Did you know that their ribs are integrally attached to their shells? I had no idea you could cover a turtle's shell with anything non-porous; I thought they had some kind of skin on there and needed to use the pores for air exchange like we do...see Goldfinger or the Wizard of Oz where someone painted with metallic
paint collapsed from being skin smothered...though of course the fiberglass only went on the shell, not the under-carapace or the legs or head...still...I thought fiberglass got hot when it cured, and was toxic...learned something today!
Not that I plan on fiberglassing any turtles any time soon...but good to know it could be done. Notice the vet used cloth and not mat!