Nap time: The hibernating dormouse curls up in the palm of a hand after being rescued from sub-zero temperatures in a back gardenhibernating dormouse curls up in the palm of a hand, blissfully unaware he has just been rescued from almost certain death in sub-zero temperatures.
The tiny animal can only be held for just a few seconds because its carer's warming touch would wake it prematurely.
Dormouse expert Dave Williams saved the three-inch creature from a back garden where he was left exposed to frost, wind and rain.
A gardener accidently raked its woven grass nest from under a box hedge he had trimmed near Leatherhead, Surrey.
It may have died if left exposed to freezing temperatures or struggled to find the seeds, nuts and berries it eats if woken early.
Mr Williams, from Surrey Wildlife Trust, examined the nest and found the mouse was healthy and sleeping inside.
He took it to nearby Wildlife Aid animal sanctuary where the mouse can be monitored and then fed when it wakes around April or May.
Mr Williams said: 'A gardener was cutting back a box hedge when they noticed this tight ball of grass on the ground.
'They had seen a dormouse earlier in the year by their compost heap and suspected it may be a nest so they covered it with cuttings and called me.
'The mouse was healthy but it was too exposed and I was not prepared to leave it.
'I took the mouse and nest to the Wildlife Aid centre where staff are keeping an eye on it.
'It will have a good supply of fruit, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds when it wakes and once it has been fed up it will be released back into the garden.'
Heartwarming: The tiny creature is being monitored at a wildlife sanctuary until he wakes up around April or MayHe added: 'I had to handle the mouse to check it was healthy but you can only touch it for about 30 seconds at a time.
'If it gets too hot it could trick the mouse into thinking spring has come and it will wake from hibernation.
'That is not too serious at the wildlife sanctuary because we can feed it but in the wild it would struggle to find food this early in the year.'
Wildlife Aid founder Simon Cowell said: 'We want it to come out of hibernation at its own pace and are currently monitoring it from a distance.
'When it comes round we will make sure it has got food and is good to go.'
Hazel dormice measure six to nine centimetres (2.4 to 3.5 inches) long and weigh 17 to 20 grams (0.60 to 0.71 oz). This weight can double prior to hibernation.
The Hazel dormouse has golden-brown fur and large black eyes and is the only dormouse native to the British Isles.
It is nocturnal and a protected species.
source: dailymail
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