# Coconut oil for shell rot



## Harpy (Jan 1, 2015)

Hi all. I took in a wood turtle last week that has terribly dry shell. It is so dry and cracked the vet recommend me putting her down but I would love to save this girl - have to at least try. 

Someone on another tortoise list uses coconut oil for a leopard tort with similar issues... Never heard of this. Is this real or just bunk? Would this work for semi-aquatic turtles? I am sure there are other issues with this turtle but all are due to lack of humidity/water. 

Any thoughts?

B...


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## Yvonne G (Jan 1, 2015)

Hi Billie;

The experiment is still ongoing. But it recommends the use of Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed coconut oil. I believe it is supposed to have anti fungal properties. If you decide to use it be sure to get the cold-pressed. And massage it in thoroughly, then take a soft, absorbent cloth and polish it off.

Why don't you start a thread in the Health section, take some pictures of the turtle right now, then throughout the process.


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## jskahn (Jan 1, 2015)

I have had a lot of luck on water turtles and tortoises that had shell rot or fungus, with a product for horses. You can get it at feed stores, or on line. It is called purple solution. Some places also call it blue solution. I have a snakeneck turtle that years ago had shell rot really bad. The outer edges were rotted off, and so were many layers in areas on the carapace. I would keep him dry during the night, with the solution on him. In the day, I would keep him in shallow water. Now, almost everything has grown back, and he is doing great. It is messy stuff, but worth the mess.


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## Mantissa3 (Jan 2, 2015)

Will this purple solution work for a redfoot with just the tiniest bit of shell rot starting from the substrate being too wet for too long (and high heat)?


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 25, 2020)

Will coconut oil works my female turtle?


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## zovick (Jun 25, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> Will coconut oil works my female turtle?
> View attachment 298376
> View attachment 298377


No, I don't think that oil will cure it. You should get Gentian Violet and apply it liberally to those white areas with a cotton swab. Gentian Violet is a fungicide which will kill the organism which is damaging the shell. Put the turtle in a box or tub which you don't mind getting stained with purple color and let the Gentian Violet dry completely on the shell before putting the turtle back in the water.

You will need to treat the turtle daily or every other day for about 6 or 8 weeks to kill all that fungus. Also you may need to take a stiff scrub brush and scrub the "dead" shell (the white stuff) off before applying the Gentian Violet so it can get to the fungus underneath better.

Please note: Gentian Violet is a very dark purple liquid and will stain anything with which it comes in contact, so be careful not to spill it or drip it on anything. It is a good idea to put a few layers of newspaper or some old towels or rags under the area where you are working on the turtle to protect floors, desk tops, etc.


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## mark1 (Jun 25, 2020)

if I were guessing i'd say it's either mineral deposits from the water she's kept in , should clean up at least some with a toothbrush and vinegar/distilled water mixture …… while i'd lean toward the mineral deposits , turtle shells naturally have different kinds of bacteria living on them , and overgrowth of which can look similar to your pics also ……. for that I've used chlorhexidine , silver sulfadiazine cream , and doxycycline ....... chlorhexidine and silver cream as a topical , doxycycline i'd feed them in a bath of it everyday for a week , i'd leave them in for an hour or so ........ i'm pretty sure yours is just the minerals in the water ..... bacterial at least from what I've seen seems to involve some pitting ......


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## zovick (Jun 25, 2020)

mark1 said:


> if I were guessing i'd say it's either mineral deposits from the water she's kept in , should clean up at least some with a toothbrush and vinegar/distilled water mixture …… while i'd lean toward the mineral deposits , turtle shells naturally have different kinds of bacteria living on them , and overgrowth of which can look similar to your pics also ……. for that I've used chlorhexidine , silver sulfadiazine cream , and doxycycline ....... chlorhexidine and silver cream as a topical , doxycycline i'd feed them in a bath of it everyday for a week , i'd leave them in for an hour or so ........ i'm pretty sure yours is just the minerals in the water ..... bacterial at least from what I've seen seems to involve some pitting ......


Good thoughts, Mark. Perhaps it would be best for the owner to try cleaning these spots off with vinegar before using any Gentian Violet or other meds.

It does seem unusual to me for the turtle to get mineral deposits on the plastron. If the ones on the plastron don't clean off with vinegar, then try GV or one of Mark's recommendations to see if that makes them go away.


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## Markw84 (Jun 25, 2020)

I agree that the map turtle does not look like shell rot. Mineral deposits or just retained scutes can look like that on a map.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 25, 2020)

zovick said:


> Good thoughts, Mark. Perhaps it would be best for the owner to try cleaning these spots off with vinegar before using any Gentian Violet or other meds.
> 
> It does seem unusual to me for the turtle to get mineral deposits on the plastron. If the ones on the plastron don't clean off with vinegar, then try GV or one of Mark's recommendations to see if that makes them go away.



