The shell, like your skin, is not actually solid. It is slightly porous. Painting it could actually be harmful as it would seal the shell.
Painting a tortoise?
- Thread starter Vishnu2
- Start date
The shell is a living organism. It grows. Paint does not grow. If you use some sort of long-lasting paint on a tortoise's shell, it would inhibit the new growth and might cause some sort of deformity until the paint could split and provide relief to the shell.
I agree. They are animals, not garden or house ornaments... if you want a decorative tortoise, buy a pottery one.
Definitely. I've seen people paint shells of torts with the colours of flags of different nations. Someone even offered to paint Oli's shell. 'NO WAY' was my answer. He even said: 'What about nail polish?' 'Nuts' I thought.
TexTorts
Member
If you take into account an inherent property of paint that has a dehydrating factor, you would answer your own question. I just spent last 2 months rehabbing a severely dehydrated tort who almost died. as cute as the concept might be fashion wise to some-I believe could have very detrimental effects that you might not see until it's a real problem.
TexTorts
Member
Besides simply the concept of how individually perfect and beautiful each tort has displayed without our artistic help... LOL
I would not do it also. I like their natural beauty.
If I was laid on the beech covered from head to toe with a red or blue non toxic paint, would it stop or block any of the UV rays?
Beach not beech. Would look daft laid on a beech tree painted. lol
This topic will always get the goats of the crowd ....when me and my cousins were kids our uncle had a cdt that lived in the back yard in the hiuse in hollywood....we kids played with that tort all of t he time..his name was Tiny...well kids will be kids, especially left to our own ideas..well we had lots of the kids hand paints so we did him up...variety of colors as a matter of fact...Tiny was so compliant...just stretched out and let us doll him up...well Tiny lived for at least what seemed like a lifetime...none worse for the wear...we sure were proud of how we did such a beautiful job...the grown folks of course did not agree...we got our talking to and Tinys paint job eventually all wore away....this was also a tortoise that lived in the yard free range with a few dogs....a pond ....fed heads of regular ole lettuce and entire watermelons...and when wintertime approached he would make his way into the house and retreat under a bed in the bedroom where he would sleep for a few months...all things folks also freak out about..lol...
Now would I do it now....not so much, as my eye for what is beautiful has evolved along with the years...now would I ever scold someone for using non toxic kid paints on a shell...likely not ..but you would hear me whoop it up if other paints or shellac used of course....
Heardofturtles
Member
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2015
- Messages
- 52
Your post is confusing to me. Is your point that a tortoise survived poor treatment, including paint, so paint is therefore ok, or is it that a tortoise survived poor treatment so people that manage diet, hibernation,etc. are silly?
As an aside, how did this particular story end?
Says a man that loves disco…
I will openly admit to liking an occasional Bee Gees song... And c'mon! Who doesn't like "The Hustle"? I know you can hear in your head right now... "Do the hustle... beep boop beep boo doo boo doo..."
Truth be told, I have very eclectic musical tastes. I don't care for any of the mainstream country or rap though. Love Charley Daniels Band and Johnny Cash, don't care for Garth Brooks or any of that genre. I love some of the old original rap, don't care for any of the current stuff. I will occasionally listen to some classical, heavy metal, alternative, classic rock and I love Neil Diamond.
Really. So the carapace plays no part in the absorption of uv rays whatsoever. Is this what you are saying? Thanks.
My point being...as I said, I would not do the painting at this point in life...my share of childhood story was just that...a share of a story. Also for clarification, that old tortoise Tiny was not poorly treated..he had run of a full size yard...he brumated at will...he grzed on the grass and plants in the yard and was treated like royalty by my Grandmother..the difference then and now is that he was allowed and encouraged to be as free a tort as possible and not hovered over as is common practice these days...so to further clarify, will it harm or kill a tortoise to paint it with non toxic paint on the shell, in my experience..no, it does not. Would I instruct someone to paint a tortoise with non toxic paint, no I would not...God already created perfection, so why mess it up...
Also, if you ever visit old threads here on this forum with regard to brumation aka hibernation, you will see that I have strong feelings about it....I am a huge advocate for it in tortoise designed to do it...so no, I don't find it silly.
Oh and that tortoise story did not end for a lot of years....the tortoise lived out a lot more years...lets see..I am 48 and Tiny was an old tort then and he lived until recently when he just passed on lounging in my uncles back yard ...so if I guessed, Tiny would have been somewhere around 80+ years old, so not a bad run..
I am old enough to remember when kids (like me) had baby red/yellow-eared sliders that were tarted up with pictures on the shells. Most were not actually painted but were a decal that flaked off in a short while. I think I remember being gifted with one that had the Golden Gate Bridge on it.
I think that a little mark with a non-toxic substance for use in identification is acceptable.
Anything else is fairly silly, like painting the feathers on a bird, or the scales of a fish.
Why would you, harmful or not?
Anything else is fairly silly, like painting the feathers on a bird, or the scales of a fish.
Why would you, harmful or not?
Heardofturtles
Member
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2015
- Messages
- 52
I guess you've got my goat, or otherwise confused me . How does feeding a Cdt iceberg lettuce and watermelon, keeping with dogs and hibernating under a bed constitute 'royal treatment'? Sounds super lucky.
I've not looked up your views on hibernation, but what do you mean 'designed' to do it? Is your view informed by religious conviction? I've never heard of obligate brumates, only species with the ability. I'd love to hear any new info as I have some temperate species that have never hibernated and I'd hate to do them a disservice.
Any help or clarification is appreciated.
Thanks!
The original point of this thread was to gather opinions/input on thoughts of painting a tortoise shell on a living tortoise. My story was shared simply to point out there are no correct..exact...answer to that inquiry. I shared that I personally know a tortoise will survive if painted with non toxic paint...period.
Then I further elaborated that even though I know this personally from a childhood experience ..I as an adult would not do the painting now...period.
I then further described a living situation in which the tortoise in my story lived..and lived very much kike tortoise royalty..in that he had the run of his own yard and my Grandmothers home as his own...and did so for a ton of years...no luck involved...period.
Designed to do...this clearly is a reference to a species designed to brumate in the wild as part of a healthy and complete cycle of life...some species of torts are built to include brumation..period. I am a firm believer that a tortoise who would brumate naturally should be offered that same opportunity in a forced captive life. I have taken time to reiterate my points and clarify my meaning of those points here...it is very easy to review any and all posts and threads from each member...not only is my opinion on brumation shared but there are also valuable opinions within those threads from other members...
