Aww! Tortoise Has Amputated Leg Replaced With Swivel Wheel [VIDEO]

When Gamera, an African spurred tortoise,  had to have his left front leg amputated because of a tissue disorder, the vets at at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine came up a novel way to keep the little guy mobile. They took advantage of the reptile’s lower shell, and glued an office chair swivel wheel to the area where Gamera’s leg used to be.

With his new artificial limb, Gamera is able to scoot around and eat grass comfortably again. As you can see in the video below, his gait is a bit awkward. But since Gamera is only 12 — and African spurred tortoises generally live well into their fifties — he has plenty of time to adjust to it.

[via Geekosystem]