Furniture slider prosthetic legs for turtle

Lucky is a box turtle in Petaluma, California who lost his front legs in what was believed to be an attack by a raccoon. Now he's back in the game with furniture sliders taped to his belly. From the NY Times Regional Media Group:

(Lucky's human companion Sally) Pyne was referred to (veterinary surgeon Robert) Jereb, who has worked on an assortment of animals over the years, including numerous turtles and tortoises whose shells are sometimes repaired with fiberglass, acrylic, Bondo, epoxies and other inorganic substances.

His approach to Lucky's problem was inspired in part by a tortoise about whom he'd read that had a front leg replaced by a halved billiard ball glued to its front shell.

For Lucky, Jereb was thinking more along the lines of PVC pipe but was browsing for materials at a hardware store when he stumbled on the quarter-sized sliders or gliders he ultimately used.

The discs may later be glued on, though so far the tape seems to be working. If Lucky sluffs off shell surface, the discs may need periodic replacement.

Lucky gets new legs

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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The Snowden Principle

Rickmccl

@10 yeah how did “sluff” pass a spell checker… must not be tuff enuff.
@13 ball bearings? Like the game ‘Rebound‘?

Just staple him to a Roomba and be done with it.
Anonymous

Is anyone else reminded of “Lil’ Brudder?”
http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail109.html
Anonymous

http://moosiemoose8.ytmnd.com/
Brainspore

Who’s up for a game of shuffleboard?
Donner

Yay for Petaluma! First Survival Research Labs moves here & now we’ve got bionic turtles. My home town is an awesome town.
SomeGuy

The furniture slides will wear down over time so they shouldn’t be permanently attached.

I think a better solution would be to affix 2 little wheels or even steel ball bearings. Who knows, he may even set a land speed record for box turtles with a setup like that.
Anonymous

Turtle Genus/Species
http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/CEETV/GENUSSP.HTM

Is this the Common Slider Turtle or the Red-Eared Slider Turtle? Or is this one of those fancy Galapagos turtles? (Turtle paradise. No raccoons.) Trachemys EZ-Sliderus-Maximus (Pro).
MrJM

Under the Obamacare death panels, all amputees will have to have furniture sliders.

In the spirit in
which it is intended,
– MrJM
dargaud

I remember reading about a dog named Lucky who had 3 legs, one eye and no balls. Indeed.
Cheqyr

$originalPost =~ s/sluff/slough/g

Just sayin’…
Anonymous

what an aptly named turtle!
Anonymous

Awwww… crazy how he seems to be smiling…
Anonymous

we had a similar problem at my humane society and solved it in a different way:

http://smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=lnews&id=98873&eddate=10/02/2008
Yep

Serves him right for stealing Rocky’s girl. ’bout time that Raccoon got his revenge.

Seriously. What is up with the Beatles stuff today?
Doomstalk

We can rebuild him. We can make him better, stronger… We’ll have to get back to you about the faster part, though.
Beverly Stayart

Lucky is indeed lucky to have such a resourceful and caring vet!
Anonymous

I think that most fiberglass resins, acrylic, Bondo, and epoxies are actually organic
Anonymous

Losing your legs is NOT lucky.