One of our less common rescues, meet Mrs Pocket, our hazel dormouse.
Mrs Pocket got her name as she was found building a nest inside a gardener’s jacket pocket!
Weighing only 6 grams, our vet team realised Mrs Pocket was too underweight to be able to safely go into hibernation and survive. Because of this, they made the decision that she would stay with Wildlife Aid over winter.
After just three weeks, Mrs Pocket had over doubled her weight! A fantastic sign that reassured our vets she would be able to hibernate shortly.
Mrs Pocket did in fact end up going into hibernation… for one day! Attempting the shortest dormouse hibernation ever, our vets were able to weigh her very easily, only for her to be awake the next day.
Eventually, when the temperature dropped, Mrs Pocket went back into hibernation, this time for longer than one day!
Mrs Pocket ended up in hibernation for around 2 months. During this time, she was carefully cared for by our fantastic vet team and checked regularly to ensure she was doing well.
Finally, she awoke around the 15th of February 2026 and after the vet team confirmed she was bright and ready, she was scheduled for release!
Mrs Pocket is scheduled for release in the coming days…
We wish her good luck on her journey!
If you would like to learn more about dormice, take a look at our dormouse fact page.
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