Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A recent post reminded me of a question I've been wanting to ask: some photos I've seen show very shiny turtles, and I wondered how that was achieved. They almost look as though they've been oiled...it looks a little strange to me.

They are just washed with water.... you dont want to put anything on the shells to 'shine' them.

>>A recent post reminded me of a question I've been wanting to ask: some photos I've seen show very shiny turtles, and I wondered how that was achieved. They almost look as though they've been oiled...it looks a little strange to me.
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Greg
http://greg978.tripod.com/

I was hoping it was just water...I guess the trick is to get the shot before the water starts to evaporate.
Thanks!

actually, some people DO use things on the shell, especially people trying to hype up and sell an animal for bogus reasons.

Mineral oil can be used for this, so can vaseline or basically any petroleum jelly product or waxes. There are even products sold to "shine" your turtle, but not only do they do the turtle no good, there is anecdotal evidence in many accounts of them causing harm when used over time.

I photo mine once a year usually by bringing them all in and scrubbing them up with a soft toothbrush and plain warm water (I have a well, so they don't even get chlorine on them) and then snapping the shots while they are still wet and shiney from the water. It makes them look brighter and I like to do it once a year. I wouldn't put any crud on my turtles, though, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.

I saw an excellent product at auto stores and supermarkets that make the shells shine like a brand new paint job. The product is called "Turtle Wax". It works great.

I believe the product you are talking about is made to be used on vehicles, and not on turtles' shells. I would not recommend using it on your turtles. As people have said before, water works well to make your turtles' shell appear shiny, and does not cause any harm to your turtles like some products may do.

I thought it was funny too. But you never know, you know?
Thanks again.

s

And a good one.

I sincerely hope you're joking about the "Turtle Wax"....
I have admired lots of turtle photos, and it just seemed to me that some turtles looked unnaturally glossy.My husband was in advertising photography for 20 years, and we've seen alot of bizarre tricks used in order to make those products more appealing, so you've confirmed my suspicions that some folks are going beyond wetting with water.
Thanks for the tid bit about the soft toothbrush, Nathan: that was going to be my next question. I am considering annual photo shoots, too, to document changes, etc., and their markings do show up more strikingly when they're wet.
Thanks again everyone!