Why tortoises make perfect pets – by Teesdale breeder

Tortoises were relatively commonplace in childhood homes of the 1960s and 70s but many owners were ignorant of their needs.
Reporter Alex Metcalfe spoke to breeder Chris Jarwick to find out what it takes to keep an animal who can live to 60 and beyond

REPTILES and Teesdale aren’t common bedfellows but one corner of Startforth has been converted into a haven for one of their kind.
Retired children’s worker Chris Jarwick breeds leopard tortoises.
The 63-year-old and his wife, Jane, to tend to their small shelled army with an array of incubators, vivariums and lots of rocket leaves.
He says: “Jane and I met through a motorcycle club – it was her birthday and she told me she wanted something quite unusual.
“There was a girl I knew from work who was moving to the Midlands and she had a tortoise which needed rehoming.”
From that moment on, their Startforth Park home has gradually increased its tortoise population and more are on the way.
“We felt a bit like new parents,” says Mr Jarwick.
“As far as I know they are all doing fine – we’ve had people from Ashington, Hexham and Morpeth wanting them.”
Mr Jarwick says the “leopards” are where his interest lies – although one half of the space under the stairs is home to four Hermann tortoises looking for new owners.
He adds: “The leopard tortoises don’t hibernate at all – some people don’t want tortoises which hibernate and often think they’re dead, even though a lot of them have life expectancies of 60 years or more.
“We are certainly not experts but we know a bit about it. We have got four already hatched, six incubating and potentially another ten.
“We will not sell them to just anybody – we’ll find people genuinely interested in them.”
With 22 hatchlings to their names without alarm, the Jarwicks are well versed in the ways of the tortoise and can tell whether a would-be owner has the reptiles' best interests at heart.
“They are a bit like dogs – they get used to a routine,” says Mr Jarwick.
“We get up, clean them out and bathe them because they can easily dehydrate.
“They take in moisture from the back end of their shells – they can absorb the moisture they need if necessary.”
The slow moving animals can have a voracious appetite with winter spend on rocket leaves and kale often topping £30-a-week at the Jarwick household.
But once the summer rolls around, the tortoise diet comes into its own.
Mr Jarwick explains: “Food for them is dandelion leaves, rocket and weeds – a lot of food we can find for free.
“We can take the dogs out one morning and get food – it’s natural and it’s fresh.
“They will eat grass in summer which is really good for them and it means you don’t have to give it a summer cut – but if you let them out at this time of year the lawn wouldn’t last a couple of days.”
Mr Jarwick, like many of his age, grew up with a tortoise at his feet.
But many owners of the time were either ill-prepared or cruelly ignorant of their needs.
He says: “I’m of a generation where people bought tortoises for ten bob. People used to drill holes in them and put chains in them to stop them wandering of – it was ignorance more than anything else.”
Regulations on ownership were tightened up in the 1980s meaning their numbers in the UK have dipped in recent decades.
Mr Jarwick offers an advice sheet to new owners and keeps in touch with them for a fortnight to check their progress.
His care of his own band of tortoises is equally thorough.
The downstairs of his home is littered with tortoise paraphernalia with vivariums – special humidity controlled boxes – in the dining room and under the stairs while a temperature controlled incubator hums away in the kitchen.
“The vivarium allows humidity to be controlled and the special lights give off UV rays, whereas a table is open,” he adds.
“The humid atmosphere gives the little ones a better chance in later life as the youngsters are susceptible to any conditions.
“Other people tell me they wouldn’t be seen dead with a vivarium but that’s just our experience.”
Tortoises are known for their longevity and the couple’s first pet, Winnie, is barely reaching her middle age at 30.
Winnie arrived with the Jarwicks after a tough start in life.
Her shell is still affected by “pyramiding” – a condition where bones become weak and keratin builds up on the back due to lack of calcium.
But all Winnie’s offspring are a picture of health and when her housemate, Olive, gave birth the Jarwicks got a front-seat view.
Mr Jarwick says: “Olive was digging a hole at the far end of the garden in the early hours of the morning – when she stopped we put her eggs in the incubator as she would have just buried them.
“They can spend all day digging and giving birth – it’s just their instinct.
“Tortoises don’t have an allegiance to their young – you put the parents next to their hatchlings and the parents would stand on them.
“It’s the old adage of clank, clank I’m a tank.”
Mr Jarwick says it costs about £200 to £300 to cater for a tortoise in your home which is a steep ask for many.
But he adds that the longevity of a tortoise can pay off in the long term.
“You will pay more for a pedigree dog but with tortoises you’ll have a pet which you may have until you have grandchildren,” he adds.
“You can have a tortoise for three generations – as long as you provide them with the right environment, they can have a stress free life.”
For more information on Mr Jarwick’s hatchlings, call 07909 611928.