Paint on shell?

[ShellyTheTortoise71]

Hello everyone. When I bought my baby tortoise from a breeder, she had two yellow paint stripes on her shell. It was there for identification purposes. I have had her for a year but I haven't been able to get it off. Any recommendations? I'm afraid to use nail polish remover, considering it is very abrasive.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I wouldn't use a chemical like nail polish remover.

 

[ShellyTheTortoise71]

I wouldn't use a chemical like nail polish remover.

That's what I was thinking. Do you know what could get it off?

 

[Sara G.]

Maybe a really good scrub with a toothbrush or something? After a good long soak. Or maybe even the rough side of a sponge?

 

[Big Charlie]

I wonder what kind of paint they used that would last that long without wearing off. You could try rubbing it with oil.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I scrubbed a little paint off of a Gopher tortoise that had some bright pink paint in him with a Scotch Brite pad.
But I never used any solvent. I was afraid to.

 

[WithLisa]

I wouldn't bother, it's not harmful and I'm sure it will come off over time.

I put small dots of acrylic paint on my torts when I got them in August 2014 and they are still visible, "Citadel" paint seems to be very good quality.

 

[ShellyTheTortoise71]

I contacted the breeder. She said it was nail polish. Should I try to use a small amount of nail polish remover?

 

[JoesMum]

They will wear off and, to be honest, if you read this week's rash of lost tort threads, it might prove useful for locating your tort outdoors in the meantime.

 

[Rue]

You can. It shouldn't hurt as long as you don't overdo it (or get it on his skin)...or you can just let it wear off. It always does eventually.

Nail polish remover is just acetone. It evaporates rapidly.

 

[Speedy-1]

I contacted the breeder. She said it was nail polish. Should I try to use a small amount of nail polish remover?

I don't think I would , the fumes alone could be dangerous , not counting the harm it could do to the shell ! I wouldn't use anything stronger than good old "elbow grease" ! a daily scrub after a good soak has to wear it down eventually !

 

[Rue]

How are the fumes dangerous in this instance?

I personally wouldn't bother...as I said it will wear off...and I am just too lazy to do the extra work...but if there's a legitimate danger it would be good to know about it.

 

[Speedy-1]

How are the fumes dangerous in this instance?

I personally wouldn't bother...as I said it will wear off...and I am just too lazy to do the extra work...but if there's a legitimate danger it would be good to know about it.

I don't know that they are ,or aren't , I just wouldn't do it personally . I guess I just assumed they might not be good , since the acetone can I am holding advises to use in a well ventilated area ?

 

[Rue]

Ventilation is always important...

I'd go outside...and use a q-tip...use as little acetone as possible and let it evaporate.

Look how many people wear nail polish and they're fine.

A teeny bit used carefully to remove a spot of nail polish from the hard shell of a tortoise will also be fine.

Did anyone else read an article about removing paint from an entire tortoise? I don't recall if the article said what kind of paint it was or what they used to clean it up with....