Help!!! Im not sure what this is... (shell rot?)

[brittanie.wdavis]

Okay so my poor baby has been like this for awhile. We have tried the whole use betadine and scrub daily thinking mayne its shell rot, but had no luck. It hasnt worked at all. It doesnt seem to bother him. Any ideas?

 

[jockma]

It looks like rot to me. The betadine does not usually cure the rot, you need to use athlete's foot cream to treat rot. I do a soak in diluted betadine, use a toothbrush to debride the rotted areas, then liberally apply athlete's foot cream.

 

[jockma]

Also, betadine should only be used once or twice to treat rot. Afterwards just keep the plastron clean and use athlete's foot cream.

 

[Pearly]

Pretty advanced shell rot. I've never had to deal with it but this is what I read on here from experienced RF keepers: 1) it's caused by torts spending too much time on wet substrate, 2) the effective treatment is with Betadine (just once) 3) followed by daily application of athlete's foot cream (one that has Lotrimin as main ingredient). In human medicine I know Lotrimin has to be used twice daily for about 10 days. I'm not sure about torts. Oh and I'd keep an eye on that redness in his arm pits and inner thighs. It might be just temporary erythema from irritation, but I think smearing some Lotrimin there too wouldn't hurt. I hope @Yvonne G checks in here to correct me if I'm wrong. Good luck

 

[jockma]

@Pearly in my experience with rot it can take months!!! In advanced cases that is. I keep applying until I see NO rot left whatsoever...and then a few days longer.

I haven't dealt with rot in a while, Bean had a pretty advanced case when I got him and we had some resurgences in the first few months, but I'll never forget the rot battle...

 

[Pearly]

@Pearly in my experience with rot it can take months!!! In advanced cases that is. I keep applying until I see NO rot left whatsoever...and then a few days longer.

I haven't dealt with rot in a while, Bean had a pretty advanced case when I got him and we had some resurgences in the first few months, but I'll never forget the rot battle...

That makes sense. Fungus tends to be pretty stubborn. Maybe I should have said: "at least 10-14 days"

 

[jockma]

That makes sense. Fungus tends to be pretty stubborn. Maybe I should have said: "at least 10-14 days"

Very stubborn Though sometimes the rot isn't as "deep" as it is widespread, maybe that affects healing time?

Good eye for noticing the redness. I've never had shell fungus spread to the soft tissue but I've heard of it happening, applying athlete's foot cream won't hurt.

 

[Gillian M]

Shell rot, sorry to say.

And welcome to the forum!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Betadine will actually stop the area from healing.
Just use the athletes foot cream and it will quickly stop. However, the scarring will remain for a while. Maybe months.
Do you need help with your substrate being too wet?

 

[brittanie.wdavis]

I dont use wet substrate at all. I use carefresh paper since this has been an issue.

 

[MPRC]

Carefresh probably isn't the best substrate either. Could you do something like coco coir with a dry layer on top?

Tell us a bit about your enclosure (or share some pics) and maybe we can help you prevent it from coming back.

Also, welcome, we'd love to see photos of your actual tortoise, I'm a redfoot nut!

 

[brittanie.wdavis]

I was using the coco coir stuff and thats what caused this. He is housed in a 90 gallon tank until I can afford something bigger. My tortoise hates any sort of bark or sand or anything other then dirt or paper.

 

[MPRC]

What sorts of humidity levels do you have in the tank? I have one tort whose tank stays at 90% humidity and she pretty much lives in her water and she has no issues. It blows my mind.

 

[brittanie.wdavis]

To be honest im not sure. Its always really hot in there and he seems fine.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You'll need to make another investment.
Luckily this one is only ten bucks.
A thermometer and humidity gauge combo available from most home improvement stores

 

[jockma]

I'd prioritize a bigger enclosure, 90 gal is far too small for his size. He'd likely be sitting on the same patches of substrate all day because he can't move very far, which will make rot worse. You can build your own enclosure on a budget, my first enclosure was just a bookcase with the shelves taken out. I think aquariums are better for hatchlings/young torts than mature torts. You can essentially just make a big box, waterproof it, cover the top and call it an enclosure. I think $100-$200 for raw materials is feasible for a decent enclosure. Can't remember how much my current one cost.

PS: I love when @ZEROPILOT pulls out the Home Depot humidity gauge photo

 

[brittanie.wdavis]

Hes not in an aquarium. And I understand he needs a bigger cage but when you have a job that pays you just enough to cover your bills you cant afford a bigger cage.

 

[jockma]

Then for now you would need to treat the rot, coco coir causes rot if it is too wet. Keep it dry on top and damp on the bottom and it works beautifully. When you squeeze it you shouldn't get any water droplets. What I do if the coco is too wet is I take some of it, bake it to dry it out, and dump it on top so the top layer is dry. Coco holds humidity well so I'd put him back on it soon, low humidity will lead to all sorts of other problems.

 

[Ellen & Toby]

Poor little man, what is he called? Hope he gets better soon!

 

[brittanie.wdavis]

His name is Iggy.