I found many sites that note that turtles have feeling in their shells.
I found this at http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/pdf/turtles.pdf: "On a side note, it is often thought that turtles do not have feeling in their shells. However, turtles have many nerves in the carapace and the plastron. Because of this misunderstanding, many people unknowingly injure turtles by carving or painting their shells and then releasing them into the wild. If you know someone who harms turtles in this way, relay to them the knowledge that this behavior is actually harmful. Hopefully, it won¢t happen again."
I got this at http://www.indianaturtlecare.com/Facts.html: "Turtles have good eyesight, seeing in full color and a strong sense of smell. They have excellent hearing and sense of touch. Their shells have feeling due to nerve endings."
I found this at http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/pdf/turtles.pdf: "On a side note, it is often thought that turtles do not have feeling in their shells. However, turtles have many nerves in the carapace and the plastron. Because of this misunderstanding, many people unknowingly injure turtles by carving or painting their shells and then releasing them into the wild. If you know someone who harms turtles in this way, relay to them the knowledge that this behavior is actually harmful. Hopefully, it won¢t happen again."
I got this at http://www.indianaturtlecare.com/Facts.html: "Turtles have good eyesight, seeing in full color and a strong sense of smell. They have excellent hearing and sense of touch. Their shells have feeling due to nerve endings."