Chlorohexadine Soak

[Willow_Redfoot]

How long do I need to keep her in the Chlorohexadine? Is there anything I need to do after I soak her? I'm treating for some sort of fungus. Looking at the pics is Chlorohexadine The best treatment? I've tried betadine and anti fungal cream for some time and haven't really got a ton of results.. actually I think it maybe is getting a little worst.

 

[Yvonne G]

Where did you get the idea of actually soaking the tortoise in the Chlorhexidine? We usually wash the area with it, but we don't soak in it. For shell rot you clean the area once with either Chlorhexidine or Betadine, then you apply the athlete foot cream. You apply the cream daily, but don't have to use the wash again.

You keep the tortoise on dry substrate during treatment. The fungus grows in moist conditions, so you don't want moist substrate until it's all cleared up.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

I've done it with the betadine but as you can see it hasn't worked great ... what do you think from looking at pics?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Fungus will die quickly with the athletes foot cream, but the damage takes a long time to look any better and it might look like it's still active.
An area infected by fungus will be waxy and scrape off.
Cured areas will be solid, but pitted.
You might need to tweak your substrate or method of obtaining humidity to remedy this returning.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

Ok I'll make sure to get a good athletes foot cream tomorrow then

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Ok I'll make sure to get a good athletes foot cream tomorrow then

I buy it from the dollar store.
Same active ingredient and it works fast.
The expensive stuff seems to be no more effective.

 

[Pearly]

I have never heard of such thing as soaking in chlohexidine! Wipe things down with with it VERY DILUTED (!!!!)- yes, but soaking-.... i don't think it's a good idea. It is very caustic... i don't know! I don't want to sound authoritarian myself being fairly new (not quite 2 yrs) to the "torting hobby" but this just doesn't feel right. Plus your tort pictures look fine! At least for what i can see. Unless i'm missing something I don't see fungus on your tort's shell. It does look to me like your tap water is high on mineral content but the shell looks healthy. But i'm using my phone now. I'll look at your pics again on my desk top.

 

[Pearly]

One more thing, could you take close ups of the areas of concern on plastron and carapace? I think i may have an idea

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I have never heard of such thing as soaking in chlohexidine! Wipe things down with with it VERY DILUTED (!!!!)- yes, but soaking-.... i don't think it's a good idea. It is very caustic... i don't know! I don't want to sound authoritarian myself being fairly new (not quite 2 yrs) to the "torting hobby" but this just doesn't feel right. Plus your tort pictures look fine! At least for what i can see. Unless i'm missing something I don't see fungus on your tort's shell. It does look to me like your tap water is high on mineral content but the shell looks healthy. But i'm using my phone now. I'll look at your pics again on my desk top.

Now that I'm at a desk top computer, I agree that it doesn't look like shell rot. The damage to the rear looks like a bite wound or dropping damage or maybe abrasion damage and the underneath looks like a mineral deposit.
At any rate, I would also NEVER administer a soak in any antibiotic.
Has this tortoise been kept with another tortoise?

 

[Redstrike]

Looks fungal to me.
I'd continue the betadine scrubs (I always used a toothbrush for this), rinse with water, and use some clotrimizole anti-fungal cream. You could try really scrubbing a small area of the plastron to see if it's mineral deposits - just don't put too much elbow grease into it.

This issue can be chronic if your substrate is constantly wet on the surface.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

I've scrubbed it before and it's never came off really... and no she's never been kept with another tortoise.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

Some of it will scrape off on the side but when I've gently rubbed at it with a toothbrush it hasn't really done much. My water is a little bit on the harder side and I mean she gets soaked everyday. Her substrate isn't wet at all either. But one day she had a little bit and now she has more

 

[ZEROPILOT]

If it is fungal, the athletes foot cream will cure it.
If it's not, the athletes foot cream will do no harm.

 

[Pearly]

Some of it will scrape off on the side but when I've gently rubbed at it with a toothbrush it hasn't really done much. My water is a little bit on the harder side and I mean she gets soaked everyday. Her substrate isn't wet at all either. But one day she had a little bit and now she has more

So how is everything? Better i hope?