Polski
The dormouse or also known as the seven-sleeper is a small rodent from the family of dormice (Gliridae). Although the name suggests that it is a mouse, this is not the case. It is a completely separate species in itself. The dormouse may be small, but it is the largest of the dormice in Europe. The body length of these animals can vary from 13 to 19 centimetres. Characteristic of the dormouse is its bushy tail, which is slightly shorter than its body and is approximately 12 to 15 centimetres. The fur of dormice is grey-brown in colour and a dark eel stripe runs across the back. The belly is lighter in colour.
Body weight: 70 and 200 grams
Life expectancy : 2 to 3 years
The Dormouse is native to Southern and Central Europe and was introduced to England in 1902. They are nocturnal animals. Dormice like a warm climate. The northernmost border where the animals still occur in the wild is therefore South Limburg.
Dormice can live up to 7 years, which is exceptionally old compared to other rodents.
Dormice used to live in the Netherlands, in the period before the ice age, when the Netherlands still had a tropical climate. Only from the Pleistocene onwards, when the climate became colder in the Netherlands and the forests disappeared, did the Dormice also disappear. Nowadays, Dormice only live in South Limburg, because it is still warm enough there.
Dormice live in small groups
A group of several females can usually be kept without any problems
Keep 1 neutered male with 1 or 3 - 4 females, unneutered males should not be kept together (fighting for hierarchy)
Dormouse as a pet
Dormice can also be kept as pets. It is important to consider the natural needs of the animals and to reflect this as much as possible in the enclosure. Dormice love fruit, so it is important to regularly check the enclosure for fruit remains, as this is quite perishable. Because of all that juicy fruit and moisture, dormice also urinate relatively much, so good ground cover that absorbs well is a must for the animals. Depending on the diet, the faeces can be rather sticky. The temperature should preferably not fall below 15°C.
Dormice hibernate
From October to May, Dormice hibernate in the wild. They are therefore also called the "sleepyheads of nature". They are also the animals with the longest hibernation and because it lasts 7 months, Dormice are also called "seven-sleepers".
Taming and familiarizing with the Dormouse
Always read up before you decide to get Dormice. They are very nice animals that are awake especially at night, which makes them less suitable for children, for example. Dormice are very friendly and curious. In the beginning they can be shy and fast. Once the Dormouse is on the hand, it can balance well thanks to the long tail, the animals walk agilely from one hand to the other or between the fingers. This makes them easier to handle in the hands than, for example, Gerbils or Hamsters.
New residents should be approached calmly, especially at first. The animals must first become familiar with their own habitat and feel safe there before they dare to approach people. Of course, there are also daredevils who immediately approach you and are social, but most mice are still a bit shy at first. Give the animals time and try to make contact calmly by talking to them. Giving them a treat from your hand often works well to gain the trust of the animals.
TIP! Dormice love nuts
Housing of the Dormouse
Dormice are social animals that need to be kept together. In the wild, they live in small, loose groups. In the wild, the animals live in trees. It is therefore good to set up the enclosure for climbing, but they also dig. In the winter, they hide for their hibernation in trees or in holes in the ground that can reach up to 60 cm deep. So a thick layer of ground cover is also welcome!
Dormice are real climbers and therefore need a spacious and high enclosure of at least 80 x 40 x 80 cm (lxwxh) for two animals. For each additional animal, 20% extra ground surface must be calculated. A good enclosure gives the animals the opportunity to show their natural behaviour. In the wild, dormice are very active, they want to continue to do so in captivity, they do not want to get bored. The Dormouse needs an extensive enclosure with lots of playing, digging and climbing opportunities. Thanks to their long tail, Dormice can keep their balance very well, which makes them great climbers.
Hamsterscaping is also great fun for dormice!
In our home, a good dormouse residence translates into a spacious residence with lots of challenges and sufficient hiding places. A terrarium is the best choice for this, thanks to its closed nature. It is important that a terrarium allows for good ventilation, so preferably has two grids (top and bottom). This is especially important in the summer when temperatures rise above 25°C.
House for a Dormouse
Dormice are lucky! because many houses that are made for hamsters are also a good size for Dormice. They are prey animals and do not like to walk around the enclosure in the open, if they occasionally come across a shelter that they can run into, they feel a lot safer. Dormice like to sleep together, so at least one house in the enclosure must be large enough to accommodate the entire group. In addition, one extra sleeping house or hiding place per Dormice is ideal. The animals like to sleep together, but they also need a place where they can retreat for a while.
Grass houses are also very natural for dormice and the animals really like it because it imitates a natural hiding place.
Ground cover for the Dormice
Due to their diet, dormice often have sticky feces and urinate a lot. It is important that the ground cover for dormice is well absorbent. An example of well absorbent ground cover is Cotton & Cotton . A nice mix is for example the mix of Cotton & Hemp fiber , Cotton & Wood fiber or a mix of Wood fiber , Hemp fiber and Hay. The mice also use the hay as nesting material. An ideal height of the ground bedding for foraging and digging is around 15 cm.
Dormice are nest builders
Dormice are real nest builders. They also like to line their nest with soft nesting material . Making a nest is therefore part of the natural behavior of a Dormouse. In nature, they do this mainly with moss, leaves and twigs. Therefore, always give the Dormice 15-25 grams of nesting material. Mice nesting material should be nice and soft, absorb moisture and have breakable fibers so that the animals cannot get tangled in it. Materials such as cotton, hemp, toilet paper and hay are ideal.
Food for Dormice
It is important to know that there is no special food for dormice. Our advice is to give these animals a good mouse food as a basis, supplemented with an insect mix and fruit.
Dormice are omnivores (eat everything), but in practice they mainly eat vegetarian. At night the animals wake up and go in search of food. In the wild they do this by foraging on the forest floor. The diet of dormice consists mainly of seeds, nuts, vegetable food in the form of plant parts and herbs , but also animal proteins. In the wild, dormice catch small insects or plunder the nests of birds to eat the eggs, so it is good if their diet also contains animal proteins.
Gnawing material to wear down the teeth
Dormice have a natural need to gnaw. This is because Dormice are rodents and have continuously growing incisors. It is therefore necessary for these animals to be able to gnaw on something to wear down their teeth. The best is bark wood, they love that! If Dormice have too few opportunities to wear down their teeth, the teeth can become too long or grow crooked, with all the consequences that entails.
Rodents use gnawing wood to wear down their teeth. Because rodents' teeth are always growing, they need to have something to gnaw on regularly so that they don't grow too long and crooked.
Most Dormice gnaw very actively on bark. However, it is a matter of taste and on the other hand a matter of need how much the animals gnaw on it. If a Dormouse has no need to gnaw because its teeth remain long due to the food, hay or other nibbles, then it will gnaw less on gnawing wood. It is good to always offer natural gnawing wood so that the animals can always gnaw when they have a need to gnaw.
Did you know?
Dormice imitate the buzzing of hornets to scare off intruders from their nest?
Dormice can even sleep for 11 months in a row? This happens especially when the beech trees have too few beechnuts. As a result, the animals have too little food for their young and sometimes they go into hibernation as early as July
Reproduction of the Dormouse
After hibernation, which lasts 7 months, dormice start looking for each other. That is to say, the females and males look for each other in the wild to mate. This is usually from June to August. If the mating is successful, between two and nine small naked dormice are born 31 days later. The animals often only have one litter per year because there is no time for a next litter. As soon as the current young have been raised, preparations must be made for the approaching hibernation.
Number of litters : 1 per year
Litter size : 2 - 9
Gestation period : 31 days
Weaning time : from week 4
