Back to Top Reproduction and Longevity. Mating takes place in summer and autumn, but the young are not born until the following March or April - as with the Meles meles , delayed implantation occurs. Implantation takes place between December and February, when most of the animals are in a state of winter semi-dormancy. Following 6 weeks normal gestation, the young are then born in nursery dens in March or April, in which the mother will have made a nest of dry bedding material. The usual litter size is 2 or 3, although as few as 1 or as many as 5 young may be born.
Newborn badgers have a covering of short, soft hair.
They are blind and helpless initially, they eyes do not open until they are 4 to 6 weeks old. They are suckled for 6 to 8 weeks or longer, after which the mother will introduce them to solid food by bringing dead rodents and other small mammals to the den. As with Meles , the cubs are playful, and have been observed playing at den entrances. They then seek out home ranges of their own, and their journeys may take them as far as 100 km away from where they were born. The age at which males reach maturity appears to be in dispute, with some authors stating that they can mate in their first year of life, and others saying that they breed as yearlings.