Lump in "armpit"

[KarenSoCal]

My friend has a 9 year old sully named Boulder (her DT is Rock [emoji2]) Anyway, Boulder has a round lump under his right arm, about the size of a ping pong ball. It is up against his plastron. We are unable to turn him over, so can't see if anything is rubbing, however when I felt it, I couldn't feel an open area.
The lump is hard, moves easily, and does not seem to bother or hurt him.
Any ideas?

 

[jockma]

I might be wrong but isn’t it fairly common for tortoises to get abscesses in this area? What with the constant friction against their shell and all. I believe they are painless and move easily like you described.

 

[KarenSoCal]

I might be wrong but isn’t it fairly common for tortoises to get abscesses in this area? What with the constant friction against their shell and all. I believe they are painless and move easily like you described.

Is it something that should be drained by a vet?

 

[jockma]

Yes, it will be drained and there might also be an antibiotic course as well. IIRC a possible complication of untreated abscesses is septicemia due to the abscess rupturing and leaking into the bloodstream. I haven’t dealt with them personally though. I know they’re common so I wonder if I’m just parroting worst-case-scenario stuff.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's probably a cyst or abscess.