90-year-old tortoise gets wheels after losing legs in rat attack

A 90-year-old tortoise has a brand new set of wheels to get around on after a rat gnawed off her front legs.

Tortoise gets wheels for legs

A 90-year-old tortoise has a new lease on life after her owner pimped her ride.

The family pet, called Mrs T, had been hibernating in a garden shed in Wales when a rat gnawed off her front legs.

When owner Jude Ryder found out what had happened to her beloved pet, she rushed it to the vet. Despite spending close to $AU2000 in vet bills, the tortoise was left severely disabled.

Desperate to increase her pet’s quality of living, Ms Ryder enlisted the help of her son, Dale. The engineer used resin to connect an axis containing wheels from a model aircraft onto her shell.

“We were afraid she may have to be put down but her new set of wheels have saved her life,” Ms Ryder told the BBC.

“She took to her new wheels straight away but she has had to learn how to turn and stop...She can get a good speed up, much faster than before.”