressive North American wolverine...

[burnhal]

Badgers are great opportunists and omnivores and will eat anything they can get hold of. Suprisingly their most common food is earthworms though they take a lot of snails as well. Dont know about them eating charcoal- may be some mineral benefit -but suspect they had a go cos it was there!! Never had any in our garden- you are privilidged! Do know a sett or two where you can sit and watch them though- a handful of raisins is particularly attractive to them

[Roughquest]

They arrive in our garden on the dot at 10.00pm every evening, they dont look that old, but they are such characters ! But they are so noisey! I was told badgers like peanuts but did not know they like raisins too lol! I will make a point of scattering some out for them later tonight - should be fun! They have ruined the bag of charcoal though, its all in bits and they were munching away for most of the night into the wee small hours !

[Clanad]

I might add that if your bag of charcoal was the "quick starting" type, the briquets are often coated with parrafin wax, animal fat derivatives or other such materials that would attract the animal by smells. the badgers are well known for the sensitivity of the noses.
While respecting burnhal's suggestion, I wouldn't want to attract these disruptive neighbors. I once encountered a badger in the middle of a gravelled county road that was as hardpacked as concrete. The badger began digging and inside of two minutes was backed into a hole about 2 feet deep and large enough to contain its considerable body. Hissing and threatening attack all the way and I was on horseback! Perhaps British badgers are more civilized though...

[burnhal]

the uk badger is not a mean or aggressive creature. Any damage is restricted to digging- which ok can be a lot! But generally badgers here in the UK are boisterous creatures that tend to play a lot

[burnhal]

Just had a read up on the American badger, Clanad. I think I prefer our version to yours!!

[wildwood]

Regarding the charcoal. Yes, they could very well munch some of the charcoal. Many animals that include animal matter in their diet eat it when they can get hold of it. I believe it has something to do with removing dangerous gasses that linger in the upper digestive tract. Herbivores ingest clay for the same purpose.