Sheldon, the Neon-Colored Box Turtle, Didn't Ask for this Life [VIDEO]

Sheldon didn't ask for a neon-colored, glittery-enhanced paint job – she is just a turtle, after all.

Officials at the Wildlife Center of Virginia are helping to care for the nail-polish-painted female box turtle discovered last week at Natural Chimneys Park in Augusta County.

Upon examination, caretaker Dana Tedesco discovered what appeared to be an abscess on its left femur as well as five eggs.

The turtle’s leg was flushed and bandaged and started on a course of pain medication. Meanwhile, attendants began daily careful scrubbings in an effort to slowly and gently remove the fingernail polish that makes it more prone to predation in the wild.

Great attention has been paid to Sheldon’s un-hatched young, which, the team taking care of her said, may have to be induced.

Meanwhile, officials have posted on their site a plea for anyone who knows the person reponsible for the paint job to call them.

“We only request information on where the turtle was originally found (the more precise the location, the better), how long it was in captivity and if it was housed with other turtles,” the site reads.

Until they are able to answer those questions, the team explains that Sheldon cannot be released back into the wildlife.

Endemic to North America, box turtles occupy the eastern United States from southern Maine to Florida along the East Coast, and west to Michigan, Illinois, eastern Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. However, as popular household pets, the animal is often found far outside its normal geographic range, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Box turtles can live more than 100 years, with most never leaving a diameter of 750 feet (230 meters) or less. Only rarely, and for unknown reasons, will they journey out of their home range.