RT with red in shell

[krbeams]

Hi, all --

I've come to this forum many times but this is my first time posting. I've had Desmond, my russian tort, for over two years now. I bought him at a Petsmart in Washington, DC, and he moved to Charlotte with me about nine months ago. When we moved here, I recreated his habitat, but the substrate was still too damp and he got shell rot. I took him to the vet and got him some ointment. One side of his shell has healed perfectly. However, the other side now has some right red in it. It's not soft, and he doesn't seem bothered when I touch it. It's make me very nervous, and I have no idea what it could be. He now has a mostly hay habitat (the vet said he was getting too much of the substrate in his stomach) and he has a UVA/UVB heat lamp. He gets soaks several times a week (even though he hates it!) and eats a mix of lettuces. He goes outside or at least gets time to run around the house for an hour at minimum. When he's outside, he eats a lot of grass and strawberry plants.

Any help would be very very appreciated. His vet is out of town until next week.

Thank you!!
Kristen

 

[wellington]

It's very hard to see what you are talking about. See if you can get a better pic. In the mean time, I would start getting him a better diet and I would not use hay as a substrate. It's too dry and Russians like to burrow. A more natural substrate would be better, like plain dirt. Feed him on a flat rock so he doesn't eat the substrate and it will also help keep his beak trimmed. Also, they should have some humidity, 30-40% without having wet top layer of substrate.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kristen, and welcome to the Forum!

It looks to me as if that area is now getting scraped/bruised when he walks. If you're sure the shell rot is gone, you can dab it with neosporin and put some masking tape over it until it heals. But keep a close watch to be sure the rot doesn't come back.

 

[krbeams]

Thanks, Yvonne! He does like to face plant off our cement walkway onto the mulch out front; I'm wondering if he's scraping there. Would that cause the bloodish colored shell if he's bruised it? He's sort of a klutz... Part of the reason I love him so much!

---

Wellington,

Thanks for the tips! Here's a picture where you can see a bit better.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's not really a bruise, it's more like a skinned knee.