Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a small group of 8 Redfoot Tortoises. They appear to be about 2 years old. Keeping them in an outdoor pen.
What does anyone recommend to paint numbers on their Carapaces for individual identities (numbers 1-8). I.D. numbers will be no larger than one scute.
Need to start weighing them to see who's doing well and who's not.
Any kind of paint that should be avoided?
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Over the years, I have used Bic Wite-Out, Testor's Paint Markers, and Elmer's (yes, the glue co.) "Painters" Fabric Paint markers. The Testor's markers are available in hobby shops, the Painters markers are in craft stores. I have found both in Hobby Lobby if you are near one of those stores. Wite-Out you can buy almost anyplace. It comes off the most readily of the three, but if put high up on the carapace, will last a long time unless the animal digs a lot or others crawl on top of it.

Another thing, I often just mark the marginal scutes in a numerical sequence rather than painting numbers on the backs. Of course, this is not as visible from afar, but is easily read by looking carefully at the animals. With only 8 animals, you can start with the first one on either the right or left and go back through the eighth marginal. First tortoise could be marked on marginal R1, the second on R2, etc.

Bill,grate minds think a like! I use the marginals also. I just made it up with my first clutch of mt.torts. It was a huge group of 36 so I marked up to the costals too.I used it for a base line study of growth rates for at the time there was none for M.e.p. It was that second weight notation that I realised some of the babies had extra marginal or costal scutes! Messed up the whole system! I had to have a 11a and 11b and so forth. LOL I use fingernail polish because there is always some around.Yes it reaks of xylean but drys fast and never wears off.I'v had no illness or death but there are better products. Now I use the marginal scute to mark the month of the year I worm them.(R1 Jan.ect) Some organizations drill holes in the marginals of study animals.I've also seen wild captured tortoises from Asia with teather holes whittled in the shells. Vic.........Pic...Now I mark the top for quick I.D.of gene pools.(off center from spine in case of leaching into the spinal canal) but it makes for a bad picture!.....

i would guess that nail polish would also be a good choice, since the shell is keratin like a fingernail?

That is true, but the polish doesn't chemically bond to the keratin in either case (or it used to seem that way 20 years ago when I last used it). The problem I experienced with nail polish is that it sometimes just came off in one big flake, leaving no trace on the tortoise's shell. Whether this is was due to the growth of the animal loosening it, I don't know, but the two paints I mentioned can still be seen in the little crevices of the scutes, often even years later. I suppose it isn't a problem if one keeps checking the markings to be sure they are staying put. If only one marking came off at a time, you could still figure out which tortoise was unmarked by the process of elimination.

i hadn't thought about that, how nail polish tends to chip rather than wear away. otherwise it'd've been my gut to go with that; if it's safe enough for me, it's safe enough for a tort. though, i suppose chemical "safety" (in cosmetics or just about anything else) is open to interpretation... mmm, formaldehyde!

The babies I've seen with the blue and red dots on the marginals makes sense now. I have in fact collected adult Texas Sliders/Texas River Cooters with the drilled marginal holes for unit I.D., Texas State Univ. grad studies, San Marcos Texas.
There is nothing more fun in my book than snorlelling up turtles a la Carr and Marchland.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Beautiful country! I have a group of sulcatas on Canyon Lake there Georgouse! to many deer though! lol

Do you live in Texas?
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

houston but have property in satler(sanmarcos) i love it there