Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just saw some message below from a while back that asked about putting wax or oil on a tortoise's shell. You should NEVER put anything on a tortoises shell. The shell is porous and takes in oxygen and is also where the sunlight is absorbed to make vitamin D, and in turn affects calcium absorbtion. Wax, oil or anything else on the shell can interfere with this process, resulting in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and can also cause the tortoise to overheat by acting as a heat conductor with no way for the heat to escape. Like when people used to put oil on themselves to sunbathe and got badly burned.

As much as it may seem dead, the shell does breathe and should be kept clean and free from any foreign substances.

Friday afternoon/evening... you're bored... I can understant that.

The outer shell is made up of dead/nonliving material. You really can't debate that.

As to it being porous... I'd really like to see a reference. I really could be wrong and don't mind being set straight at all.

If you use any of what's his name's citings, please include the reference or experimental data that lead to that conclusion.
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Ed
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Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

It's a common (and incorrect) belief that certain things like hair, fingernails and the shells animals have are dead. While they are not alive in the way skin or organs are, they are not dead either. Hair grows and has roots. Fingernails keep growing also from a base which is fed by blood, which indicates they are actually alive. They are also porous and will absorb whatever is put on them. Same with a tortoise's shell. It grows along with the animal and is not really dead. It is also porous like fingernails are.

Many tortoise care sites I have seen say you should never put anything on a tortoise's shell because of the danger of absorbing toxins or overheating the animal. That advice is also in my tortoise books. If you don't read much and remain ignorant, that really isn't my fault.

You know the stuff that you rub into their shells and its got vitamins and stuff in it. I can remember whats its calle doof the top of my head but you know what im talking about.

Once again I'd like to stress that I don't think it is a good idea to put anything on the shell. At the same time, I really don't see the harm in most cases. This is another one of those 'depends' topics.

If the margins are not covered I don't see how it could do harm.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I'll have to agree with EJ on this one. I've used mineral oil on my tortoises shells from time to time with ZERO negative effects. Let's see some factual data on that one.....

Barry

Just because an animal doesn't immediately drop dead from something you do to it doesn't mean it has no effect on them. Tortoises can often handle a lot of abuse before they get sick. They walk slow, live slow, and die slow.

There is no reason to put mineral oil on a tortoise and it carries a risk on the long run.

I use Vita-shell-it is a lotion. I thought this would help. Is this harmful? or does it do any good?

I don't know if adding anything to the shell is harmful but I really don't think that any kind of shell conditioner is of any benefit.

An occasional 'dust bath' might be good along with an occasional soaking for the sake of cleaning off the shell. Another suggestion for shell conditioning would be an occasional dry brushing with a straw scrub brush similar to the ones used for scrubbing floors.

These are the kind of shell conditioning mechanisms at work in the wild.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care