Action Plan: Dormouse

The dormouse has characteristic sandy coloured fur, bulging black eyes and a thick bushy tail and rarely exceeds 70mm long with a tail of similar length. Dormice live in and amongst trees and shrubs being mainly active between 2-10 metres off the ground but at times 10-20 metres in tree canopies. The feed on ripe nuts, berries, flowers and invertebrates. A well developed and structurally diverse woodland is considered to be the most suitable habitat for dormice. A shrub layer is critical; as this increases so do numbers of dormice.

Hibernation takes place between November and March (Northumberland) to save energy when food is unavailable or limited. Dormice hibernate at ground level in woven nests, under moss or leaves, under brushwood as well as among roots of trees and bushes. Dormice often build nests in low shrubs during summer as well as use tree holes for nest sites.

At present, the only recording in Northumberland is at Stawardpeel Wood SSSI which is managed by the National Trust. This is the most northerly known location in England inhabited by dormice.