Wild Dormouse Hibernation Welfare

Dormouse hibernation is a physiologically complex process vulnerable to climate disruption; premature arousal causes starvation and death.

Key Facts

Common dormice hibernate from October to April, spending more time in torpor than any other British mammal.
Hibernation success depends on adequate fat reserves built during autumn foraging on hazelnuts and berries.
Climate change is causing warm winter spells that trigger premature arousal, rapidly depleting fat reserves.
Aroused dormice in winter find no food available; repeated premature arousals are fatal.
Dormice in nest boxes hibernate reliably and can be monitored by licensed researchers without disturbance.

Welfare Considerations

Individual dormice that fail to accumulate sufficient fat reserves before hibernation will die during the winter months from starvation. Climate disruption of the hibernation-wake cycle causes repeated arousal events that consume stored energy rapidly in conditions where no food is available. This represents a direct welfare harm to individual dormice with population-level implications given the species' already precarious status. Conservation management that provides supplementary food in late autumn (hazelnuts placed near nest boxes) may help individuals prepare adequately. The welfare of hibernating dormice requires landscape management that ensures reliable, late-season foraging resources.

What You Can Do

Plant hazel, honeysuckle, and berry-producing shrubs to provide dormouse foraging resources into autumn.
Support PTES dormouse conservation programmes addressing climate vulnerability.
Avoid disturbing known dormouse hibernation sites — disturbance in winter is potentially fatal.
Advocate for climate action as a direct animal welfare issue for thermally sensitive species.