For the past few days, my nighttime garden observations have been giving me incredible emotions. It all started with some movement at the bird feeder. When I first spotted a fast, darting shape in the darkness, for a split second I thought — oh no, I have a rat in my garden!
How wrong I was! And how happy that mistake made me. When I checked the camera footage, my eyes beheld an absolutely delightful, rare, and extraordinarily cute rodent. It’s a garden dormouse, and to be precise — judging by the anatomical details — a fine, well-grown male. I’m incredibly proud that he chose my garden!
Although the total length of this animal, including its tail, can reach nearly 12 inches, the garden dormouse looks nothing like a rat. It’s much smaller, and its delicate body structure is more reminiscent of a large, elegant mouse. Its coloring is a true masterpiece of nature! The most characteristic feature around its large, black eyes is the distinct black stripe running all the way to its ears. It has a long tail, but unlike the unloved, bare tail of a rat, this one is densely furred and ends in a beautiful, fluffy, black-and-white tuft.
Interestingly, my guest turned out to be a picky connoisseur. Although the feeder holds nuts and protein-rich dried insect larvae, he only eats shelled sunflower seeds!
I live in a small town full of old houses, gardens, and park trees. For a garden dormouse, this is an ideal environment, but the fact that he visits me regularly means his nest must be within a radius of just 160 feet! Dormice have a relatively small territory. In small towns, they love nesting in the hollows of old fruit trees, dense hedges, but also in nooks and crannies of human buildings — in insulated attics, lofts, gazebos, or roof crevices.
As soon as I realized who I was hosting, I started looking for information. What I discovered on the Encyclopedia of Life website absolutely blew me away. The garden dormouse is listed on the IUCN Red List as a Near Threatened species. In many regions of Europe, this species is drastically dying out. Knowing that such a rare jewel of nature chose my feeder makes me feel truly lucky!
The garden dormouse is a typical loner with a strictly nocturnal lifestyle. Its annual cycle is fascinating and dominated by hibernation, which lasts up to six months — usually from October to April. Although these rodents are generally characterized as herbivores, right after waking from their long winter sleep, they need a massive energy boost. At that point, their diet changes dramatically — they become predators and readily eat insects, beetles, and even snails.
According to documented scientific data, garden dormice can live up to 6 years in the wild. This gives me great hope that my little friend will survive the coming winters and that I’ll see him at the feeder again after future hibernations.
Unfortunately, nighttime life in a small town carries enormous risks for my guest. As much as I want the dormouse to live as long as possible, the list of threats is long and real. The main natural enemy of nocturnal rodents is owls. In my town, I’ve already seen a long-eared owl — its silent flight and excellent hearing are deadly dangers for the dormouse. Next in line is the stone marten, which, unlike its forest cousin, loves being close to humans. It lives in exactly the same places as dormice — in attics, ruins, or roof crevices. It’s an extremely agile and aggressive predator. And finally, probably the biggest urban plague. Outdoor cats that roam and hunt at night are an absolutely unnatural and most difficult-to-avoid threat for rare dormice.
Keep your fingers crossed for my little lodger! I hope he never runs out of sunflower seeds in my feeder, and that the urban predators leave him alone. I’ll keep you posted on his future visits!