Cracked raw skin please advise

Kitkat45 · Mar 31, 2026

I thought at first this was her normal shedding but then it started looking pink and raw in some spots. She’s 5 yr old Hermann. She seems like she’s catching some of the shedding skin with the carapace edges. She spends most of her time in an outdoor pen with nights inside due to predators. I soaked with diluted Betadine and applied antibiotic ointment. She burrows in the dirt in her pen outside and I think she’s been rubbing it. I’m not letting her burrow now that I saw this issue just going for supervised walks in the backyard to keep her clean. She gets soaked every other day normally, why would the skin crack like this? What can I do? My appointment w/ exotic vet is not until Thursday afternoon. Please help.

Kitkat45 · Mar 31, 2026

@Tom
@Yvonne G

Alice Sulcatia · Mar 31, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
I thought at first this was her normal shedding but then it started looking pink and raw in some spots. She’s 5 yr old Hermann. She seems like she’s catching some of the shedding skin with the carapace edges. She spends most of her time in an outdoor pen with nights inside due to predators. I soaked with diluted Betadine and applied antibiotic ointment. She burrows in the dirt in her pen outside and I think she’s been rubbing it. I’m not letting her burrow now that I saw this issue just going for supervised walks in the backyard to keep her clean. She gets soaked every other day normally, why would the skin crack like this? What can I do? My appointment w/ exotic vet is not until Thursday afternoon. Please help.

Good job at spotting this, keeping it clean and not letting her burrow. While I dont have a definite answer, why the skin cracked even with regular soaks. I have seen dry cracking spots on dog skin, which were due to a skin condition or an allergy. I dunno if that could be the case in torts. However, when my shell-babies get small wounds, cracks, sores , etc. on their skin, my first aid go-to is Silver. I use gel and spray, for them and myself, religiously; it's a miracle worker. Has healed everything from cold sores, burns, to their boo-boos. Screenshot of the spray attached. Hope this helps, and somebody else can pitch in with their ideas of whats going. Good luck!

zovick · Mar 31, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
I thought at first this was her normal shedding but then it started looking pink and raw in some spots. She’s 5 yr old Hermann. She seems like she’s catching some of the shedding skin with the carapace edges. She spends most of her time in an outdoor pen with nights inside due to predators. I soaked with diluted Betadine and applied antibiotic ointment. She burrows in the dirt in her pen outside and I think she’s been rubbing it. I’m not letting her burrow now that I saw this issue just going for supervised walks in the backyard to keep her clean. She gets soaked every other day normally, why would the skin crack like this? What can I do? My appointment w/ exotic vet is not until Thursday afternoon. Please help.

I don't believe this situation has a medical explanation/solution.

It looks to me as those areas have been rubbing on the sharp edges of the shell around the leg sockets. You could file the shell edges with an emery board to make them less sharp.

Tom · Mar 31, 2026

When I try to zoom in on the affected areas, it is too blurry. It looks to me like the normal stained skin wearing off over time and the new skin underneath is not stained yet. If its "pink and raw", that would be another issue.

Are there sharp carapace edges in those areas, as Zovick mentioned? If not, one possibility to think about is the constant dampness and humidity in FL. This species comes from a relatively dry area of the world, and the constant wetness, warmth, and humidity may be allowing bacterial or fungal infection to take hold.

That is my best guess.

Kitkat45 · Apr 1, 2026

Thank you for the recommendation on the spray. It is white in some areas but in a few spots there is slight pink showing through. It’s definitely raw and looks painful which is why we are going to the vet Thursday. I thought maybe it might be an allergy but I haven’t introduced anything new and shes in the same setup as last spring and summer and no issues then. The edges are not overly sharp and it wasn’t an issue before but she’s been growing quickly and now her shell rubs when she climbs and her outdoor pen is not flat, it is natural terrain so there is some climbing up and down. In a year and change she’s gone from 528 grams to 1582 grams. Maybe she’s overweight. I do bring her inside for bad weather so she hasn’t been overly wet lately. I was regularly soaking and applying coconut oil but I think she’s managed to injure the shedding parts. Her indoor night setup has orchid bark, should I change the substrate. She doesn’t dig inside so it isn’t touching the cracked parts.

Kitkat45 · Apr 1, 2026

I’m not really comfortable filling the shell edges myself but could do it if I need to, I’m going to see if the vet can do that tomorrow

Alice Sulcatia · Apr 1, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
I’m not really comfortable filling the shell edges myself but could do it if I need to, I’m going to see if the vet can do that tomorrow

Understandable, not everyone is born a doc

Best of luck at the vets, and keep us posted about your girl.

