Progressive damage on plastron of Hermann

[kirbytherussian]

Hello all, I'm in need of some advice.

I've had my Hermann's tortoise, Harvey, for about two years now. When I got him, (full grown) I didn't notice any damage on his shell. However, a couple months ago I noticed what almost looked like two points on his plastron under his arms where the shell had been "crushed". He was acting normally and it wasn't infected, so I decided to keep an eye on it and not seek medical attention. I noticed maybe a week ago when I checked on it that the damage to his plastron has gotten worse. It still does not smell, and he still attempts to climb walls and is acting and eating normally. It's hard shell that appears to be exposed, however it is discolored from his normal shell and almost textured. Is this a sign of his shell healing from past trauma, do I need to bring him to the vet for care? If not, what can I do to help him heal?

He currently lives outside in probably a 4ft x 8ft enclosure. The substrate is natural dirt and stones (large enough he cant swallow). When I noticed the damage I removed everything he can climb over and fall off of, and any hard surfaces he may be tempted to horse around on. I also increased his calcium intake a little and encourage more ingestion of Flukes moist reptile pellets for extra nutrition to aid his healing.

Should I build him an indoor enclosure with softer substrate for the time being until his shell shows some progression? I'm worried if I don't stop the progression it will eventually turn into an infection or exposed flesh.

Thank you all in advance, I provided links with photos down below.

Madison

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13LWdbuHVky1LuXpVYzMW2e6QqHxd0Man/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WL_0Hqy-n9M9AuglFnPdF8yMRMVubeiF/view?usp=sharing

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Oh, WOW! That does NOT look good. @Tom , @wellington or others that have more knowledge than I may be able to give some insight

 

[Tom]

Hello all, I'm in need of some advice.

I've had my Hermann's tortoise, Harvey, for about two years now. When I got him, (full grown) I didn't notice any damage on his shell. However, a couple months ago I noticed what almost looked like two points on his plastron under his arms where the shell had been "crushed". He was acting normally and it wasn't infected, so I decided to keep an eye on it and not seek medical attention. I noticed maybe a week ago when I checked on it that the damage to his plastron has gotten worse. It still does not smell, and he still attempts to climb walls and is acting and eating normally. It's hard shell that appears to be exposed, however it is discolored from his normal shell and almost textured. Is this a sign of his shell healing from past trauma, do I need to bring him to the vet for care? If not, what can I do to help him heal?

He currently lives outside in probably a 4ft x 8ft enclosure. The substrate is natural dirt and stones (large enough he cant swallow). When I noticed the damage I removed everything he can climb over and fall off of, and any hard surfaces he may be tempted to horse around on. I also increased his calcium intake a little and encourage more ingestion of Flukes moist reptile pellets for extra nutrition to aid his healing.

Should I build him an indoor enclosure with softer substrate for the time being until his shell shows some progression? I'm worried if I don't stop the progression it will eventually turn into an infection or exposed flesh.

Thank you all in advance, I provided links with photos down below.

Madison

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13LWdbuHVky1LuXpVYzMW2e6QqHxd0Man/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WL_0Hqy-n9M9AuglFnPdF8yMRMVubeiF/view?usp=sharing

Where do you live? Does he have a heated night shelter? Where does he go during cold weather?

 

[kirbytherussian]

Oh, WOW! That does NOT look good. @Tom , @wellington or others that have more knowledge than I may be able to give some insight

): Thank you. I will be calling the exotic vet tomorrow to make an appointment- At first I thought it was damage from crawling over his 1/2 log hide and falling off in a repetitive motion, however after I removed said fun for him it still shows signs of getting worse so I am concerned it is shell rot or something of the like.

Where do you live? Does he have a heated night shelter? Where does he go during cold weather?

Hi Tom,
I live in South Florida- we only experience a couple weeks out of the year that are less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit. He does have a sheltered hide for nighttime- it is not enclosed but it does have a heating light on it that does not allow the ambient temperature to drop below 75 degrees. However, on nights that drop below 65 degrees i bring him indoors to a temporary indoor enclosure that I only use in such circumstances.

 

[turtlesteve]

Whatever the damage is, it looks old to me. I would guess it’s an infection / “shell rot”, but sometimes burn damage can look like this too (such as from a heat pad). It is healing from below. I’m leaning towards an infection, as some of the rest of the plastron is slightly discolored which may indicate more will eventually reveal itself.

 

[wellington]

@Yvonne G

 

[[email protected]]

Hello all, I'm in need of some advice.

I've had my Hermann's tortoise, Harvey, for about two years now. When I got him, (full grown) I didn't notice any damage on his shell. However, a couple months ago I noticed what almost looked like two points on his plastron under his arms where the shell had been "crushed". He was acting normally and it wasn't infected, so I decided to keep an eye on it and not seek medical attention. I noticed maybe a week ago when I checked on it that the damage to his plastron has gotten worse. It still does not smell, and he still attempts to climb walls and is acting and eating normally. It's hard shell that appears to be exposed, however it is discolored from his normal shell and almost textured. Is this a sign of his shell healing from past trauma, do I need to bring him to the vet for care? If not, what can I do to help him heal?

He currently lives outside in probably a 4ft x 8ft enclosure. The substrate is natural dirt and stones (large enough he cant swallow). When I noticed the damage I removed everything he can climb over and fall off of, and any hard surfaces he may be tempted to horse around on. I also increased his calcium intake a little and encourage more ingestion of Flukes moist reptile pellets for extra nutrition to aid his healing.

Should I build him an indoor enclosure with softer substrate for the time being until his shell shows some progression? I'm worried if I don't stop the progression it will eventually turn into an infection or exposed flesh.

Thank you all in advance, I provided links with photos down below.

Madison

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13LWdbuHVky1LuXpVYzMW2e6QqHxd0Man/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WL_0Hqy-n9M9AuglFnPdF8yMRMVubeiF/view?usp=sharing

This might have started off by some abrasion to the plastron or maybe even from a heat source.
it also could be from laying on a damp substrate for too long and the inability to properly dry out.

But now this is a fungal infection, I can see other scutes lifting on the corners.
The way I would treat this is to use a topical antifungal.
I use Scarlet oil but you can use some other antifungals like athletes foot antifungal spray.

All fungal infections take a look time to heal (two months sometimes longer) and need almost daily treatment to eradicate the fungus
in the case of systemic fungal infections you will need to use antifungal medications like Itraconazole or Voriconazole
I have also used Itraconazole and terbinafine together there is a synergistic effect when using those two medications together

Now that the shell is damaged, I would epoxy the damage.
Those cracks, holes and pits will collect dampest and stay damp, a perfect breeding ground for fungus
(dont forget to consider the environment's contribution to this event.
you probably need to adjust his environment in some way)

Don't run out and start epoxying the shell, because you have to make sure the infection is gone before doing the shell repair
I am not sure if the infection is systemic or just widespread local damage.

I believe it may take a little digging into those areas to see what is going on, that will help tell if it is systemic.

This is how I would treat what I see here.
I would suggest you seek a veterinarian to do a physical. there is nothing like actually holding the patent in your hand to do a diagnosis.

Sam