Fred the tortoise will not be required to pack his shell and move out of Ross Bridge, the property manager for the Hoover development told AL.com Monday night.

A Ross Bridge resident for eight years, the Sulcata tortoise has been a member of the Cannon household since he was Jayden Cannon’s Christmas present in 2015.

Tortoises are not allowed in Ross Bridge, and the Cannons said the development’s homeowners’ association sent them a notice Wednesday that Fred was being evicted.

But at the time Fred moved to Ross Bridge, the development did not ban the reptiles.

Jayden Cannon, a rising senior at Hoover High School, asked his parents for a tortoise eight years ago. Fred has been a loyal friend since then.

“He’s ok with me touching him. But anyone else, he’s shy,” Jayden said.

The tortoise has even saved the teen from having to mow the backyard due to his snacking habits.

“I haven’t had to cut the grass in three years,” said Jayden.

While the Ross Bridge HOA did not return a request for comment on Friday afternoon, property manager Courtney Davis said in an email to AL.com on Monday night that the Cannons can keep Fred.

“The violation was closed out and the homeowner has been told three times that they could keep their tortoise,” Davis wrote.

Jamie Cannon, Jayden’s mother, said the HOA sent her a letter that Fred had to be “rehomed” because he was not an acceptable pet.

After media reports about Fred’s plight, Jamie Cannon said, she received an email from the HOA stating the association contacted their lawyer and gave her two options to be able to keep Fred: declare him an emotional support animal or provide photographic proof that Fred has been in Ross Bridge before the tortoise ban was implemented.

Jamie Cannon said she sent the HOA her proof, but the last message she got from the HOA was an out-of-office reply on Friday, so she was unsure if Fred’s fate was decided.

As for Davis’ claim that she was told three times that Fred was not being evicted, Jamie Cannon said, “I don’t know where that’s coming from.”

Davis also claimed the Cannons did not reach out to her to discuss Fred’s options.

Funds were raised to help Jayden fight the Ross Bridge HOA through the sale of “Save Fred” t-shirts, but those proceeds will now go toward a party for residents to meet Fred, Jamie Cannon said.