The artificial limb put on an African tortoise at Washington State University didn't come from a high-tech prosthetics lab. It came from the Ace Hardware store.

The caster-style wheel cost around $US7, according to the two veterinarians who installed it on the tortoise after amputating the reptile's damaged left front leg.

Gamera trundles along for the cameras to show off his new 'leg'. Credit:AP

"We got several sizes to find the right height," said Dr Nickol Finch, of the WSU veterinary teaching hospital.

The epoxy that attached the wheel to the tortoise's shell was also purchased at Ace, she said.