Although the dormouse looks very cute with its button eyes, it can cause problems in the house. The nocturnal animals make noise just when people want to sleep and as rodents they also cause damage to buildings. However, Glis glis, as they are called zoologically, must not be killed because they are under species protection. Therefore, you may catch the dormouse alive at most and release them somewhere else or gently drive them away.
dormouse
One reason the dormouse is increasingly encroaching on homes is its diminishing habitats. It prefers deciduous forests or orchards, where it hides in tree hollows. Both preferred habitats are decreasing more and more, which is why the rodent has no choice but to look for alternative quarters.
Garden houses or attics are therefore welcome accommodation for the animals, because they are usually not so tight that they would not be able to find access anywhere. If you want to prevent the animals from entering the interior at all, you should primarily make sure that there are no entrances into houses. Of course, it is also a good idea to design the garden in such a way that the glis glis do not even come into the house because they find trees there that they can find shelter in.
notice: Not only humans have a problem with dormouse, but also tits. Again and again it happens that the rodents move into a tit nest box and the tits have to look for other breeding places themselves.
catch alive
If you don't just want to drive away the dormouse, but want to get rid of them for good, you have to catch the animals. However, this is not easy, because anyone who injures or even kills a dormouse trying to catch them faces severe fines of up to 50,000 euros.
The animals may therefore only with suitable live traps get caught. These are available, for example, in pet shops or in hunting supplies. Nature conservation offices or hunters occasionally have traps available for hire and are also available with tips.
The rodents are gourmets, which is why intensely smelling or tasty foods are ideal for the traps. The following foods are promising as bait:
- fruit
- nuts
- raisins
- oatmeal
- peanut butter
Anyone who has been successful in the hunt can be prepared for the fact that not only one animal is up to mischief, but several rodents are on the move. After the dormouse is captured, it must be taken to a new area. The animals have an excellent sense of direction and can find their way back several kilometers. Therefore, the animals in the trap should first be placed in a bucket so that they cannot accidentally escape from the trap.
The bucket is then covered with cardboard or a dark blanket. It is important that the animals get enough air. Then there are several kilometers to go. Ideally, there should be obstacles such as a river or a mountain between the new quarters and the previous accommodation. Of course, the new environment should also be a preferred habitat such as a deciduous forest.
Drive away dormouse
If you want to drive away the dormouse instead of catching them, you can use various home remedies.
smoke
What is particularly annoying for the sensitive nose of the animals is smoke. Smoke appears to be a home remedy that prompts them to quickly leave their quarters. Any smoke can be used, such as incense or joss sticks.
It is only important that the affected areas, which are usually attics, are regularly treated with intensively scented smoke. Once the worst smell has gone, the animals may come back. Therefore, smoking has to be done several times so that the animals leave the quarters permanently.
Anyone who decides to buy incense can buy it, for example, from clerical supplies, at Christmas markets or in esoteric shops. Safe handling is important when using incense. Therefore, incense bowls or pans with a secure footing should be chosen and placed on a fireproof surface. This also applies to the use of incense sticks, because they can also cause a fire if used incorrectly.
Due to the increased fine dust pollution during smoking, neither people nor pets should be in the rooms that are being smoked out. It is usually aired after smoking, but since this significantly reduces the smell of the smoke, this is not necessary when fumigation of dormouse. After the smoking process has ended, the censer should be taken at most and then the area should be left immediately.
notice: When using incense charcoal or incense sticks, you have to leave the room, but you should not leave the house. If a fire accidentally breaks out, action can be taken quickly.
smells
All home remedies that smell intense can be used against Glis glis. Not every remedy is suitable for getting rid of the animals, so you must occasionally try alternative intensively scented remedies. In the household there are numerous means with which the edible dormouse can be driven away, such as:
- mothballs
- furniture polish
- cleaning supplies
- pickling
While furniture polish, cleaning agents and stains can be used over a large area, mothballs can usually only be used selectively. Here it is particularly important that the animals with the mothballs are pushed towards the exit and not locked in with the intense smell. In this case, it can happen that they penetrate even deeper into buildings.
sound
The sonication of edible dormouse brings only temporary success. However, it can still be an effective home remedy to disturb the animals, especially during the day when they are usually quiet. When using sound, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Sound should drive the animals towards the exit
- only moderate success during the breeding season
- piercing tones are more effective
The disadvantage of sound is that it only disturbs the animals temporarily. Even if they disappear for a short time, it is not possible to disturb them with annoying sounds 24/7. However, sound can help drive them away, at least long enough for their entrances and exits to be sealed.
notice: Entrances and exits may only be sealed outside the breeding season. Otherwise it can happen that the parents can no longer get to the young animals and they die in agony.
Natural enemies
While fines won't exactly gently repel dormouse, some pets can be an efficient tool. The mere presence of dogs or cats is often enough to make the animals run away. If you have a dog or a cat, you should definitely let them roam around in the area where the dormouse roam for a while.
If you don't want the domestic animals to hunt under the roof, you can try to drive them away with the animals' hair. The Glis glis perceive the pets as enemies and therefore the smell of the hair also means danger for them. However, it is important that you distribute the hair over a longer period of time in the area where the dormouse are.
With the smell of fresh animal hair, you convince the dormouse that there are always enemies in their quarters, and with a bit of luck they will soon move out again.
Prevent
The best home remedy to drive them away is not to let them in the house in the first place. To do this, you should make the house as unattractive as possible. You can take the following precautions:
- Remove climbing plants from the house
- Grill ventilation in the roof area
- Barred skylights and chimneys
- Seal joints and cracks
- Repair damage to the roof immediately
Stripping the roof beams is not only suitable for combating the animals directly, but also as a preventive measure. The intense smell of the stain makes roofs unattractive to them. The advantage is that stripping only needs to be repeated every few years, making a roof area unattractive to animals in the long term.
tip: Check the roof area several times a year. This not only allows you to identify damage at an early stage, but also to discover early on whether uninvited guests have nested under the roof.