# My tortoise table is painted with regular paint...



## Tightanium (Feb 18, 2018)

I built my tortoise table last weekend for my Spur-thighed which I'm getting tomorrow... yes tomorrow...
and as a surprise, my girlfriend decided to paint it with regular acrylic paint. I was like urghhh it isn't non toxic paint, but ofc I told her thanks and smiled, never pi*s off a girl haha 
What can I do now? The paint doesn't have an odor anymore, it's been dry for 2 days and it isn't flaking off. Will it be safe for my tortoise which will be in it tomorrow? My only idea would be to purchase a bottle of Spray Polyurethane to hopefully seal the toxic paint, but where would I house my tortoise till it cures?(I'll use water-based). Maybe it's not an issue since the paint isn't flaking off? Where would I house the tortoise till I seal the paint, if I do?
Thanks so much.


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## TechnoCheese (Feb 18, 2018)

Tightanium said:


> I built my tortoise table last weekend for my Spur-thighed which I'm getting tomorrow... yes tomorrow...
> and as a surprise, my girlfriend decided to paint it with regular acrylic paint. I was like urghhh it isn't non toxic paint, but ofc I told her thanks and smiled, never pi*s off a girl haha
> What can I do now? The paint doesn't have an odor anymore, it's been dry for 2 days and it isn't flaking off. Will it be safe for my tortoise which will be in it tomorrow? My only idea would be to purchase a bottle of Spray Polyurethane to hopefully seal the toxic paint, but where would I house my tortoise till it cures?(I'll use water-based). Maybe it's not an issue since the paint isn't flaking off? Where would I house the tortoise till I seal the paint, if I do?
> Thanks so much.



It should be fine, seeing as most acrylic paint is non toxic. I would just make sure it doesn’t contain lead.


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## TechnoCheese (Feb 18, 2018)

Welcome to the forum! What kind of spur thighed is it? Sulcata?


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## Tom (Feb 18, 2018)

@Markw84 is very knowledgable about these things. Mark, may I request your experienced help here?


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## Tightanium (Feb 18, 2018)

Thanks for the help and the welcome! To be honest, I don't really know if it's a Mediterranean spur-thighed or a sulcata, as my country is very un-knowledgeable about reptiles. I'll get it tomorrow and send a pic here to make sure! I just finished setting up it's table, so I'll post a pic in a minute. It doesn't have a mvb bulb yet as the store is delivering it to my house this Wednesday.


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## Markw84 (Feb 18, 2018)

The good news is that an acrylic latex is one of the more durable finishes. Since it is an open table it probably will be fine for a while if it was installed over a good primer coat. It is nice to go with a good waterproof paint, but an acrylic latex is not a big problem. Just watch how it ages under the substrate and ensure it does not start to peel off.


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## TechnoCheese (Feb 18, 2018)

Tightanium said:


> Thanks for the help and the welcome! To be honest, I don't really know if it's a Mediterranean spur-thighed or a sulcata, as my country is very un-knowledgeable about reptiles. I'll get it tomorrow and send a pic here to make sure! I just finished setting up it's table, so I'll post a pic in a minute. It doesn't have a mvb bulb yet as the store is delivering it to my house this Wednesday.



Seeing as sulcatas grow to be 200 pounds and Greeks don’t, and they both require very different care, you might want to know which one it is.
For now, give these a read-
Greek Tortoise (Testudo graeca) Care Sheet/Overview
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...e-(Testudo-graeca)-Care-Sheet-Overview.87146/
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
Beginner Mistakes
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Just figured I’d let you know that open tables don’t work for hatchlings of any species, because it is impossible to hold humidity in them. You might have to find a way to cover it, like with a shower curtain or something similar.


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## Tightanium (Feb 18, 2018)

Thanks for the information, and thanks very much Techno for the concern. However I would be able to house the Sulcata permanently in my garden if it is indeed a Sulcata, so that would be no biggie. It isn't really a hatchling, it's about 1 year old, however it's pretty small, almost 7cm (about 3 inches).
If I do see that I need to cover the table, I'll cover it with some sort of plastic drop cloth. 
Thanks very much everyone, pics will be uploaded tomorrow as its pretty late right now.


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## Tightanium (Feb 18, 2018)

Nevermind, took some pics now. I used ash trays as food and water bowls. Washed them really well and made sure the water bowl was shallow enough so he wouldn't drown if he were to flip over in it. The height of the walls are about 4-5 inches, which is on the low side, but I dont think he can climb over it. This week I'll buy some large Popsicle sticks, cut them in half and glue them along the wall to make it higher, and perhaps make it 'prettier' I guess. Thanks everyone.

https://imgur.com/a/dZoeh

Edit: The white grate in the second pic is the place where I'll hang the MVB bulb. It will be an 80watt MVB bulb, so it shouldn't be too low, however it ends up being too close I'll just adjust the height as needed. The first pic is the hide which I made for him. I'll make sure to keep it humid. The hide is also attached with hinges from the back so I can lift it to make spot cleaning more convenient. 

Thanks!


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## Tightanium (Feb 19, 2018)

Just got it, it's smaller than I thought! It's about 1.5-2 inches. It's definetely a Spur Tghighed not a Sulcata, since it has black markings on the belly.
Put him in a water bath for 15 minutes and let him in his enclosure. Immedietaly went to the hide, I guess this is normal right? 
I'll post a video of him later today..
Thanks!!


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## Tightanium (Feb 19, 2018)

This is Kenan!!
https://imgur.com/a/ayKaU

He's dug himself a hole and buried himself under the substrate, which is coco coir chips...
lol I guess that's normal since he probably doesn't feel safe for now.

I'll get the Mercury vapor bulb set up by Wednesday hopefully

Thank you!!


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## snivloc16 (Feb 19, 2018)

He looks like a baby hermanns but I could be wrong.


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