Hedgehog moves into St Ives rabbit's hutch and gives birth

A hedgehog took up squatters' rights in a pet rabbit's cosy hutch and promptly gave birth to four babies.

The prickly pregnant creature moved into the hutch belonging to Rufus the rabbit in St Ives, in Cambridgeshire.

The rabbit's owner, Andrea Finbow, said the hedgehog made itself a little nest in the rabbit's straw, and both seemed "quite happy in each other's company".

The new mum has now moved her babies from the hutch, but Ms Finbow suspects she might still be visiting Rufus.

"I spent the last few years trying to make my garden more wildlife-friendly and knew that we were being visited by some hedgehogs," Ms Finbow said.

"This year, one hedgehog became very determined to move into our rabbit hutch so we opened the other door for the rabbit to access his hutch from his run - he seemed to like having the hedgehog around after he lost his brother a little while ago."

She said the hedgehog and rabbit would sniff each other, and said of Rufus: "I think he just liked the company."

Last Saturday, she was surprised to see not just the hedgehog, but four babies.

"There had been a lot of movement in the hutch, and then there they were - four little hoglets," said Ms Finbow.

She put her wildlife camera on and captured the mother moving her babies by carrying each one carefully in her mouth.

Ms Finbow is not sure where they have gone, but said she believed it was common for mothers to move their babies.

"The neighbours have a 'hedgehog palace' so I'm not sure if they've moved in there," she said.

Rufus the rabbit now has his hutch all to himself, but Ms Finbow said she had seen a hedgehog heading towards the hutch, and she had seen Rufus looking out "like a meerkat".

"I wonder if she still visits him to say 'hi'," she added.

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