Tortoise Loves his Broom Scratching Station [Video]

• A zoo intern made an adjustable scratching device, and Sunny the radiated tortoise absolutely loves it!
• The broom brushes stimulate the tortoise’s shell, which is part of his spine and has nerve endings on top.
• Sunny the tortoise got his name because of the sunburst pattern on his shell, and also because of his “engaging personality.”

Sunny the tortoise absolutely loves this homemade scratching station made especially for him by the zookeepers at the Dallas Zoo!

Watch him wiggling happily as he tries the contraption out:

Dallas Zoo intern Morgan Brem created the scratching device especially for Sunny the radiated tortoise.

Robin Ryan, Dallas Zoo supervisor of ambassador animal experiences, explained, “She made it adjustable to see if our ambassador armadillo would also be interested, but so far, we have only seen Sunny use it.”

“The base is wood with a turf mat cover for belly scratch opportunity, the frame is PVC, and the brush heads are held on with conduit fittings,” Robin continued.

The top brush was also lowered twice for Sunny to help “maximize scratching abilities.”

The broom heads are just the perfect size for little Sunny, as they can easily scratch and stimulate the impossible-to-reach spots on the top of his shell.

According to Robin, tortoises’ shells, which are part of their spine, have nerve endings that run on the top.

Sunny’s shell pattern fits his personality

Sunny has been a resident of the Dallas Zoo since 1980.

“The name ‘radiated tortoise’ comes from the pattern on Sunny’s shell,” Robin shared. “The top part of his shell has yellow lines that radiate out from the center. They kind of look like sunbursts, hence the name.”

It turns out that Sunny’s sunburst-patterned shell also matches his personality!

Robin shared, “His engaging personality helps inspire guests to want to create a better world for animals.”

Source: Good News Network