Sadly, due to a loss of ancient woodland and hedgerows, and changes in land management practices, hazel dormouse populations are in decline across the uk and europe. With a body length of just 6 9 cm, these tiny mammals are rarely seen out in the open, but they will use specialist nest boxes as a safe place to raise their brood. Young hazel dormice begin searching for food with their mother at around three weeks old and leave the nest after six to eight weeks. Their hibernation period begins in winter, and during cold weather spells outside of the season, hazel dormice can enter a state of deep sleep known as 'torpor', to conserve energy. They can spend as much as seven months of the year asleep! The hazel dormouse nest box has a 41 mm wide and 16 mm high oval shaped entrance, specially designed for this species. The entrance hole faces the tree, as hazel dormice climb trees to search for suitable nesting sites. This also prevents birds from using the nest box.  made of woodstone®, a