Ciko's neck sores

MEEJogja

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So, this is Ciko, definitely the biggest personality of our little troupe. He sees me in the garden and marches over, following me expectantly until some food appears. He is also an avid humper, but seems more keen on plant pots and piles of leaves than our female.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I noticed some loose skin on the back of his neck. More or less covering the entire neck area. I assumed shedding but kept an eye on it and quickly decided that it could be a fungal skin infection and it was worth treating with anti fungal cream. I have been doing this every couple of days and cleaning off the area between applications but so far no change.

These have a more sore like appearance now and due to how many there are and their position, are not due to rubbing on the shell.
Would appreciate the opinions of more experienced keepers on whether this is something to worry about and what the best course of action is. The rest of the group have lovely blemish free skin and this has persisted around 3 weeks now.

I apply the cream when he comes out to eat early afternoon, but he likes to spend the twilight hours bathing and sitting under a dripping sprinkler nozzle. Nevertheless the cream has a few hours to sink in. And seems good and absorbed by the time he gets in the water.

There is a reasonable reptile vet in my city but a 40 min Drive which I would like to avoid if possible.

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Thank you!
 

Tom

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Where does he sleep at night. Is he in a closed box of some sort? Those look like they could be insect or small rodent bites.

Not related to your questions, but those white rocks are a sure way to get your tortoise impacted. I'd remove those from the tortoise's enclosure or block access to them.
 

Yvonne G

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I think he's rubbing his neck on the edge of his shell, as evidenced by the medication picture. Try taping a thin piece of masking tape or some kind of tape that will stick, around the edge of the shell, and continue to keep the skin lubricated with some sort of salve or cream - anything thing that moisturizes.

Your Manouria tortoise should be living in a warm, humid environment. Are you adding some sort of moisture to his habitat?
 

MEEJogja

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Where does he sleep at night. Is he in a closed box of some sort? Those look like they could be insect or small rodent bites.

Not related to your questions, but those white rocks are a sure way to get your tortoise impacted. I'd remove those from the tortoise's enclosure or block access to them.
Thanks Tom, the rocks came after the torts and are graded to a size that's quite a bit larger than could pass their jaws. The perspective makes them look smaller in the second image.
I like the insect bite theory, it hadn't occurred to me. They are not boxed up at night but are confined to a small area of the garden with 2 hides they can choose from. He typically sleeps with another one who has no signs of insect bites though so I'm inclined to think it was an isolated event and probably occurred outside the sleeping area. There was an ants nest in the garden which I took care of a while ago. It's possible Ciko was napping in a pile of leaves close by and got attacked.
 

MEEJogja

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I think he's rubbing his neck on the edge of his shell, as evidenced by the medication picture. Try taping a thin piece of masking tape or some kind of tape that will stick, around the edge of the shell, and continue to keep the skin lubricated with some sort of salve or cream - anything thing that moisturizes.

Your Manouria tortoise should be living in a warm, humid environment. Are you adding some sort of moisture to his habitat?
Thanks Yvonne, there are also sores on the bottom and sides of the neck, albeit not so many, so I don't think it's rubbing. I think Tom's insect bite theory may be most likely.

The humidity is definitely something that needs improvement and has been on my mind a lot. They have a pool which they rarely use during the day but like to use at sunset. I also installed a misting system to keep their area moist during the day. It sprays once in the morning and twice late afternoon. And the nozzles drip all day long. As it is now dry season, I have been showering them daily too.

Still, Ciko particularly likes to spend the day in the corner of the garden, which is on concrete, covered, and out of reach of the sprinklers. Probably the driest place he could possibly seek out.

There is obviously something about that place that they like, and something about the position of the pool that they don't. Possibly because it is too Central and unprotected. Next weekend I am going to build a large above ground pool for them and place it there. I would love to see them spending the day bathing like Emys should be doing.

Still, we are very lucky to live somewhere where atmospheric humidity levels are exceptionally high. It's dry season and we are at 79%.
 

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