The dormouse is easily recognized by its small size, bright golden-brown color, large eyes and bushy tail.  They live in the wild.  They spend most of their time in trees so that they can travel from tree to tree without having to cross the ground.  They are a rodent.  The dormouse eats flowers, fruit, and insects. They are nocturnal and look for food at night.
    During the day, they stay in their nests that are made of grass stems and honeysuckle bark.   They like to live in woods and forests.  They sometimes use old bird nests or holes in trees for a nest.  Sometimes they live in shrubs or underground.  They like special nest boxes when they can find them.
    Just like other hibernating animals, the dormouse will fatten up to two times its normal size during the summer so that it can live through the winter without food.  They sleep from October to April.  They lower their body temperature, breathing, and heartbeats so that their bodies don't use much energy.  This makes their food last longer in their bodies.  They hibernate on the ground in their nest, rolled up in a tight ball like the picture above.  They are cold if they are touched. They come out of hibernation in April or May.  They stay in hibernation longer when the weather is bad. 
   The animal can raise one or two litters each year.  A female dormouse is pregnant for 24 days and gives birth to a litter of 4-5 babies.  The babies stay with their mothers for 6-8 weeks and then go off on their own.  A dormouse lives between 3-6 years.
    Their biggest enemies are birds of prey.  They try to stay away from these birds by sleeping inside trees during the daytime.

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