Okay, thanks guys.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 25, 2020)

Also, does it matter what Gentian Violet you get and do you mix the vinegar with water?


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## jsheffield (Jun 26, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> Also, does it matter what Gentian Violet you get and do you mix the vinegar with water?



I've used undiluted white vinegar and a toothbrush, then rinse with warm water.

If it does end up being shell rot, I've used dollar store athlete's foot cream to good effect before.

Jamie


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## zovick (Jun 26, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> Also, does it matter what Gentian Violet you get and do you mix the vinegar with water?


Just buy Gentian Violet in a drug store. It is all the same stuff, but may be made by different companies. My current bottle was made by HUMCO from Texarkana, TX.

As far as the vinegar goes, it works best undiluted as noted above by jsheffield. You can also put the vinegar in a small glass or a mug and warm it in your microwave to make it work better. Just be careful that it isn't too hot for the animal's comfort.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jun 26, 2020)

Do we need to separate shell fungus from actual shell rot again?
Because a microbial/ bacterial shell rot condition needs different treatment than something designed for treatment of fungus.
I'm not sure of a product that tackles both. Or if the product can leach off into the water and harm the animal, in the case of a water turtle.
We throw the term "shell rot" around a lot. And it rarely is that.
@jskahn seemed to be talking about actual shell rot. That is much more advanced than treating some fungus spots.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 26, 2020)

jsheffield said:


> I've used undiluted white vinegar and a toothbrush, then rinse with warm water.
> 
> If it does end up being shell rot, I've used dollar store athlete's foot cream to good effect before.
> 
> Jamie



I don't think its shell rot because i've been using athlete's foot cream didn't see any results.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 27, 2020)

zovick said:


> No, I don't think that oil will cure it. You should get Gentian Violet and apply it liberally to those white areas with a cotton swab. Gentian Violet is a fungicide which will kill the organism which is damaging the shell. Put the turtle in a box or tub which you don't mind getting stained with purple color and let the Gentian Violet dry completely on the shell before putting the turtle back in the water.
> 
> You will need to treat the turtle daily or every other day for about 6 or 8 weeks to kill all that fungus. Also you may need to take a stiff scrub brush and scrub the "dead" shell (the white stuff) off before applying the Gentian Violet so it can get to the fungus underneath better.
> 
> Please note: Gentian Violet is a very dark purple liquid and will stain anything with which it comes in contact, so be careful not to spill it or drip it on anything. It is a good idea to put a few layers of newspaper or some old towels or rags under the area where you are working on the turtle to protect floors, desk tops, etc.


How long does the stuff take to dry? Also is it safe to put them back in the water with it on their shell?


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## zovick (Jun 27, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> How long does the stuff take to dry? Also is it safe to put them back in the water with it on their shell?


It dries in a few minutes. Some of it might dissolve into the water when you put the turtle back into its home tank or pool, but you could rinse it off in the sink or put it in a small tub of water first to get off the excess, then put it back in its regular habitat.


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## zovick (Jun 27, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> I don't think its shell rot because i've been using athlete's foot cream didn't see any results.


It seems you first posted about this condition on Thursday afternoon and now it is Saturday late afternoon. It's barely been 50 hours since the first post. How long have you been treating the turtle? It could take several more days to see any results. When humans are treated for infections with antibiotics, they are supposed to take the medication for 10 days.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jun 27, 2020)

zovick said:


> It seems you first posted about this condition on Thursday afternoon and now it is Saturday late afternoon. It's barely been 50 hours since the first post. How long have you been treating the turtle? It could take several more days to see any results. When humans are treated for infections with antibiotics, they are supposed to take the medication for 10 days.



I put coconut oil on her and it knocked away most of the mineral deposits. And now I’m putting the Gv on her


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## zovick (Jun 27, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> I put coconut oil on her and it knocked away most of the mineral deposits. And now I’m putting the Gv on her


Sounds good. Best of luck with her.


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## Raeshawn0 (Jul 1, 2020)

Is this contagious to other turtles?


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 3, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> Is this contagious to other turtles?


Did you ever determine what exactly it was?


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## Raeshawn0 (Jul 3, 2020)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Did you ever determine what exactly it was?



Shell fungus.


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## ZEROPILOT (Jul 3, 2020)

Raeshawn0 said:


> Shell fungus.


Shell fungus is usually not contagious from my experience.
But whatever conditions caused it in one animal, can cause it in more of them.


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