The last dormouse in Sussex?

admin
, 12 July 2016
The last dormouse in Sussex?
dormouse / Derek Middleton

Sussex Wildlife Trust is making an urgent appeal to its members and supporters to help protect dormice living in the county.

Dormouse numbers have plummeted throughout Britain during the past hundred years and they are now vulnerable to extinction because of habitat loss. To give dormice a fighting chance of survival Sussex Wildlife Trust is hoping to raise £40,000 to improve woodlands on their nature reserves providing ideal habitat for them to breed and thrive.

This charming nocturnal mammal faces many threats and challenges to its continued survival including damage to woodland and hedgerows caused by housing and other development, the decline in coppicing their woodland habitat and changes in agricultural practice.

Work to allow dormice to move freely to source food, nesting material and provide protection from predators is already underway at three Sussex Wildlife Trust nature reserves, West Dean Woods near Chichester, Marline Valley near Hastings and Selwyn’s Wood near Heathfield.

In addition to habitat management, monitoring of dormouse numbers will also take place, providing valuable data in planning for the future protection of this charismatic animal made popular in the classic tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carrol over 150 years ago.

James Power, Head of Land Management at Sussex Wildlife Trust said, ‘I am concerned about the future of dormice in Sussex unless we can improve management of their habitats. Dormice are now mainly found only in Southern England but even here they have a very patchy distribution and we need to extend our areas of habitat recovery to reverse this trend of falling numbers without delay hopefully this autumn.


‘Not only are dormice rare and extremely shy but they are also nocturnal so you are unlikely to see one in the wild. To thrive, they need living conditions with a good mix of tree species, well managed hazel coppice, green corridors to move along and an understorey of honeysuckle and bramble as a source of food, nesting material and to provide vital cover from predators.

‘These tiny mammals are reluctant to cross open country and if a wood or hedgerow becomes isolated or too small to provide for its needs there is a real danger that dormice can become locally extinct.

‘With help from our members, supporters and people who care about wildlife in the county we will be able to take positive nature conservation actions that both improve and link up important pieces of land which will maintain dormice populations on a long-term basis.

To support this appeal visit:

www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/dormice, donate by phone 01273 497532 or text: MICE00 £3 to 70070 (to donate £3).

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Comments

  • Carol Olah:

    I am aware dormice habitats are being destroyed in my neighbourhood. A field in an ANOB has been given permission to build houses but dormice are in the hedgerow where a new entrance is proposed. The developers have been told to wait until they have finished nesting but they are then able to remove the hedge destroying their habitat for good! This is also happening in another nearby location. It is no wonder the dormouse is dying out!

    29 Jul 2016 11:09:15

  • Charlie Rose:

    Hi Carol. Where is the field you mention? I would be interested to know. Many thanks

    21 Sep 2016 17:32:03

  • Graham Bowbrick:

    Hello,
    I have recently joined a field archery club in Binsted West Sussex,I have been told that there are Hazel Dormice in our wood (approx 35 acres) I once was involved in making nesting boxes in another wood,this proved very successful,I wonder if I should try it again.The wood in question is a possible victim of the A27 alteration,I wonder if occupied boxes would help their case and as a knock on help ours? Yours G.B.

    18 Sep 2017 13:41:15

  • Gillian Harwood:

    I found an active dormouse in my compost bin in my garden in Tillington 7.2.21. The first sighting in 35 years! I usually have a “duvet” on the bin and I surprised the dormouse by lifting it off.

    09 Feb 2021 14:27:00

  • Gillian G:

    I have just found a dormouse on my driveway having been raking dead leaves from a flowerbed
    He seems to be very fast asleep

    28 Feb 2021 15:34:00

  • sally Frost:

    I have a 55 acre plot of land comprising fields and ancient woodland in East Sussex.

    I’d be interested to know if I can do anything to encourage doormice along with other creatures onto our land.

    Thank you
    Sally

    28 Mar 2025 08:56:00

  • Sussex Wildlife Trust:

    Hi Sally, it's great to hear you are interesting in encouraging wildlife onto your land! You may find these pages from the Wildlife Trust useful: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org... People's Trust for Endangered Species have some really helpful info on encouraging Dormice, including an interesting leaflet on how to do this in your woodland: https://ptes.org/help-hazel-do...

  • David Treharne:

    Have found some doormice feeding in our garden in Haywards Heath, feeding on bird seed
    Photos if wanted

    07 Jun 2025 20:25:00

  • anonnononymous:

    they are cute but fat like my hamster

    06 Feb 2026 10:15:00

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