This quality guards against snake bites, insect stings, and porcupine quills, making ratels one of the few mammals of the world to have no natural enemies. They are strong burrowers and climbers, relying on both skills to catch prey and survive in their natural environment. Ratels travel singly or in pairs. Though not many true field studies have been completed on the ratel badger, evidence suggests that they form monogamous pairs for mating purposes, and produce a litter of two cubs, 6-7 months after mating. Young ratels are born in burrows lined with leaves or grass, and stay with the mother until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
Ratels are strong, fearless fighters.
They have been known to attack much larger animals, like horses, cattle, buffalo and antelope. In captivity, however, ratels are easily trained and transformed into tame and playful animals. Nocturnal by nature, ratels emerge from their burrows at night to scour for food. They most often feed on rodents, reptiles, bees, ants, termites, mammals, fruits and berries. The favored food of the ratel is honey, which they often acquire using teamwork.