Three orphaned dormice found next to their dead mother are now the picture of festive health – after being rescued from a garden hedge.
The trio of cute animals were discovered cold and hungry by homeowners Geoff Brown and Jen Bousfield.
Jen put the dormice in her car and drove the endangered creatures 100 miles to Secret World Wildlife Rescue at East Huntspill in Somerset.
They were found in August but have since put on weight after feasting on blackberries, hazelnuts and wild bird seed.
But the trio will not be mature enough for release back into Jen’s garden in the hamlet of Middlewood on the edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall until next year.
The dormice have been nursed back to health by Debbie O’Keefe, of Secret World, with the help of her children Charlie, nine, and Harry, 12.
She said: ”Christmas cake would not be good for them but I am sure we could drape some tinsel over their cosy tank where they nestle on a heat pad.”
Secret World takes in thousands of injured or orphaned wild animals or birds every year.
