Identification - the dormouse has golden orange/brown fur, a furry tail and big black eyes. They are quite small being about 140mm in total length (including the tail) and weigh up to 20g in the summer but can fatten up to double (40g) before hibernation. Dormice are tree dwelling rodents and they are very rarely seen. (English Nature 2001). A licence is needed to handle dormice and survey nest boxes.
General ecology - Within the British Isles the dormouse is mainly restricted to England with a few sites in Wales. It lives mainly in Ancient woodland with a good variety of trees and shrubs - Hazel, bramble, honeysuckle and oak are important food sources. They feed on nuts, fruit, insects and flowers. Dormice are nocturnal - they sleep in nests during the day and are active at night and they hibernate from October to April. Dormice occasionally have two litters of up to four young a year. They can live up to five years. Loss of habitat and change in management is their main threat.
Surveying tips - The Great Nut Hunt is a national survey and looks for hazelnuts with signs of dormice teeth marks. This can be done in the autumn and winter. This survey can be done by anyone and requires little experience. Surveying by the box method needs a licence but dormouse tubes can be deployed very easily in a woodland and you can then look for the distinctive characteristics of the nest in the tube without the need for a licence. For further information contact Mark Iley
Photo - Essex Wildlife Trust