# My Russian tortoises shell



## makandcheese0718 (Mar 21, 2019)

I just purchased a Russian tortoise a few weeks ago from a pet store and his shell has been concerning me can anyone help?


----------



## Houdini Hutchings (Mar 22, 2019)

Hi
Wow that doesn't look good at all. I would take to see reptile vet get advice. There maybe something they can do to help. I. So sorry that this poor tortoise has not been looked after. Thank God you've got it. I don't know if this can be reversed but it can't get worse. Sorry if I've not helped much but did see none had answered so here's my little input. Hope it works out.


----------



## jsheffield (Mar 22, 2019)

I'm by no means an expert, but that looks like shell rot to me.

Try treating it with athlete's foot cream daily 7-10 days after cleaning the shell with warm water and a rag or toothbrush ... I bet you'll see an improvement.

I rub a small amount of a homemade lotion on my tortoise's carapace and plastron once a week, which may or may not help his shell, but I'm positive the weekly inspection is a good thing.

Good luck and congrats on your new tort!

Jamie


----------



## Houdini Hutchings (Mar 22, 2019)

jsheffield said:


> I'm by no means an expert, but that looks like shell rot to me.
> 
> Try treating it with athlete's foot cream daily 7-10 days after cleaning the shell with warm water and a rag or toothbrush ... I bet you'll see an improvement.
> 
> ...


Wow really using athletes foot cream works on a tortoise shell? Would never of even thought of that at all. But good to know.


----------



## Toddrickfl1 (Mar 22, 2019)

To me it just looks like normal wear and tear for a wild caught Russian Tortoise, which is what you have.


----------



## SweetGreekTorts (Mar 22, 2019)

Not shell rot, and nothing to be concerned about. Like @Toddrickfl1 said, it's normal wear and tear on a wild-caught tortoise. Just provide warm water soaks and you can take a soft toothbrush to scrub the shell to clean it up.

I do recommend a Vet visit to have it checked for parasites. Wild-caught tortoises are prone to having them, and it's treatable with dewormer.


----------

