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It
can easily be recognised by its thick furry tail, bright golden-brown
colour and bulging black eyes. It is about 70mm (2") long with
a tail of similar length. Its weight varies from 17g (about the
weight of two £1 coins) up to 40g at the start of hibernation.
Juveniles are about half adult weight.
As
the dormouse is rare, strictly nocturnal (active at night) and usually
forages for food often high in the tree tops or in hazel thickets,
rarely coming to the ground, you’re not likely to be lucky
enough to see one. The best indication of its presence is characteristically
chewed hazelnuts on the woodland floor. The dormouse opens the nut
by making a small round neat hole on one side and leaves tooth marks
on the nut surface but not on the cut edge.
We
don’t know its exact distribution but it is found in deciduous
woodland and thick hedgerows mainly in southern counties from Cornwall
to Kent northwards to Herefordshire and Northamptonshire.
 |
| Dormouse |
There
are scattered records north of here including the Lake District
and Northumberland. There are also scattered records for parts of
Wales but it is not found in Scotland. In Suffolk, most of the records
come from the south of the county, within the Stour Valley.
It
feeds on flowers, pollen, fruit, insects and ripe nuts. These are
available in turn as the summer progresses so the dormouse needs
a habitat containing a good variety of shrubs and tree species to
ensure a continuous supply of food. Hazel, honeysuckle, bramble
and oak are particularly important food sources.
| What
does it do during the day? |
It
sleeps during the day in a nest, often in a hollow tree branch or
deserted bird’s nest. Dormice construct their own nests from
shredded honeysuckle bark woven into a ball, which they often surround
with layers of leaves. These nests may also be out in the open,
close to the ground, typically in low bramble bushes. They also
take readily to nest-boxes – designed specially for them with
the entrance against the trunk to prevent access by birds.
Yes,
the old English name for the animal is ‘the sleeper’.
They usually hibernate from the first frosts, often in October and
November and are not active again until April or May.
 |
| Hibernating
Dormouse |
The
hibernation nest is built on or near the ground and the animal curls
into a ball and goes to sleep. Their body temperature drops to that
of the surroundings and the heart and breathing rate are often reduced
by 90% or more.
| How
many young does it produce? |
Dormice
have one or occasionally two litters a year, usually of about four
young. The animal is very sensitive to the weather and in years
when food is scarce and when bad weather has prolonged hibernation
or restricted the amount of time it can spend feeding during the
night, most litters may not be produced until August or September.
In
some years dormice may not produce young until October and, in those
cases, it is unlikely that the young dormice will build up sufficient
fat reserves to survive the winter. The dormouse does, however,
live for up to 5 years, longer than other small rodents.
| Why
are dormice now so rare? |
The
main causes of the major decline of the dormouse over the last 100
years are the loss and fragmentation of its woodland habitat and
changes in woodland management practices. Dormice are reluctant
to cross open country and so if a wood becomes isolated and too
small to provide sufficient habitat for the animal’s needs
it becomes locally extinct. Loss of ancient hedgerows is also likely
to be significant.
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