Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dormouse-falls-asleep-in-birdfeeder/

Dormice are absolutely adorable. They are known for providing wildlife photographers some pretty darn cute pictures given that they’re renowned for building their nests within flowers. These little mice, who are native to the UK, spend half the year asleep – hence why they are normally caught sleeping inside flowers.

But one homeowner living on the Isle of Wight, which is just off the southern coast of England, discovered quite the shocking, yet adorable, sight in their bird feeder. They were surprised to find a very chubby little dormouse fast asleep in the bird’s feed. As it became evident, the little rodent was roaming around looking for a snack when he stumbled upon quite the prize: birdseed.

This is the time of year that Dormice will go foraging for food in order to prepare themselves for their annual hibernation across wintertime. Dormice will often double their bodyweight just to prepare for hibernation – and this little guy was certainly on top of his hibernation prep!

The dormouse helped himself to a feast but then happened to fall asleep while still in the bird feeder. The homeowner discovered the rodent stuck inside the bird feeder – fast asleep. Unsure of what to do, they got in contact with the Hampshire Dormouse Group. The organization instructed the homeowner to gently coax the snoozing dormouse into some nearby hedges to hopefully get it to carry on its way.

Dormice are native to the UK but their numbers are endangered in most areas of the UK because the invasive grey squirrels provide stiff competition for food. However, on the Isle of Wight, there are no grey squirrels so the dormice are free to thrive. Many wildlife groups, including the HDG, will often encourage people to call in and report sightings of dormice in order to help them keep track of the rodents’ numbers and hopefully aid in their conservation.

As the Hampshire Dormouse Group explained to IFLScience, “They are a priority species and hazel dormouse populations in Britain have declined by 51% since the millennium, shocking figures.”

The HDG further explained that the rodents are facing struggles due to habitat loss, given that they naturally use hedgerows, woodland, and scrub as natural “corridors” in order to get around. With many of these disappearing, it is causing pockets of dormice populations to become isolated and then disappear as there is no “genetic diversity.”

The HDG continued saying that the expansion of man-made developments is a major problem as it means woodland and scrub gets cleared away in order to build. Not only that, but the green patches that do remain will often lack hedgerows which are vital to the dormice. Hopefully, with more awareness, these adorable little rodents will be able to survive.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog