Shell in really bad shape

[diaboliqueturtle]

I rescued this tiny little male (pretty sure it's a male) 4 days ago. He's a Florida boxie, 5 years old although he's only 3 1/2" long. Among other things, there's something wrong with his shell, not sure what it is. At first I thought it was a "water line", as if he had been kept as a water turtle. I cleaned him with a mixture of water and vinegar which didn't quite make a difference. When in his soak, the white ring isn't visible but you can see a texture difference on the shell.
When I picked him up, his substrate was completely dry, so I don't know if it's shell rot or fungus or what.
Any way to treat this at home? I have a reptile vet across the street and I can afford it, I just have a problem with paying/buying something I can do myself.
His appetite, activity level, confidence and trust in me has improved dramatically in only 4 days, now I just need to fix up that shell.
We both thank you in advance

---

To the mods: I'm sorry for the double post, 1st try there was an error message so I tried again and now they're both there :-/

 

[gregcalverley0327]

Not sure what's up with the shell but I'm glad you rescued the little guy


0.3.0 sulcata tortoise
(Manavi, aspen, Bronx)
1.0.0 Russian tortoise
(Ivan)
1 Great Dane
(Koko)

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

So am I! Those pics were taken when we got home. The white ring is still there though but it looks way better now.

 

[wellington]

Almost look like just rubbing marks. Like pacing up and down a brick or cement wall.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

He didn't have access to anything like that. Above and below the white circle are two different colors and textures. When in his soak, the water level pretty much replicated the line where the top part of his shell becomes normal. That's why I wondered if perhaps he was kept in water... I should point out that his plastron is nice and smooth, perfect condition.

 

[theelectraco]

The ring looks like calcium build up to me.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Right! That's exactly what I was thinking and why I cleaned his shell with vinegar. It did make a big difference but its not completely gone. Then again I was using a soft cloth so I'll try again with a toothbrush. He definitely did NOT enjoy it so I didn't do a thorough job.

 

[Yvonne G]

I also think it's a water mark - hard water minerals. Poor thing to have lived in water so long it left a mark on the shell.

I'm not totally convinced it's a Florida, though. they usually have a yellow stripe on the head and thinner yellow stripes on the shell.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

I'm not 100% on the Florida id, I was comparing him with pics from the forum and that's the closest. He might be Eastern but his lack of coloring on his limbs and head is throwing me off. Hes so tiny and he has the cutest little concave plastron and his inner toes are curved inward. Here's his plastron and a somewhat better shot of his head.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

This is a video of him after the first cleaning. The white ring is still there but he looks much better. I got iodine and clotrimazole to treat it in case it's fungal.http://http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?client=mv-google&feature=plcp&v=JUdguLzAe64&rdm=mmaeki3i3

 

[AZtortMom]

He's very lucky to have you welcome to TFO


Life is good

 

[AustinASU]

Definate male and thats a waterline....the water here does that to all my torts

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

I'm not 100% on the Florida id, I was comparing him with pics from the forum and that's the closest. He might be Ornate but his lack of coloring on his limbs and head is throwing me off. Hes so tiny and he has the cutest little concave plastron and his inner toes are curved inward. Here's his plastron and a somewhat better shot of his head.

[/color]

---

He's very lucky to have you welcome to TFO


Life is good

I'm so happy to have found him. And I'm not so new, ish on here but a long-term-committed to turts and torts

 

[AZtortMom]

I'm not 100% on the Florida id, I was comparing him with pics from the forum and that's the closest. He might be Ornate but his lack of coloring on his limbs and head is throwing me off. Hes so tiny and he has the cutest little concave plastron and his inner toes are curved inward. Here's his plastron and a somewhat better shot of his head.

[/color]

---

He's very lucky to have you welcome to TFO


Life is good

I'm so happy to have found him. And I'm not so new, ish on here but a long-term-committed to turts and torts

---

Very good


Life is good

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Definate male and thats a waterline....the water here does that to all my torts

Hubby is happy to have another male in the house, he's way outnumbered!
Really? So another vinegar scrubbing should clear it. That'd be a heck of a lot better than fungus or rot...

 

[yagyujubei]

Mine get that as well.. Try a little dawn and a green kitchen scrubee. Don't get the soap in his eyes, and rinse well.

 

[Arnold_rules]

Try the power of OxyClean . Just kidding.

Definitely a water mark, as many have said. Since it took a while to develop, based on the build up, it might take a few treatments to totally get rid of the ring.

 

[EricIvins]

That's an Ornate Box Turtle with a mineral stain......

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Shiny Hotrod!!! Wow, look at how gorgeous he is now after another vinegar and water scrub. His shell looks as good as new. This little guy keeps impressing me, he's so awesome!