Help! Silly Tortoise found gloss paint

[Yael]

Hi everyone,

I need help, My parents are away and left their tortoise with a family to look after as he is a boy and i own a girl and don't want to deal with all that

Anyway I had a phone call today and Toby has got himself into trouble. Their son left out a pot of Gloss Paint and now its all over Toby.

Any ideas how to get it off him ?? Its not covering his nostrils or in his eyes. But it is everywhere!

Will it harm him being on their?

Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[Rue]

What kind of gloss paint? If it's latex, start gently washing it off in water.

 

[JoesMum]

I suspect it's not latex. It's the solvent based stuff probably the type used to paint doors and windows.

Very careful use of white spirit on the shell and lots of rinsing? I have no idea what to do with his face and legs though. I am not sure I would even risk it on the shell.

Can you post a picture of the can so we can be sure.

This might be a specialist job for a vet.

 

[Yael]

heres a photo of him

 

[Rue]

Yes. That's a lot of paint. It needs to come off. But it needs to come off safely, using the least toxic option.

 

[Yvonne G]

No, she meant a picture of the paint can/jar so we can see what kind it was.

 

[Loohan]

I suspect most of the toxins in the paint that are absorbable are already absorbed, and at this point the paint is more of a cosmetic issue.
Except insofar as it blocks UV.
I would not use any harsh solvents. It might be best to just leave it to fall off naturally over time.

 

[Pearly]

I suspect most of the toxins in the paint that are absorbable are already absorbed, and at this point the paint is more of a cosmetic issue.
Except insofar as it blocks UV.
I would not use any harsh solvents. It might be best to just leave it to fall off naturally over time.

I tend to agree with Loohan

 

[Yvonne G]

The quicker you act the easier it's going to be.

Soak the tortoise in water deep enough so he has to raise his head to breathe, but keep a close eye on him, because this water will be too deep for his comfort. After he has soaked for about 10 minutes, scrub lightly with a toothbrush, scrubbing and rinsing. See if that works.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Im googling and pinterest-ing diy paint strippers and the inly thing that may be safe is rubbing alcohol & a little bit of a scrub or dissolving washing soda in cold water (1-to-1 solution) and then mixing 2/3 cup of flour in with warm water until it becomes a thick gel paste and add the 2 mixtures together. Leave either paint stripping methods on for about 30secs they say.
These are all used on surfaces though. Not tortoises so i'm not sure how well it would work on tortoise skin and scales. And of course getting too close to the eyes isnt recommended.
Hopefully the warm water soaks Yvonne suggested helps. I think paint of skin should come off easier than the scales. When i get paint on my hands. Soap, water and a good scrub works.

 

[GingerLove]

I'm so sorry that happened! I agree with Yvonne... try a warm soak and a toothbrush. Then, you might just want to let him alone, usually it wears off of humans, hopefully the same for torts. I'm glad it's not in his eyes or nose! Can he open his mouth???

 

[MPRC]

I think I would just stick with the soft scrubbing. I wonder if something oily would have any effect.

 

[Loohan]

Im googling and pinterest-ing diy paint strippers and the inly thing that may be safe is rubbing alcohol ...

Isopropyl alcohol is a carcinogen, according to some stuff i read somewhere.

 

[Sara G.]

I don't think I would use rubbing alcohol on him.
The smell is pretty strong with that, and using it on his skin probably isn't the best idea.
I agree with Yvonne. Soak & scrub.

 

[CathyNed]

How did this tort get on after his Bob Ross impersonation? @Yael
Did you find a solution or have you decided to let it wear off by itself?