Anyone out there had a glis glis?

[grannysmith]

Last spring when emptying the composter I found a glis glis in it. Anyone else ever had a glis glis? Apparently, they reside in a fairly small part of the country, so I didn't originally know what one was and came in a bit shaken after I'd seen it.

It looked like a squirrel had mated with a rat or a rabbit. My husband had me make a drawing of it, and then googled it and said "Wow! It was an edible doormouse!"

Apparently, they overwinter in composters and are usually disturbed from hibernation around April by people like me. It's not really a "pest" in the sense that they overwinter in the composters, but are not known for setting up families in there or anything. Plus, they are rather charming if you manage to get a good look at one.

Anyway, curious to know more about them and whether anyone else has come across any?

Do they tend to ever return to the same composters once they've vacated? (just wondering what my chances are of moving the compost this spring without any surprises )

[Jeanied]

They only live in a fairly limited range in the country - which includes where you are! I have never seen one in the flesh (fur?) but have seen some fascinating wildlife programmes about them!

[sarraceniac]

Like many rodents they are very cute but like many rodents they are a pain in the petunias and can create havoc with fruit trees, grain (including corn) and legumes and if they get into the house, wiring and clothing. There are now tens of (or maybe hundreds of) thousands of them (they have litters of up to 11) in the Berks, Bucks area. And, as a protected species, they are spreading like mad. Look out Jeanied, you are a lot closer than us. 'The Revenge of the Phantom Glis Glis.'

[Jeanied]

Fortunately my house and shed are patrolled by a succession of fearsome feline predators, Sarraceniac - who dispose of rats and mice with ruthless efficiency. These are my cats and some of their mates- and they disregard all notions of protected species status - as a few innocent pipistrelles have found to their cost!
The glis glis will have to cross the M25 heading towards London before they get to me!

[Prince of Durham]

May I suggest an avenue to explore..

Edible Dormice
Recipe:

4 dormice
Flour
Oil
2 potatoes
Bouquet garni
Salt Pepper
Lemon peel
Vinegar (Wine or Balsamic)

Skin and gut the dormice and lay them flat. Gently flour them all over.
Fry the dormice in a little oil until browned.
Scald the potatoes unpeeled in water then peel and quarter them.
Add potatoes to the dormouse pan and toss in the juices and oil.
Transfer to a saucepan and de glaze the pan with water and a little wine if liked. You should have about ¾ pint of liquid.
Pour the liquid over the mice and potatoes.
Add some zested lemon peel and simmer slowly until the potatoes break up and the soup is thick.
Just before serving sprinkle on some wine vinegar

MMMMMMMM enjoy..

[Aileen35]

They are protected You should be very honoured to have seen one. Don't bake it, fry it or saute it, or you will be in alot of bother!

[FionaH]

Apparently protecting edible dormice is not a new thing. Eating them was prohibited in 1115 BC by the Roman senate, although this was largely unsuccessful

Here is a Roman recipe for them, translated obviously Love the way they have included cooking temps for a creature we are NOT supposed to eat

Original Recipe
Glires (from Apicius' De Re Coquinaria)
Glires: isicio porcino, item pulpis ex omni membro glirium trito, cum pipere, nucleis, lasere, liquamine farcies glires, et sutos in tegula positos mittesin furnum aut farsos in clibano coques.
Translation
Is stuffed with a forcemeat of pork and small pieces of dormouse meat trimmings, all pounded with pepper, nuts, laser, broth. Put the dormouse thus stuffed in an earthen casserole, roast it in the oven, or boil it in the stock pot.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
Admittedly the Glis glis or edible dormouse is an ingredient that's a little hard to get hold of these days (it looks like a little opossum but is and European rodent rather than a marsupial). However, this was a great delicacy on the Roman menu and it was they who introduced the Glis glis to Britain. If you can't find the real thing, then I suggest you use chicken breasts as a replacement and 'dress' them to look like dormice. The door in the name dormouse has nothing to do with entranceways. Rather, it is derived from the Latin dormire (to sleep) as, like its cousin the squirrel, the dormouse hibernates over winter.
2 dormice per person
500g forcemeat (made from sausagemeat, 100g breadcrumbs and dormouse meat trimmings)
50g chopped nuts
80g laser (or 6 garlic cloves)
50ml broth
olive oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Gut and skin the dormouse. Finely chop any trimmings and reserve . Add any meat trimmings to the forcemeat. Meanwhile add the nuts, laser (or garlic cloves) and pepper to a mortar and use a pestle to create a smooth paste. Add the chopped meat to this and mix thoroughly.
Pour in a little of the broth and a drizzle of olive oil on this and mix well. Use this meat mixture to stuff the dormouse (chicken breast).
The dormice can be prepared by either roasting in an oven at 180°C for 20–25 minutes or by boiling in broth for 30–40 minutes

[Wills49]

We have these dormice here in Bulgaria. They seem to take early winter naps all over the place, just falling asleep in any odd spot. I saw three last year in both my neigbours and our garden. Very interesting to see. I don't fancy eating any, but the cat tried one. She prefers the smaller variety of mouse.

[Alison]

Never heard of them but sounds like they don't live up here

[grannysmith]

Ok, first of all, I'm a gardener but not a "gut and skin the dormouse" type of girl!

Second, I had heard the Romans were into eating them too. All the same, the one I saw was lovely! He moved really fast and was too cute to eat. The worst is, I deliberately waited a full 10 minutes after removing the plastic composter from the heap just in case anything wanted to escape, like snakes, mice, hibernating frogs . . whatever. And then when I thought it was safe, I put the spade in and he looked at me and I looked at him and I screamed and he ran.

I think Lord Rothschild brought them in or something and there were only 6 at that time, so how they had a sufficient gene pool to make thousands I'll never know.

I'd be curious to know how common they are in this area though, since we've had a composter for about 15 years and that was the first one I've ever seen. I don't think it'll get into the house, though, since we have a dog who must have sussed what was going on last year because he was barking his head off sometimes in the evening at the composter and we kept telling him to hush because we thought he was barking at the moon or squirrels or something.

We had to apologize to him later when all became clear.

[Two_Sheds]

Skin and gut the dormice and lay them flat. Gently flour them all over.

You skin and gut, and then you're very gently patting them with flour?

poor wee thing

[Prince of Durham]

You skin and gut, and then you're very gently patting them with flour?

poor wee thing

I agree it is a bit wrong, but I'm from up north you see. We simple folk just like to sit in front of a log fire gently patting flour onto all sorts of protected creatures. Hence no red squirrels left in Co durham...

[21again]

[Liza]

Like it...!

[bobleponge]

I think Lord Rothschild brought them in or something and there were only 6 at that time, so how they had a sufficient gene pool to make thousands I'll never know.

I'm sure I read somewhere that every single hamster in the UK originate from a breeding pair bought back from Abyssinia (modern day Syria) about 200 years ago by someone famous.
Some Google monster will prove me wrong I have no doubt, but its a story I like.