Tom · Apr 1, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
Thank you for the recommendation on the spray. It is white in some areas but in a few spots there is slight pink showing through. It’s definitely raw and looks painful which is why we are going to the vet Thursday. I thought maybe it might be an allergy but I haven’t introduced anything new and shes in the same setup as last spring and summer and no issues then. The edges are not overly sharp and it wasn’t an issue before but she’s been growing quickly and now her shell rubs when she climbs and her outdoor pen is not flat, it is natural terrain so there is some climbing up and down. In a year and change she’s gone from 528 grams to 1582 grams. Maybe she’s overweight. I do bring her inside for bad weather so she hasn’t been overly wet lately. I was regularly soaking and applying coconut oil but I think she’s managed to injure the shedding parts. Her indoor night setup has orchid bark, should I change the substrate. She doesn’t dig inside so it isn’t touching the cracked parts.

Wild animals don't typically get "allergies". A set back like that make make survival in the wild impossible. Allergies happen with domesticated animals and humans.

Be aware that most vets don't know tortoise care and give terrible advice, just like most other sources. They learn tortoise husbandry from the same wrong sources as everyone else. There is no semester on tortoise care in vet school. Vets should be good at prescribing and dosing meds, wound care, and diagnosing problems, and surgery, but realize that their usual knowledge of tortoises and tortoise care is limited. A skin infection should be well within a vets wheelhouse to treat.

Kitkat45 · Apr 1, 2026

Yes, I completely agree and have encountered my fair share of incompetent but well meaning vets that know nothing about tortoises. This exotic vet I’m going to though is very good and I’ve had really excellent care there so far. That being said, I always do my own research and no longer blindly trust any vet, especially with a tortoise. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow.

COmtnLady · Apr 1, 2026

Things to file in the back of your brain -

Don't let the Vet talk you into vitamin shots. They are more for the Vet to pad the bill with than anything a tortoise needs.

And Baytril injections burn the tissues at injection site. If the Vet suggests injections of Baytril consider it a red flag (Oral is ok, no shots though). If an antibiotic ever is needed, something else, like Ceftazidime, is much safer than Baytril for tortoises .

Sarah2020 · Apr 2, 2026

I had similar with my torts neck getting rubbed by the sharp shell. I just got a nail file and made the rough area smooth and then run your finger over the area to check for any other rough edges. Give the tort a good soak and I used a dab of Savlon cream on the area and it healed quickly. Good luck. It is good practice to run your finger around the shell to check for any sharp edges as it happens.

Kitkat45 · Apr 2, 2026

Thanks, yes I’ll keep that in mind. I think several areas will have to be filed down because there is a sharp piece near the neck too which has caused another abrasion I didn’t notice at first.

Kitkat45 · Apr 2, 2026

How do tortoises deal with sharp edges in the wild or does it not occur for some reason in the wild?

Sarah2020 · Apr 2, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
How do tortoises deal with sharp edges in the wild or does it not occur for some reason in the wild?

I assume they get it but the skin toughens up around it. In captivity we can see it and address it. You will improve it's welfare with a nail file and it is only a few strokes to make the difference.

COmtnLady · Apr 2, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
How do tortoises deal with sharp edges in the wild or does it not occur for some reason in the wild?

If you think about how many tortoises hatch "in the wild", and how many of those actually manage to survive... Their lifespan "out there" isn't a good percentage to bet on, most die far sooner than a captive one. If there's a sharp edge, wild ones either develop a callous, or it gets infected and they don't survive it. Yours is lucky, though! You are taking great care of him and creating the best life possible for him compared to the vast majority of tortoises on the planet. (Now if we can just get YOU to survive this!)

Kitkat45 · Apr 2, 2026

Returned from vet’s office. The vet said the abrasions are from the sharp shell edges. They ground the edges to make them smoother. She said to keep the areas clean and keep applying the triple antibiotic ointment and the areas should heal. She said it did not look infected but to keep monitoring and come back if it’s not healing or looking worse. It has been looking a bit better since using the silver wound spray along with the ointment. I may have to file the edges a bit more myself because they still feel a little sharp to me.

Kitkat45 · Apr 2, 2026

Thanks for the support and advice, of course I’m still going to worry obsessively until she heals

Alice Sulcatia · Apr 2, 2026

Kitkat45 said:
Returned from vet’s office. The vet said the abrasions are from the sharp shell edges. They ground the edges to make them smoother. She said to keep the areas clean and keep applying the triple antibiotic ointment and the areas should heal. She said it did not look infected but to keep monitoring and come back if it’s not healing or looking worse. It has been looking a bit better since using the silver wound spray along with the ointment. I may have to file the edges a bit more myself because they still feel a little sharp to me.

Glad to hear it was just that and no extra surprises or tests and whatnot they love to concoct at the vet's office. Take a deep breath, turtle mamma, you did good! Do what you do, and your sweetie pie will be ok.

Cracked raw skin please advise

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