Shell rot on western hermann's tortoise?

[jakub98]

Hi,

One day after soaking, I noticed some sort of discoloration on the belly of my young hermann's tort. Is this shell rot? I keep him in a closed chamber enclosure with ~80% humidity. For substrate, I use mix of peat moss and orchid bark.

In terms of behavior, there is no change. He's eating as normal and being active as normal.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

This doesn’t look fungal to me, that’s only common in red foots, it doesn’t really happen to species like Herman, peat moss is too acidic so it could possibly be a plastron burn, but not 100% sure.

How old is your herman do you know?

 

[jakub98]

This doesn’t look fungal to me, that’s only common in red foots, it doesn’t really happen to species like Herman, peat moss is too acidic so it could possibly be a plastron burn, but not 100% sure.

How old is your herman do you know?

Thank you for the answer. I am using peat moss because it was recommended to me by the keeper I got my tort from. Should I mix in some topsoil to make it "less potent"? Also, if it is a shell burn, is there any treatment for it?

About the age - the cites documentation says the little fellow hatched sometime between october and december last year, so 8 months+-1 month.

 

[jakub98]

This doesn’t look fungal to me, that’s only common in red foots, it doesn’t really happen to species like Herman, peat moss is too acidic so it could possibly be a plastron burn, but not 100% sure.

How old is your herman do you know?

I just noticed when I checked him on a cam, that this is how he eats. Do you think it's possible that it's bruise from his terracota saucer? Do I need to replace with something else?

 

[COmtnLady]

Kudos for using a closed chamber and terracotta saucers!

Feeding on a terracotta saucer is a good thing to do. It will help keep the toenails and beak worn down. Perhaps make a depression into the substrate so that the saucer is lower and less of a barrier/scrape hazard.

The best substrate materials are coco coir, fine orchid bark (also known as Fir bark), and cypress mulch.
(I, personally, dislike the swampy smell of the cypress bark and it usually has bigger more pointy pieces that I don't like around smaller tortoises). Different keepers chose different combinations of these three best substrates. Some use only the bark or mulch, some use only the coco coir (though it dries quickly when exposed to air, and makes a dusty surface that gets all over everything), and some use combinations of them.
I use three inches of slightly wet coco coir on the bottom (to easily maintain humidity) with three inches of orchid bark on top of that (so that the tortoise has a relatively dry surface to be on). I don't stir it up or mix it, but others do. As the bark pieces get walked into the lower strata I add more bark on top. As long as you spot-clean every day you won't need to change this substrate.

NEVER use sand, soils, cedar in any form, mosses, small pebbles, or other bits that can be easily swallowed.

If you are concerned about the plastron scrape, it probably just needs to be kept clean and watched. But using the least expensive athlete's foot cream on it won't hurt a thing, even if it isn't actually needed. You only put it on for two to four days when it is needed.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you for the answer. I am using peat moss because it was recommended to me by the keeper I got my tort from. Should I mix in some topsoil to make it "less potent"? Also, if it is a shell burn, is there any treatment for it?

About the age - the cites documentation says the little fellow hatched sometime between october and december last year, so 8 months+-1 month.

Unfortunately a lot of people give out outdated info, I wouldn’t use top soil, unless composted yourself there’s no knowing each and every ingredient/plant that’s gone into it.

Aw sweet! You’re doing good keeping humidity higher then

I just noticed when I checked him on a cam, that this is how he eats. Do you think it's possible that it's bruise from his terracota saucer? Do I need to replace with something else?

no I don’t think this is the saucer, there isn’t really much I’d recommend treatment wise other than removing the peat moss and keeping a close eye, perhaps some of the more experienced folks will come along with some pointers