Mrs. T was hibernating when a mean rat started gnawing and eventually chewed off the poor tortoise’s two front legs.
The nonagenarian tortoise was fortunately given a new lease on life after her owners decided to improvise a pair of wheels to replace the legs.
For decades Mrs. T had the run of Jude Ryder’s house. The pet was first bought as a pet for Dale Ryder when he was a boy of 8. Mrs. T was already in her 60s.
In the springtime, Mrs. T had the run of the garden in Ryder’s garden in Pembroke in West Wales. In the summer, she tucked away in the garden shed to hibernate.
When a vet said there wasn’t much that could be done, it was Dale Ryder, now a mechanical engineer who devised a wheeled-solution.
Jude Ryder said the new wheels have given Mrs. T more mobility and a renewed energy.
“She’s going double the speed she used to. She uses her back legs to push herself along. She seems quite happy, but it’s difficult to tell with a tortoise.
h/t: Sydney Morning Herald , Daily Telegraph
Photo credit: Daily Telegraph
