House a Dormouse FAQs

There are over 24,000 dormouse houses in the National Dormouse Monitoring Scheme, but not every one is used by dormice each year, as they vary where they settle. We want to update all of our sponsors on the dormice found throughout the year, so we are not assigning specific boxes to supporters, as this would be very costly to us as an organisation. Nevertheless, the funds are used to replace, buy and maintain one or more of the dormouse boxes used.

Your welcome pack will include a welcome letter, informational booklet, certificate, and pictures of dormice that you’ll be helping through your sponsorship. If you opt into PTES mail, you will receive your pack in the post. If you opt into email, you will receive a digital pack.

We will send your pack out within 7 days of receipt of your order, and will try and let you know if there is any delay.

Hazel dormice are very vulnerable creatures, and so shouldn’t be disturbed unless necessary. In fact, dormice, their breeding sites, and their resting places are protected by law, so you need a licence to handle them.

We’ll send you updates on our dormice conservation work, including news of any reintroductions, numbers of dormice found and any other projects we are working on. You can choose to receive your updates by email or by post, whichever you prefer. Please note we can only send you updates if you let us know you are happy to receive them.

Your sponsorship lasts for a year, but you can extend it for as long as you want, and we sincerely hope you continue to support dormice in need. We’ve been working on hazel dormouse conservation for over 25 years and lead their conservation in the UK, so we’ll be working with our dormouse houses for years to come!

There are many ways to help dormice. You can read about the different ways your might be able to help hazel dormice here. We also run training courses for people who want to earn a dormouse licence, which you can read about here.