Rescued: Hoglet - the hedgehog that glows in the dark

Fiona Johnson, 40, took the tiny glowstick home after her 13-year-old son Lucas spotted him by the edge of the road two weeks ago.

Beauty therapist Fiona has since discovered how rare the animal is - with only one in 100,000 hedgehogs born albino.

The family have decided to house the hog over winter to keep him safe - and are delighted with their early Christmas present.

Fiona, who already has a tortoise, puppy and two rabbits, said: “I call him hoglet but I really think he needs a Christmas name because he’s white and so fluffy.”

Since his adoption little hoglet has become quite a celebrity - with Fiona’s local vet astounded at what she brought into the surgery.

Fiona said: “I took him to the vet just for peace of mind, to get him checked over and for a bit of advice.

“At first the vet thought he was a pigmy hedgehog which are quite common - they have a short nose and just four toes.

“When I got hoglet out of the basket he was all curled up and you couldn’t see his nose or feet but as he was unravelling the vet was becoming more and more excited.

“He said: ‘He’s got a long nose! He’s got five toes!’. He couldn’t believe it was actually a European albino hedgehog.