PLEASE HELP! (spots on shell)

[Gina Bradshaw]

My cherry red head seems to have something wrong with his shell. I will post pics, so you can see what I see. White spots and white around the entire bottom of shell. He has a soak everyday for atleast 20 minutes in our tap water. He eats weeds that I pick and mealworms. He has 10 hours of uvb lighting and a heat bulb on 24 hours per day. I spray his enclosure several times per day. I Beleive her is just a few months old, but not positive. Can somone help me figure out whay it is and what I need to do if anything? Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

It's hard to tell from a picture, but it sort of looks like the start of shell rot. Is his shell in constant contact with moisture?

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

No he isn't in constant contact with water, but often yes.

 

[zovick]

No he isn't in constant contact with water, but often yes.

Does the tortoise have the same thing on the bottom shell? If so, it might be shell rot, but if not, it may just be calcium build-up from hard water. You can take a cotton swab dipped in vinegar and dissolve hard water build-up. If that is what it is, you will see it build up again over time and have to remove it periodically with the vinegar (be careful of the tortoise's eyes with the vinegar).

If it is shell rot, you will need to do a different treatment.

Post a photo or two of the plastron (bottom shell) so we can better determine what you should do next.

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

his underside. I will try using vinager and shee if that changes anything. Thank you for your support.

 

[zovick]

View attachment 225885 his underside. I will try using vinager and shee if that changes anything. Thank you for your support.

Plastron picture looks OK, so I am assuming that you are seeing calcium carbonate build-up from hard water on the carapace (upper shell). Try the vinegar and let us know how it goes.

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

Thanks so much! I will let you know.

 

[Redfool]

I’ve seen this before on hatchlings where the film from the inside of the egg dries and sticks to the carapace. I always mist eggs even after they have pipped to keep them from drying out. Since the the marginal scutes grow slower than the coastal and spinal scutes, these are usually the last to clear. This usually turns clear when wet and is hard to see. After a soaking this film may be removed by gently rubbing with a wet toothpick. Dried egg is very stubborn to remove. Also concave scutes is a sign of dehydration. With more soakings and water always available and high humidity this can be reversed.

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

I soak him daily and mist him and his enclosure several times a day. When I got him he had no white on him it developed as time went on and continues to worsen.

 

[chemprentice]

I’ve seen this before on hatchlings where the film from the inside of the egg dries and sticks to the carapace. I always mist eggs even after they have pipped to keep them from drying out. Since the the marginal scutes grow slower than the coastal and spinal scutes, these are usually the last to clear. This usually turns clear when wet and is hard to see. After a soaking this film may be removed by gently rubbing with a wet toothpick. Dried egg is very stubborn to remove. Also concave scutes is a sign of dehydration. With more soakings and water always available and high humidity this can be reversed.

Concave scutes relative to the carapace or the marginal scutes?

 

[Alaskamike]

I’m going to try & help here. But if anyone with more knowledge & experience has corrections - please chime in & correct me.

I’ve needed to treat a Russian a friend of mine bought, & one water turtle. It seems they sometimes get shell rot from the gathering & shipping methods used for wild caught.
It worked out well & he got rid of it in less than a month.

First , I would make certain this is not water calcium deposits from soaking. Is it city water or a well ? Well water can often have minerals that leave deposits. Because you see most of this around bottom of the shell ( at the level you may be soaking him in ) I would rule that out first. A medium toothbrush dipped in white vinegar should remove deposits. Be sure to throughly rinse after, use paper towels and dry well. See if that takes it off.

If not , this likely then is the start of shell rot. Shell rot is a bacterial & fungal infection of the shell & can get down into the soft tissue if untreated.

Here is the treatment I’ve used.
1. Take a new toothbrush & while holding the tortoise , dip toothbrush in a mild hand soap, & scrub the white areas. You want to get as much of the flaky stuff off as you can. Get it very clean. Then wash him off completely & dry with paper towel

2. Get some Povidone Iodine. You can get this at most drugstores or off Amazon. Wear rubber gloves as the iodine is red & can stain, do over a sink. Dip the toothbrush in the iodine & brush on the whitish areas. Be careful not to get in his eyes - it will sting.

3. Once throughly coated. Set him in a dry area , let him walk around for a couple of hours to dry it & let it work. I put them in a container with newspaper floor.

4. You need to do this daily for 2 weeks. This should completely halt the shell rot. However , if the tort has a heavy bacterial load in its bloodstream , a vet visit may be needed for antibacterial treatment. I’ve not had that issue yet.

5. Assuming you’ve got it treated , & all is well. Now you would need to try & see what caused it to start with. Often it’s sitting too long in deep cover or ultra humid environment without adaquate ( for that tort ) time basking & drying out. They need both.

6. It could be due to stress, the torts immune system is undermined & weak. This happens when torts are shipped long distances , radical changes in diet or environment , handled too much , have a load of parasites , could be many things.

As I said , this is my method , I’ve done it twice with torts brought to me by friends. Both times it worked well. But I am no expert , certainly not a vet.

Hope all goes well for you & your tortoise.
Mike

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

Thank you mike for all of your input. I have been treating him for shell rot and the slots seem to be clearing up. I am on well water. I tried vinigar though and the spots remained. I will remember build up for future references. When I first got him I thought peice if cake and now I'm like holy hell I'm doing everything wrong. Lol! I'm still trying to learn and do whats best for him. Anyways thanks again.

 

[TammyJ]

You are getting good advice. It's a process of elimination to discover the cause of the condition. So go through the process of treatment first for possible calcium buildup, then for the shell rot, just being patient and not skipping over any part of the procedures. Keep us informed, and if after your efforts, there is no improvement, then it will be time for a vet visit.
All the best!

 

[Gina Bradshaw]

Spots have cleared up ty.