Box Turtle Shell Rot
- Thread starter sijerah77
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OMG that is the worst case I have ever seen!..the scutes are completely gone.....i dont know if you can do anything for this poor turtle...which looks to bean ornate boxie...you might have to take it to a vet, where they can help professionally..Although be prepared that nothing might be able to get done....
What you are seeing is the bone, with the keratin gone. There is really nothing you can do. I would still take him to the vet just to have him checked out.
Looks like a Florida boxie. Are you in Florida?
Her outer shell layer is made of plates called scutes. These are made of keratin, the same stuff as your fingernails and horse hooves. Most of this layer is gone, and what you see is bare bone. If she is kept healthy, she will make a new layer of keratin inside the bone, then the outer part of the bone will flake off. This usually takes years.
In the meantime, she may be loosing water faster than normal, since the protective keratin layer is gone. You'll want to keep her in a high humidity environment, but without it being too wet. If it's too wet, she might be at risk of bone rot fungi and bacteria. If it's too dry, she'll dehydrate. In the wild, she would know to move to the appropriate environments as she needs them.
I would recommend that you return her to the exact spot you found her and let her take care of herself.
Steve
Her outer shell layer is made of plates called scutes. These are made of keratin, the same stuff as your fingernails and horse hooves. Most of this layer is gone, and what you see is bare bone. If she is kept healthy, she will make a new layer of keratin inside the bone, then the outer part of the bone will flake off. This usually takes years.
In the meantime, she may be loosing water faster than normal, since the protective keratin layer is gone. You'll want to keep her in a high humidity environment, but without it being too wet. If it's too wet, she might be at risk of bone rot fungi and bacteria. If it's too dry, she'll dehydrate. In the wild, she would know to move to the appropriate environments as she needs them.
I would recommend that you return her to the exact spot you found her and let her take care of herself.
Steve
Hi sijerah77:
Welcome to the Forum!!
My first thought was florida box turtle too. I'm pretty sure they are protected in their home range. Your best bet would be to contact a turtle rescue in your area. They will know what to legally do for the turtle.
It most likely has gone through a fire and been burned. If it were chewed, you would see the evidence of chew marks on the lower portions of the shell.
The turtle is in no pain nor in danger of infection. What happened to remove the outer layer of shell happened quite some time ago.
What would you like us to call you, and may we know appx. where in the world you are?
Welcome to the Forum!!
My first thought was florida box turtle too. I'm pretty sure they are protected in their home range. Your best bet would be to contact a turtle rescue in your area. They will know what to legally do for the turtle.
It most likely has gone through a fire and been burned. If it were chewed, you would see the evidence of chew marks on the lower portions of the shell.
The turtle is in no pain nor in danger of infection. What happened to remove the outer layer of shell happened quite some time ago.
What would you like us to call you, and may we know appx. where in the world you are?
I'm also thinking this a wild Florida boxie that survived a brush fire. I don't know what her odds of survival are, though.
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