Description
The garden dormouse is a species that is subject to a lot of research. If you are considering installing a garden dormouse nest box, it is advisable to first consult the most recent distribution map to check if there is a distribution area of the garden dormouse in your vicinity. https://waarnemingen.be/species/391/maps/? If this is the case, installing this nest box is highly recommended. The species has been doing so poorly in recent decades that it could use all the support it can get.
INSTALLATION
The box is placed with the opening towards the tree trunk. Important here is the presence of at least one high-trunked fruit tree in the vicinity. The box is hung at a height of at least 1.5 m and preferably around fruit-bearing trees in the vicinity of dense undergrowth of shrubs or tree groups. A suspension on an old barn in a wooded environment can also be successful.
Because garden dormice often fall prey to cats, it can be useful to place this nest box in combination with a marten-cat collar around the tree trunk.
MAINTENANCE
Inspection and maintenance of the nest box is prohibited without a permit, the garden dormouse is a protected species. If there are old tit nests in the box, leave them in place, the garden dormice like to convert them into their own nest.
