There was also an article in local paper about a Japanese? vet who had > fashioned a fiberglass shell > Hi, That's what a local vet did to my turtle when I ran over it with a lawn mower. It's been almost three years now and she's recovered wonderfully. The fiberglass started coming off after about 10 months, and we removed it and found bony material underneath. It isn't exactly like the shell, but it works.