90-Year-Old Tortoise Fitted With Wheels to Replace Gnawed Off Legs (VIDEO)

Apr 29, 2015 01:15 PM EDT | Matt Mercuro

Well, this is a first.

A tortoise that had part of its front legs gnawed off by a rat in the U.K. has been fitted with a pair of wheels to help it get around, according to The Telegraph.

The 90-year-old tortoise, named Mrs. T, was attacked by a rodent earlier this month after being placed in a garden shed by owner Jude Ryder to hibernate.

Ryder said she spent more than $1,000 in hospital bills before she called her son, Dale, to see if he could do anything to help Mrs. T.

Dale, a mechanical engineer by trade, took the wheels off a model plane and created an axle to fit the tortoise's shell by using resin, according to BBC News.

If Dale wasn't able to come up with anything there's a good chance Ryder would have had to put Mrs. T down.

"We were afraid she may have to be put down but her new set of wheels have saved her life," Ryder said, according to The Telegraph. "She took to her new wheels straight away but she has had to learn how to turn and stop."

Ryder added that Mrs. T is "much faster than before" thanks to her new wheels.

We doubt any rats will want to mess with the old gal now.

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