Shelly The Tortoise Gets Fresh Set of Wheels to Help Her Lay Her Eggs

Students at Prairie Queen Elementary School teamed up to make sure that this tortoise could move again with help from a 3D printer.

Source: KMTV 3 News Now/Youtube

Shelly the tortoise, had been struggling to walk for nearly a year because she was egg-bound with five eggs. When reptiles are egg-bound, the eggs take longer than usual to pass through the reproductive system and can often inhibit the animal from moving as usual.

Wildlife Encounters rescued Shelly five years ago and recently reached out to the community on Facebook to see if anyone could help build a 3D wheel system to give Shelly back her mobility. That’s when Prairie Queen Elementary’s 3D printing club jumped at the opportunity.

Through trial and error, using different materials, and lots of brainstorming, the Nebraska elementary school conducted a final test last week for Shelly’s fresh set of wheels.

Shelly has now laid three of the eggs and some adjustments are still being made to her 3D wheels. The Prairie Queen club and Wildlife Encounters will continue to stay in touch throughout Shelly’s recovery journey.

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