Story highlights It is illegal to paint shells of gopher tortoises in Florida

The gopher tortoise is considered a threatened species under state law

(CNN) If you want to paint your nails, furniture, house, whatever -- knock yourself out. But stop painting birds and turtles; they don't need to be prettied-up.

That's the message from Florida officials, who rescued a painted white ibis bird this week, days after they found gopher tortoises illegally covered in hues of blue and red.

Florida officials released a photo of an illegally painted gopher tortoise

It takes several cleaning sessions to remove paint off of the gopher tortoise, Florida wildlife officials said.

Florida officials say there's nothing cute or funny about the work of these rogue artists.

"Please keep your paint on the canvas and off of wildlife," the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted on Facebook. "Tortoises and turtles don't need touch-ups!"

While it may sound harmless, unleashing your inner artist on wildlife could land you in jail.