Turtle dies after shell was painted with nail polish, glitter, Ohio animal group says

An Ohio animal conservation center is warning about the dangers of painting turtles’ shells after one died in its care.

Stark Parks in Canton, Ohio, says a dehydrated turtle found wandering around a neighborhood was “cruelly treated.” Its shell was painted with glitter and nail polish, the center said.

A veterinarian removed the paint, but the Woodland box turtle died a few days after it arrived at the center.

What makes painting on a turtle’s shell so bad?

The shell is a living part of the turtle’s body and they are unable to absorb vitamin D properly when it is painted, Stark Parks said.

“Covering them in paint blocks their ability to absorb vitamin D leading to bone and growth issues, and in serious cases metabolic bone disease, which is painful and (a) debilitating condition,” Stark Parks wrote on Facebook.

It can also cause respiratory problems and “allow toxic chemicals into the bloodstream,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

The shell acts as camouflage for turtles, so painting it can lure predators, Patrick Isakson, a conservation biologist with North Dakota Game and Fish, told KXNET.

“Changing that color makes them stand out more and more vulnerable to predators,” he told the station.

Stark Parks also warned people to keep Woodland box turtles in the wild rather than caring for them as pets. Bringing turtles into the home can expose them to germs and other animals they normally wouldn’t encounter, Isakson said.

Woodland box turtles are often found in wooded areas, such as forests, hardwood swamps and agricultural areas, according to the Virginia Herpetological Society.