Watch the video to learn more about this oldest living pet.
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Video credit: Rumble
More often than not, pet lovers end up mourning their pets because these beloved companions grow older much faster than their human friends. It’s normal to go through several pets in one human lifetime. However, the case is totally reversed for Tommy, a female Hermann’s tortoise, who is 121 years old and is the world’s oldest living pet.
Tommy was born in 1898 and became a part of Sheila Floris’s family in 1909 when her grandmother Margaret Cloonan bought the turtle. Sheila, 62, says that she grew up with Tommy and claims that the turtle has never been to the vet and is still in perfect health despite getting on in years.
Sheila said: “I was five years old when she was passed to my family.
“My earliest memory of her is in my mother and father’s garden crawling around.
“She was lovely to grow up with. I remember her racing around the garden and being quite speedy.
“She’s very special, she’s a survivor.”
Sheila says that all the love and care from Tommy’s owners, as well as a healthy diet of garden weeds, is probably the reason the faithful tortoise has lived this long.
Margaret named the turtle Tommy because she thought it was male and only discovered its true gender after it started laying eggs.
Sheila said: “The eggs were empty but we were all shocked, we’d always thought she was a boy. It was too late to change the name so the name has stuck ever since.”
Even back then, Tommy was a more exotic pet compared to what Sheila’s friends had.
She said: “In the 70’s most tortoises died but my mother was really good with her, she’s survived so long because she’s been so well looked after.
“She’s like a family member, she’s like a duchess, we’ve all grown up with her.”
Tommy likes to stay in the garden and has a favorite spot underneath a hedge.
While Tommy hibernates for six months out of the year, she remarkably makes it a point to wake up on April 1st, the birthday of Sheila’s mother or Mother’s day.
Sheila said: “Tommy enjoys munching on grass, weeds, and dandelions.
“She’s easier than any other kind of pet.
“She’s cheap. She eats from the weeds from the garden and hibernates under the soil, she looks after herself. There’s no expense.
“It’s funny how she wakes up on those two days, it’s like mom calling her and telling her to wake up even after all these years.
“Tommy has always been there for me, she’s been part of the family, it would be strange not having her around, to be honest.”
For Sheila, she thinks Tommy has at least another 50 years of life.
She said: “She’ll live on till at least 170, she’s strong and she’s well looked after.
“Tommy still makes us laugh by racing around the garden, if I go outside I’ll call her name and she’ll come out to me.
“Growing up my children absolutely loved her.
“The future is bright because she’s got people around her who love her and are very protective of her.”
It’s not often that you know of a pet that can be passed down several generations but Tommy is definitely it.