Grow Your Own Magazine

Originally Posted by Neil Croton

While checking my bird boxes in February, I came across a hibernating dormouse! The box had been used the previous year by a wren ( it was intended for blue tits ) and contained the old wren nest. The dormouse had not attempted to make its own nest - just curled up asleep in the old wren nest.

It’s very unusual for a dormouse to be found hibernating in a box as they hibernate at ground level and it had made no attempt to make its own nest. The other strange part is that it was on part of the farm I would think would be most unsuitable for dormice, although I know that they are on the farm in thick hedges and scrub. This individual obviously has not read the textbook. The box was right on the river bank with a few very large willows and an under story of Himalayan balsam and nettles which floods frequently in the winter. It’s very poor habitat for dormouse.

The dormouse was a juvenile from last year and I can only assume that it was flooded out of its hibernation site and opted for the dryer safer option of the nest box. Further visits revealed it still fast asleep during March and April but this week when checking the box it has finally decided to wake up. Checking dormouse boxes and handling requires a license, which I have as part of my work monitoring dormice on my reserves.