Shell Photos w Questions & plz confirm suspected fungus

[Prairie Mom]

Hey friends

We've only had our young sulcata a few months. We found this young sulcata and no one claimed her, so we've made this sweetheart a permanent member of our family. I have been working VERY HARD to gain knowledge on health and proper husbandry.

Our sulcata arrived thin and with noticeable SOFT SPOTS on either side of her carapace. Thanks to great care sheets and the help I've received on this forum, her shell has hardened nicely and we are maintaining a good diet and temps. She still appears thin to me, but she is improving and eats, drinks, urinates, and poops like a champ! She receives daily soaks (sometimes 2xdaily).

I was reading a "pinned" thread in this section about fungus, which helped me to realize that she may have arrived with a fungus infection on the rear of her carapace as well.


I'm attaching LOTS of photos. I would be grateful for:
-General observations regarding her appearance/health. All friendly advice & helpful criticism is welcome.
-Confirmation and advice regarding treating the fungus. If this is fungus, do I need to chg all orchid bark substrate & disinfect everything? -Best way to do this etc?
-Curious about some abnormal growth & interested in guesses whether she may have had slight shell injury as well?
-Gender guesses


Photo 1

I just posted this as mainly an FYI- just in case more knowledgeable eyes see something I don't.

Photo 2

Fungus, right? Please advise best treatment strategies & how to prevent re-infection in her enclosure.
(At first, I was naïve and thought it was dry or even scratched, but it has spread)

Photo 3

Front view- just for observation

Photo 4

Face forward. (Man! I love this beastie!) I don't have the proper scale YET. Although I am very certain she has put on weight since she arrived, she still LOOKS thin when my untrained eyes compare her to other healthy tortoise photos. Thoughts?

Photo 5

Left side- for observation

Photos 5,6, &7 -"the weird side"...

Wondering if this is a combination of abnormal shell growth and injury?

6

Closer view of deformed shell -curious about what might cause the shell to become this way? (It appears both broken off and deformed to me.)

7

Curious about what might cause the top marked areas in addition to thoughts regarding the rest of the abnormal shell.

Photo 8

Forgive me...I'm still trying to understand shell growth... My tortoise has some pyramiding. I think she looks pretty good, but I want to do the best I can for her. The "rings" I have marked are noticeably raised to the touch where they meet up with other shell growth. Does this mean that pyramiding is continuing; I really don't know what normal new growth is like?

AND FINALLY...WHAT DO YA THINK? BOY OR GIRL?


Thanks for taking the time to look at these photos!

 

[taza]

Great looking tort. Someone with more experience can offer opinions.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Looks like a healed injury. That is not shell fungus. At least not as I've seen it. Using an anti fungal cream will do NO HARM. I can't see enough if the tail for an opinion of boy or girl. But then I'm horrible at guessing anyway. I'm one for three......

 

[justino4444]

I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say female but I think it's to early to tell... As for the shell I am not experienced enough with the species to give you a good answer and let the more experienced members help you out with that.

 

[Prairie Mom]

Looks like a healed injury. That is not shell fungus. At least not as I've seen it. Using an anti fungal cream will do NO HARM. I can't see enough if the tail for an opinion of boy or girl. But then I'm horrible at guessing anyway. I'm one for three......

Thanks zeropilot The "fungus" part of her shell is really odd, so I'm not surprised there is a big "question mark" about it. At first, I just thought it was dry and worn down. But it does definitely seem whiter and I suspect it has grown. I'll keep watching for opinions, but I may end up trying out a cream just in case since you say it's pretty harmless. Thanks!

 

[Prairie Mom]

I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say female but I think it's to early to tell... As for the shell I am not experienced enough with the species to give you a good answer and let the more experienced members help you out with that.

It is too early to tell, but I think guesses are fun too Thanks!

 

[Prairie Mom]

Thanks for the responses so far! My nearest reptile vet is MANY hours away and I don't see a reason to haul her out there right now, plus, I've received such good advice here --why stop a good thing!? I'm just curious what everyone thinks/guesses about her appearance & causes etc, and I will keep an eye out for more opinions. Thanks, again!

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm pretty sure the deformed section is healed dog chews. And this also coincides with the 'scuffs' up further on the carapace - tooth scrapes. The light line across the section above the tail looks like hard water/calcium deposits...like the tortoise lived in shallow water for a while...not fungus. You really lucked out. That's a pretty nice-looking little sulcata.

 

[Prairie Mom]

I'm pretty sure the deformed section is healed dog chews. And this also coincides with the 'scuffs' up further on the carapace - tooth scrapes. The light line across the section above the tail looks like hard water/calcium deposits...like the tortoise lived in shallow water for a while...not fungus. You really lucked out. That's a pretty nice-looking little sulcata.

DOG CHEWS! Of course! Plus, she was definitely softer in those areas, which would have made it even easier for a dog to damage her. You've also opened my eyes---HARD WATER! Yes, I think you're right. I may take some oil of some kind and give her a toothbrush scrub. I did luck out in so many ways. We couldn't be more smitten with her.

 

[Prairie Mom]

Can anyone offer up any thoughts on photo 8? Can we observe how her shell is growing from the photo? I was wondering about the raised "rings..."

 

[Rick's Sullivan]

Hi Prairie, I wonder what the best oil would be to try to scrub off the deposits? I was thinking about mineral oil, but cooking oils would probably be the safest. I'd love to be able to help you out with your shell growth photo, but I'm still learning this one too. I got Sullivan from a buddy who cared for him poorly and then moved to the UK for school. He has a lot of pyramiding and will look that way for ever, but I don't care as long as he's healthy. Mavis is a great looking little Sully. I read your original post and am really glad she's with you guys, especially after hearing about the dog chews and shallow water scenario here!!!

 

[turtlelady80]

"She" (hint hint) looks like she's growing nicely

 

[Prairie Mom]

"She" (hint hint) looks like she's growing nicely

Woo hoo! Thanks, turtlelady!

 

[turtlelady80]

Sure thing and those "raised rings" looks like they were from before. Her new growth is nice and smooth now because of you!

 

[Prairie Mom]

Sure thing and those "raised rings" looks like they were from before. Her new growth is nice and smooth now because of you!

Oh GOOD! I'm sure it will get easier for me to see what is the new growth the longer I have her, but for now I'm still a bit clueless. I'll happily take your word for it that it looks like she is improving. Thanks!

 

[Alaskamike]

Nice baby
I have one with similar pyramiding , actually I think my " Tiny" has more. He is supposed to be 2yo but only 2.3lbs.

I saw a very large one who was taken out of the woods ( found) here with a white fungus all over his shell. Looked allot like that. He was scrubbed off with brushes and shell treated with extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil - once clean as they could get it. The coconut oil is a natural anti- fungal. I doubt that it is from hard water.

The shell damage was an injury. You will probably see odd growth there for a long time but it should lessen as he ages.
I'll be interested to see how he grows !
Mike

 

[Prairie Mom]

Nice baby
I have one with similar pyramiding , actually I think my " Tiny" has more. He is supposed to be 2yo but only 2.3lbs.

I saw a very large one who was taken out of the woods ( found) here with a white fungus all over his shell. Looked allot like that. He was scrubbed off with brushes and shell treated with extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil - once clean as they could get it. The coconut oil is a natural anti- fungal. I doubt that it is from hard water.

The shell damage was an injury. You will probably see odd growth there for a long time but it should lessen as he ages.
I'll be interested to see how he grows !
Mike

Hi Mike,
Thanks so much for contributing your thoughts regarding my sulcata. It's really helpful to hear your point of view! It's hard for me to know about "the tail area" of her shell. I am planning on trying to scrub this off (whatever it turns out to be) and will definitely look for the coconut oil you mentioned. I was uncertain what oil I should use and it sounds like the coconut oil would cover multiple scenarios. I may have to get the virgin stuff online. It doesn't seem to be growing rapidly, so I don't think it will be the end of the world to wait for it to come in the mail.

As far as the odd growth, I'm not too worried about her appearance. Of course, I want to know that the pyramiding is halting under my care, but I'm just really glad her health has improved so much. Thanks again and I'll post again after I treat her