Turtles are quite a popular choice as pets. They do not need rigorous training and movements like cats and dogs and aren’t prone to making a lot of noise. This unfortunately means that many people keep turtles as pets without knowing how to properly care for them. Add into this, the fact that turtles cannot verbally show their discomfort.
This poor knowledge and ignorance have resulted in several fatalities in turtles at the hands of their adoptees. One of these examples is a seemingly harmless and fun little activity, that is: Painting a turtle’s shell.
Some people don’t even know whether they can paint a turtle shell or not. The answer is, No you can’t paint your turtle’s shell.
While painting your turtle’s shell in beautiful colors will make them look pretty, in reality, it results in several health complications for the green snappers. The shell-painting is so harmful that it can end up disabling the turtle and even result in death.
Why you should not paint turtle shells
While you might have seen certain advertisements on the internet claim certain kinds of paint to be innocuous or safe for turtles to use, however it is simply not true.
The cause of it lies in the point that apart from having toxic chemicals that are harmful to turtles, layering the shell with paint disrupts the several biological processes that are carried out by a turtle’s shell.
So no matter what kind of paint you use, the risk and danger remain the same. In several states, turtles are considered endangered species and any harm caused to them is illegal. So, despite the reason, painting a turtle’s shell is quite unsafe and is strictly prohibited by FDA and other affiliated services.
The organic whole
First of all, to understand the harmful effects of painting a turtle’s shell, you need to realize that a turtle’s shell has many different purposes, most of which revolve around their general health, their safety, and many different biological functions that keep the turtle alive.
The shell of the turtle is not just a protective cover but an organic whole that grows with it. For example, studies show that the permeable shell absorbs different nutrients and essential minerals and transfers them to the inner parts of its body. So, by painting a turtle’s shell you are allowing it to absorb toxic lead and other chemicals in its body which might result in several diseases and could end up being fatal.
Think of the exterior of a turtle’s shell as a human’s skin, it is not there just for decoration and along with the protection, turtles can obtain necessary vitamins from the sunlight. The interior body of the turtle is completely covered by the outer shell, so it cannot absorb the sunlight directly.
Along with access to nutrients from sunlight, the sunlight absorption by the shell also allows the turtles to maintain their body temperature. So by layering the turtle shell with coats of paint, you cut off their nutrient absorption. Along with that, painting might result in exacerbating their internal temperature disturbing the body’s optimal temperature which results in organ failure.
Additionally, a turtle’s shell contains a network of arteries, nerves, and vessels, and painting over them might result in damage to blood flow in the shell and cause “shell rot”. There might be damage to a turtle’s nerves which can cause slow movement and confusion.
What happens if you paint a turtle’s shell
Lastly, the shell of a turtle is not like a snakeskin. Turtles do not shed their shells like snakes shed their scales. Infect a turtle shell grows organically along with sage, just like a human’s high.
Painting a turtle can result in certain deformities in the growth of the shell because, despite its hard exterior, the growth of the shell of the turtle is quite delicate results, and painting the shell results in damage and rot.
Both of which are quite detrimental to the growth and density of the shell. This can result in stunted growth, restricted movement, and serious health complications.
Natural defense
Turtles are wild animals, land, and water. The shell of the turtle is part of their tense mechanisms. Since turtles are prey animals, they require a way to hide these bigger predators in their minds. The earthy tones of a turtle’s shell serve as a perfect disguise and result in them remaining unnoticed. This is an instinctual process and painting over a turtle’s shell might disrupt their instincts and can cause them stress.
What to do if you have already painted your turtle?
If you have already painted your turtle, there is no need to panic. The first thing that you should do is to take your turtle to a specialized vet service. Because this shell cannot be cleaned by household items.
The DIYs that work on furniture like using dish soap, acetone, or detergents that might help remove paint from inanimate objects do more harm to the skin of the turtles than good.
The shell of the turtle is also quite bumpy and uneven, so cleaning paint by yourself leaves a higher chance of some amount of paint being left behind in the bumps of the turtle’s shell.
So take your turtle to a vet’s office, so it can receive customized care and the vet can observe if the paint has caused any lasting damage or not. In case of any lasting damage, your vet will suggest certain medicines and solutions that will result in healing.
Some experts say, that even removing the paint at the hands of vets can cause quite a lot amount of stress on their bodies. So the best course of action is to never paint them in the first place and if you do, provide them with adequate medical care.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, even though the painted turtles look beautiful and it seems like harmless activity. It can leave adverse effects on the health of turtles. Not only that it makes day-to-day life for the little creatures miserable and uncomfortable.
So it is in their best interest to remain pain-free too, and live a healthy and long life. Going the natural way, especially with animal life is always the right way. You can find other fun activities that will help you bond with your pets, all of which are harmless. Remember people, a healthy turtle is a happy turtle!
