Woman adopts wallaby rejected by mum and now he lives in her home as a pet

A wallaby saved from death row lives in a house - and loves naan bread and Cadbury's chocolate.

Hayley Bateman, 50, rescued six-year-old Willow who was brought into a vet surgery to be put to sleep.

Willow's mum rejected her and died hours later, and the joey was written off by zoo bosses.

But mum-of-four Hayley took a chance on her, and made a 'pouch' for Willow to sleep in.

Gran-of-five Hayley says Willow 'thinks she's her mum' and follows her around.

Willow gets half a chocolate digestive biscuit before bed.

She sleeps in a heated stable in the family's garden in Hornsea, East Yorks, but loves to cuddle on the sofa.

And she gets along with the family's five dogs, sleeping in their beds too.

Hayley said: "All together we've got 18 pets.

"Willow came to me when she was still needing six months in her mother's pouch.

"She thinks she's one of the family.

"She sleeps with the dogs, and she's got a temperament like a cat - she does what she wants, when she wants.

"We considered getting another wallaby for company for her but it would be hand-reared, so we got a giant rabbit for her as a friend.

"We don't want her to eat what we eat, but she comes up to the table and steals it.

"She will try and steal whatever she's not supposed to have.

"Wallabies forage 80 per cent of their diet, and we give her a lot of fresh fruit and veg.

"She also loves Cadburys chocolate - and she gets half a digestive biscuit before bed."

After taking Willow in to save her being euthanised, Hayley began researching how to raise a wallaby.

She contacted a wildlife charity in Oz and was told to feed her soy milk, and she sewed a fleecy pouch for Willow to sleep in.

Hayley carried the pouch by wearing it around her waist, and tied it to the end of her bed for six months.

Wallabies are silent so she knew Willow needed feeding when the pouch began to bounce.

She even took it into her work, at Haven Vets, in Hull, East Yorks.

Hayley added: "She used to sleep in the house all the time.

"She comes and sits on the step and we let her in.

"It's a bit chaotic, some of my daughter's friends think we're a bit eccentric.

"It's chaotic but it's fun."

The family even had an alpaca who lived in the house, named Pumpkin, but he passed away.

Hayley said: "Wallabies are solitary animals so she doesn't miss being in a herd.

"I contacted a wildlife charity in Australia which had hand-reared kangaroos.

"They told me to feed her lactose-free milk and I sewed up a pouch with a hole for her.

"I wore it around my waist and hung it from doorhandles.

"They pop in and out but they do bounce quite vigorously.

"I would take her to work and my boss would come in and say 'Willow needs feeding' because the pouch was bouncing.

"Willow thinks I'm her mum, so she follows me about.

"She can still be standoffish with new people.

"If she doesn't want to go to bed, my daughter will tell me, and I will be able to get her to go.

"She's bonded to me because I did all the legwork."