Animals

Greedy dormouse ate so many seeds in bird feeder it was too chubby to get out


The greedy dormouse ate so much he couldn’t get out (Picture: SWNS)

A greedy dormouse became trapped in a bird feeder after eating so many seeds it was too chubby to get out.

The hungry rodent had eaten so many seeds his stomach expanded and was stuck in the bird feeder for hours before being freed.

He was found by pensioner Cheryl Hewins, who set the feeder down in the garden so he could ‘slowly wobble out.’

Cheryl, from Ventor, in the Isle of Wight, said: ‘I was surprised to find the thing sitting in my bird feeder, he must have been there all night and eaten so much he couldn’t get out.’

Cheryl, 72, sought the advice of Catherine Holder, who runs the Hampshire Dormouse Group Committee.

National Trust Ranger Catherine, 34, from Romsey, Hampshire, said: ‘Cheryl was a bit panicked about finding it in her feeder.

‘I quite couldn’t believe it when I saw the photo.

‘It’s nice it was a dormouse because so many times people think they’ve seen a dormouse and it’s not.

The mouse was preparing for hibernation (Picture: SWNS)

‘I also just thought it was hilarious. He just sat there like an absolute chunk.

‘I got back to her very quickly and confirmed it was a dormouse and told her to take it to the nearest vegetation cover in the garden and try and let him out as soon as possible.’

Catherine said the mouse’s impressive appetite was explained by him preparing for winter hibernation.

He was stuck in the feeder for hours (Picture: SWNS)
He was rescued after stocking up on seeds for the winter (Picture: SWNS)

She added: ‘Generally they are not a garden species and if they do come to bird feeders it will be at night.

‘It’s quite unusual for someone to see them sitting still, blinking at them.

‘They hibernate from November to April and they have to properly chunk up.

‘I guess he’s eaten all the berries and nuts and he found this food source in a bird feeder, got in and started scoffing and couldn’t get out.

‘It’s amazing.’

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