That was a narrow squeak! Images show dormouse stuck in a bird feeder after he ate so much he got too fat to escape
- Hungry dormouse got stuck after tucking into feast of treats inside a bird feeder
- It spent more than two hours gorging on millet and seeds on the Isle of Wight
- Cheryl Hewins, 72, was surprised find the 'chubby' dormouse in her back garden
After a hearty meal, things that used to fit perfectly can suddenly feel a bit of a tight squeeze.
Just ask this hungry dormouse – which crawled into a bird feeder and ate so much it got stuck.
The creature spent two and a half hours in the plastic cylinder after gorging on millet and sunflower seeds – unfazed by the birds pecking away around it.
Cheryl Hewins, 72, thinks the dormouse spent two and a half hours feasting on millet and sunflower seeds inside her bird feeder on the Isle of Wight
Cheryl Hewins, 72, who found it in her garden on the Isle of Wight, said: 'I was surprised to see this chubby dormouse in my bird feeder. 'I'm glad he enjoyed his meal.'
Catherine Holder of the Hampshire Dormouse Group, who helped rescue the animal after Ms Hewins contacted her on Facebook, added: 'Cheryl was a bit panicked about finding it in her feeder.
Dormouse expert Catherine Holder said it was 'unusual,' to see one of the creatures sitting still, but said she had to laugh when she saw a picture of the 'absolute chunk'
'I quite couldn't believe it when I saw the photo.
'It's nice it was a dormouse because so many times people think they've seen a dormouse and it's not.
'I also just thought it was hilarious. He just sat there like an absolute chunk.
Dormice generally do not come into gardens, but if they did, it would at night, Ms Holder said
Having spent hours in her bird feeder, Ms Hewins said of the dormouse: 'I'm glad he enjoyed his meal'
'I got back to her very quickly and confirmed it was a dormouse and told her to take it to the nearest vegetation cover in the garden and try and let him out as soon as possible.
'Generally they are not a garden species and if they do come to bird feeders it will be at night.
'It's quite unusual for someone to see them sitting still, blinking at them.'
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