The Dormouse & Friends

The Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a small, seldom seen nocturnal mammal. Found mainly in woodland and surrounding hedgerows, the main population centres in Britain are mainly in the south of England and Wales. Like many animals, the Dormouse, is being affected greatly by the removal of natural habitat and year on year numbers are declining alarmingly.
In appearance the Dormouse is yellow with a hint of orange and sports a thick bushy tail. The average body length is 75mm with the tail having an average length of 63mm. Adults weigh about 25g which increases dramatically as hibernation approaches to 45g. They can live for up to 5 years which is an immense life span for a small mammal.
Dormice have the ability to vary their body temperature in response to the prevailing conditions in order to conserve energy. During winter they normally hibernate from the first cold snap through until about April – in actual fact a Dormouse sleeps for about three quarters of the year!
The time they do spend out and about is generally spent climbing amoungst tree branches searching for food. They rarely come to ground and live mostly off of fruit & nuts, insects and flower pollen. During daylight hours the Dormouse sleeps utilising many sites as a resting place ranging from tree hollows to empty bird boxes. You can help by siting your Domicile Dormouse at the base of a hedge or shrub which ideally should be in a sheltered location near to woodland.
Your Mouse Mansion should be an ideal lodge for a family of mice. Dormice usually have one litter of, on average, 4 babies per year. The young stay with the mother for 8 weeks before leaving the nest. For best results the Mansion should be sited with the entry hole facing a wall, fence or tree. The most successful way of siting this lodge appears to be strapping it (face on) to a tree about 3 feet from the ground. To help protect the lodge and it’s inhabitants this is best done on the sheltered south side of a tree.
It is worth noting that the Dormouse is protected under law. As such it is an offence to intentionally kill or injure a Dormouse and to disturb a nesting site. It is also illegal to collect, trap or sell Dormice without the proper licences.
Other similar creatures that may be enticed to live in one of our Mouse lodgings are:
The Yellow Necked Mouse
The Woodmouse
The House Mouse

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