They are unique among rodents in that they lack a cecum, a part of the gut used in other species to ferment vegetable matter.

Their dental formula is similar to that of squirrels, although they often lack premolars: Dormice breed once (or, occasionally, twice) each year, producing litters with an average of four young after a gestation period of 22–24 days.

Dormice live in small family groups, with home ranges that vary widely between species and depend on the availability of food.

They can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather does not become warm enough, sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby.

[7] It is still considered a delicacy in Slovenia and in several places in Croatia, namely Lika, and the islands of Hvar and Brač.

[13] Dormice likely originated in Europe, with the earliest dormouse genus Eogliravus being known from the Early Eocene (around 48-41 million years ago) of France.

They reached an apex of diversity during the late Early Miocene (around 17 million years ago[14]) when there were 18 genera and 36 species of dormice in Europe alone during this period.