The Decline of the Dormouse

Dormice can be found across Europe, Africa and Asia and all 29 species vary in shape, size and colour, but in the UK only two are found of which only one is native. Although rarely seen, the common or hazelnut dormouse is one of the UK’s most iconic rodent species. Its’ big beady eyes, bushy tail and rounded ears make it one of Britain’s cutest furry animals. The other to be found in Britain, the edible dormouse, was a delicacy of the Roman Empire and was accidently introduced over a hundred years ago, with a population becoming well established in the Chilterns.

The common dormouse however is nocturnal, spending most of its waking hours in search of food. Nectar, pollen, fruit and nuts make up a large proportion of their diet, with hazelnuts being a particular favourite.

Dormant Dormice

The common dormouse is well known for its nesting behaviour; building nests from strips of honey suckle bar. They live across a range of habitats such as heathland, woodland, and farmland verges with hedges and scrub, as long as good food sources and safe nesting sites are available. To keep safe from the jaws of badgers, foxes and domestic cats many dormice go their entire lifetime without touching the floor. They’re solely tree climbers and in particular they thrive in areas of coppiced woodland. Coppiced trees and shrubs sprout more branches outwards creating a complex undergrowth network – the perfect dormouse highway.

Their specially crafted nests are often used during the summer by females which can give birth to a litter of seven but come October dormice curl up in their nests ready to hibernate over the winter which sometimes can last all the way until May!

Understanding the Dormouse

Sadly, the common dormouse population declined by 31% from 1992 – 2002 (People’s Trust for Endangered Species) and its range is now limited to areas of England and Wales having become extinct in several counties in recent decades. This decline is largely believed to be due to change in habitat, such as the loss of farmland hedgerows. However much is still not known about the dormouse as it has been under-recorded and under-surveyed until very recently. The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme aims to weigh and count the number of dormouse found in certain areas to build a better understanding of their national health and population, a process which is done by simply monitoring nests once a month from spring to autumn.

How you can get involved

At RSPB Broadwater Warren, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent, over 200 dormice nest boxes have been fixed onto hazel trees and every month the boxes are monitored to see if any dormice have moved in. As a protected species they can only be handled by a licensed handler but as they sleep during the day, they’re extremely easy to survey.

The dormice surveys carried out across reserves will help us to understand whether our woodland coppicing and management benefits the species and gives us an idea of how we can improve our woodlands for years to come to help boost dormice populations. We hold family friendly dormice walks from spring to autumn across many of our reserves, including RSPB Broadwater Warren and Blean Woods in Kent, in which we welcome the general public to join us. If you're interested in seeing a dormouse yourself, why not see if you're local nature reserve, whether RSPB, Wild Trust or other has events going on this summer and autumn?