STOMP the bunny is taking her Easter duties extremely seriously... as she prepared to lay three eggs on Sunday.

The pet rabbit has a rare reproductive issue that means her three babies - kits- will be born inside a shell.

And her due date is Easter Sunday, making her an extra special Easter bunny.

Stomp’s owner Caroline McHugh said: “I knew that Stomp was a special bunny: but I’d no idea just how special.”

Ross Allan, lead vet at the Roundhouse Veterinary Hospital on Glasgow’s South Side, discovered Stomp's very rare reproductive issue.

He said: “This is only the second time I have seen a case like this in my career, though rare cases are documented in veterinary textbooks.

"Stomp is going to give birth to three eggs.

“Stomp’s ova (eggs) have been fertilised and are developing in her uterus in the usual way but, unusually, have developed a much thicker coating than usual around the developing embryos - very much like a shell, which is what we discovered in her X-ray.

“This syndrome is known as Oviparum Lagomophi and is a throwback to Stomp's ancient bunny ancestors.

"In much the same way as some pythons have a vestigial pelvis and humans have a coccyx (vestigial tail bone) - every now and again genetics throws up a person with an elongated coccyx like a tail, or a snake with developed limbs - so too might a bunny lay some eggs.”

Three-year-old Stomp was brought to the vet by Caroline, who was concerned about a firm swelling in her bunny’s abdomen.

Ross carried out some preliminary tests, including an X-ray of the pet to ascertain the root of the problem.

He added: “In working up a medical case we often have a list of possible diagnoses - we usually list these from most likely disease or illness processes to the least likely.

“In Stomp’s case, the diagnosis was fairly open, but I was particularly concerned about two serious conditions: ‘gut stasis’ - a condition whereby bunny’s intestines go to sleep - and a growth in the reproductive system.

"Sadly, both of these issues are reasonably common amongst pet rabbits.”

Unusually, X-rays revealed three oval objects in Stomp’s reproductive tract.

Stomp is due to give birth to her three eggs this Sunday and Ross expects them to hatch within two or three days.

He said: “The baby rabbits (or kits) have every chance of being absolutely healthy."