Peeling Plastron

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BodaTort1

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My Sullies plastron is peeling severely. I got her as a rescue a few months ago, her plastron at that time was in horrible condition-scratched, gouged, peeling chipped and broken. She has been raised outside she whole life. Her peeling has gotten worse. Her substrate all over her pen ranges from Cypress Mulch, soil, Bermuda grass, and cement. There is no drainage or odor. What do I do to care for this? I am worried she will hook a peeljng scute and rip off one whole section.. Thank you guys!


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russiantortoiselover1

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Just a ? Did you say she had cement bedding?
Also that looks a little more severe than my torts but the guy I got it from said it was from digging. But yours looks more severe than that
 

EricIvins

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What you are seeing is new growth coming in, and old shell damage being shed off. That is perfectly normal......
 

BodaTort1

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@RussianTortoiseLove.. Her bedding is cypress mulch and grass, but when she is in the big pen she has access to the cement patio. I was just listing all the types of ground she walks on in case it was a contributing factor. @Eric- thank you :) for putting my worry to rest. I tried searching google and everything that came up was dire situations. :-/
 

BodaTort1

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Cowboy Ken I live in Houston and this Sully lives completely outside. The humidity here ranges 63-90% depending on the season. She is 5yr, 20lbs and 16in. Her previous owners raised her dry and she didn't even have a water dish :-( I soak her twice a week for 15-20 minutes and she has a large water dish
 

Cowboy_Ken

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Be very diligent in your efforts to keep the area under the peeling sections dry. These are wonderful places for fungal infections to make a happy home for themselves.
I have heard of people removing these, but would caution against it if one has no experience doing so.
I'm not sure how you could go about insuring the in between area is dry after soaking. I have visions of using a hair dryer on low to help dry it out. Daily check for any foul smell as this can be a sign of infection, which, if left on its own can penetrate into the bone tissue resulting in bad blood issues. I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to be aware of these things. 🐢!
 

BodaTort1

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Thank you Ken, it is so funny I am an ER nurse seen just about everything and nothing really rattles me, but when it comes to my torties I just about freak out!! I am so worried that Little will rip off those sections and cause serious injury. Thank you so much for all your info. I dont agree with taking off these peeling sections, as in humans the peeling sections will come off on their own when the skin/plastron underneath is ready... I will start drying Little off now after soaks.. I will try the dryer , I have one that has the option of air with no heat. I will also more closely inspect her plastron for signs and symptoms of fungal infections.
How often does this shedding happen?
And am I doing something to make it worse and should I continue with the 2 weekly soaks?

quote='Cowboy_Ken' pid='582172'dateline='1355552851']
Be very diligent in your efforts to keep the area under the peeling sections dry. These are wonderful places for fungal infections to make a happy home for themselves.
I have heard of people removing these, but would caution against it if one has no experience doing so.
I'm not sure how you could go about insuring the in between area is dry after soaking. I have visions of using a hair dryer on low to help dry it out. Daily check for any foul smell as this can be a sign of infection, which, if left on its own can penetrate into the bone tissue resulting in bad blood issues. I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to be aware of these things. 🐢!
[/quote]
 
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