Exotic pets: Sheffield family celebrate 50th birthday of tortoise which could outlive them all

The Betts family in Walkley have been looking after Fred since he was about four years old, and – since tortoises can live for 50-100 years or even longer – he could outlast them all.

Barbara and Bill bought him in 1976 for their children Alison and Stephen, then aged eight and 10, and his adventurous antics have brought them much joy and a little grief over the years.

Despite tortoises not being famed for their speed, they soon learned Fred could put on a surprising turn of pace when he wanted to, especially in warmer weather, and he made several bids for freedom in his early days with them.

The keen caravanners took him camping near Lathkill Dale the year they got him and he escaped from his box before luckily being spotted by a fellow camper and returned.

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That didn’t put them off taking Fred on holiday but they tried to come up with increasingly elaborate new ways to keep tabs on him.

“My grandparents first inserted a small flag into Blu Tack and pressed it onto my shell. They also tried fixing a deflated ball onto my shell. They were even thinking of drilling the edge of my shell and inserting some long string before being advised against this by the pet shop. None of these ways were successful,” said Fred.

Consequently, they ended up leaving him behind, initially at local pet shops.

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The Betts thought he would be secure in their garden thanks to the four-foot-high privet hedge, with 18-inch-high wire netting at the base, which surrounded it – but they were wrong.

In 1980, Fred went missing for two days, only for his family to find he had made it no further than the middle of the hedge.

Three years later, he escaped through a hole in the netting, while his family were away with their caravan, and this time made it through two other gardens and down the side of a driveway before being picked up on the street by a shocked neighbour.

Tortoise’s trips to school and care home

Fred has enjoyed plenty of accompanied outings, including a trip to Alison’s school to meet her teachers and friends, where, in his words, he had ‘never seen so many smiling faces’ and enjoyed having his shell and chin tickled.

He also made it to the school where his grandmother worked, and to the care home in Swallownest where his great-grandmother lived with her friends.

“Great Nan was sat in the lounge, with her resident friends, and the smile on her face when she saw me was a picture,” said Fred.

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“All her friends wanted to meet me. Grandad got the OK. They got a big suprise when I walked behind Grandad to meet them. We were then asked to meet the residents in other parts of the home, which we did.

“The manager asked why I would follow Grandad and any family member. Well, I am just like a dog following his master, with the added incentive of the tapping foot in front of me.”

Fred has been spoiled by his adoptive family, who created a large rockery in their garden where he can roam to his little heart’s content and munch on his favourite plants including dandelions.

“When climbing over rocks some times I fall onto my back but always manage to recover and get back onto my feet,” he says.

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Fred hibernates from November until February each year, during which time he is put in a perforated box, covered in paper and kept in the workshop until he wakes from his long slumber.

He’s then moved to the conservatory and kitchen until it warms up outside and he can spend his days in the rockery.

"Grandad is not keen on me being inside too much due to my always tormenting him when we are together, following him around and nipping his toes or shoes,” says Fred.

“When I follow their other friends they think it is great, and in hot weather they cannot believe how fast I can run and climb when outdoors.”

Fred has no teeth so uses his gums to eat by biting and swallowing, and he enjoys a diet of sliced apples, pears, cucumbers, greens and vegetables.

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Bill says tortoises are an ‘unusual’ pet to have and are probably not for everyone but he and the rest of his family adore Fred.

"He’s been a good companion. You can talk to him, which we do, and whenever we’re knocking about he always rushes towards us,” he says.

"If Fred’s in the conservatory before he hibernates, he’s a devil with my feet. He can’t leave them alone.

"Other than that, his antics have always brought us bags of pleasure so here’s to the next 50 years, even if we won’t be around for all of them.”

Although the Betts family have cared for Fred well and enjoyed having him in their lives, the RSPCA has raised concerns about the number of exotic animals like tortoises, lizards and snakes being kept as pets in the UK.

The charity has called on the Government to introduce tighter controls on exotic animals being kept as pets, to ensure their welfare is protected.