Flock of flatties get a lamb

Buster the lamb with his new flatmates. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery

His name is Buster - he's also known as Christmas Dinner 2013 - and he is the latest addition to the flock of flatties living in a Drummond St student flat.

When his owner, University of Otago accounting student Tom Stott, told his flatmates he was going to get a pet lamb for their pad, they thought he was trying to pull the wool over their eyes.

So three weeks ago, he "acquired" one from his parents' sheep farm in the Catlins.

"He's pretty entertaining. He's inquisitive, he jumps up and down and he prances up the hallway."

And it turns out, Buster is a bit of a babe magnet.

Mr Stott said the lamb definitely had "the cute factor" which seemed to attract a lot of welcome attention from female students in the street.

But as with all good things, there was a price to pay.

"The down side is, he wakes us up about 7am every morning, bleating to be fed.

"The boys aren't too fussed on getting up that early - it's not part of a student's life."

At the moment, Buster takes pride of place in a special pen in a warm corner of the living room, but the flatmates agree his rapidly growing frame will soon make it difficult to keep him there.

Mr Stott said he would take Buster back home to the Catlins during the summer break, where he would remain next year.

"Then hopefully we'll have him for Christmas dinner next year."

Being a farm boy, Mr Stott said he had learnt not to get too attached to livestock, and was comfortable with the idea of having Buster on his dinner plate.

But he wasn't convinced his flatmates were as detached.

In the meantime, Buster seems happy to lounge around on a couch, keeping his flatmates company while they study for exams.