Shell rot

Onidara

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Feb 11, 2015
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I going to post this because of the 5 Bolvarins I have seen in the last week all 5 had shell rot but the caretaker before me thought it was normal and this was multiple people if you see white on the belly like thisImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1486086222.534177.jpg
That's shell rot and if left alone too long it will eat though the shell. I've seen some that were bleeding a bit because it eat so much though the shell. Now this is caused because Redfoots need humidity so some people wet the substance and leave it at that well that causes shell rot. The best way to prevent it I found is go humidity use a humidifier and attach a hose to it to pump the humidified air in, also in their hide go and buy those big yellow sponges and put Velcro on them then attach them to the roof of the hide on the inside that way you can pull them off wet them and then put them back on in the inside and it will increase the humidity a lot. This is what I've been doing for my Redfoots and i have over 20 of them and not one of them has ever got shell rot and they are all smooth shelled because I can keep the humidity in the upper 80s without worrying about how wet it is in there. I'm just so tried of seeing Redfoots with shell rot when it is so easy to prevent and stop.
 

Pearly

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1486139536.181743.jpg my baby Tucker after a bath and his coco oil massage ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1486139760.162655.jpg. And another look at his belly ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1486139845.308205.jpg and here's Shellie's....belly:) i think that I also wouldn't like to sit on WET substrate. I also have a fogger, though if used to excess they will too cause lots of condensation and soggy enclosure floor (been there and done that!) It all takes practice and fine tuning. I've never had to deal with shell rot but it is fairly easy problem to fix. I keep mine on bio-substrate that contains soil/coir mix with live bugs and earthworms all covered by layer of moss, and couple areas of layer of orchid bark which i did for them to provide room for digging if they felt the urge to do so but ever since i got a big deep hide for them they have both stopped digging. And before anyone asks: yes, i do keep my 2 together! I got a pair like so many of us bfr knowing about this forum. The breeder sure didn't protest! Anyway ever since i got in the forum I had started preparing for separating them and I am ready to do so at any time now, there has just not been a need to do so. Yet:)
 

cmacusa3

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View attachment 198915 my baby Tucker after a bath and his coco oil massage View attachment 198916. And another look at his belly View attachment 198917 and here's Shellie's....belly:) i think that I also wouldn't like to sit on WET substrate. I also have a fogger, though if used to excess they will too cause lots of condensation and soggy enclosure floor (been there and done that!) It all takes practice and fine tuning. I've never had to deal with shell rot but it is fairly easy problem to fix. I keep mine on bio-substrate that contains soil/coir mix with live bugs and earthworms all covered by layer of moss, and couple areas of layer of orchid bark which i did for them to provide room for digging if they felt the urge to do so but ever since i got a big deep hide for them they have both stopped digging. And before anyone asks: yes, i do keep my 2 together! I got a pair like so many of us bfr knowing about this forum. The breeder sure didn't protest! Anyway ever since i got in the forum I had started preparing for separating them and I am ready to do so at any time now, there has just not been a need to do so. Yet:)
Haven't used the coco oils but this makes me want to. They look amazing.
 

allegraf

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Mine get the shell rot from being outside in the Florida weather (high humidity, lots of rain) and a big contributor to my issues is the sandy soil we have. Sucks but it is an ongoing battle for me.
 

Gillian M

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View attachment 198915 my baby Tucker after a bath and his coco oil massage View attachment 198916. And another look at his belly View attachment 198917 and here's Shellie's....belly:) i think that I also wouldn't like to sit on WET substrate. I also have a fogger, though if used to excess they will too cause lots of condensation and soggy enclosure floor (been there and done that!) It all takes practice and fine tuning. I've never had to deal with shell rot but it is fairly easy problem to fix. I keep mine on bio-substrate that contains soil/coir mix with live bugs and earthworms all covered by layer of moss, and couple areas of layer of orchid bark which i did for them to provide room for digging if they felt the urge to do so but ever since i got a big deep hide for them they have both stopped digging. And before anyone asks: yes, i do keep my 2 together! I got a pair like so many of us bfr knowing about this forum. The breeder sure didn't protest! Anyway ever since i got in the forum I had started preparing for separating them and I am ready to do so at any time now, there has just not been a need to do so. Yet:)
Your torts are sooooooooooo cute! GOD bless.
 

Onidara

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Messages
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View attachment 198915 my baby Tucker after a bath and his coco oil massage View attachment 198916. And another look at his belly View attachment 198917 and here's Shellie's....belly:) i think that I also wouldn't like to sit on WET substrate. I also have a fogger, though if used to excess they will too cause lots of condensation and soggy enclosure floor (been there and done that!) It all takes practice and fine tuning. I've never had to deal with shell rot but it is fairly easy problem to fix. I keep mine on bio-substrate that contains soil/coir mix with live bugs and earthworms all covered by layer of moss, and couple areas of layer of orchid bark which i did for them to provide room for digging if they felt the urge to do so but ever since i got a big deep hide for them they have both stopped digging. And before anyone asks: yes, i do keep my 2 together! I got a pair like so many of us bfr knowing about this forum. The breeder sure didn't protest! Anyway ever since i got in the forum I had started preparing for separating them and I am ready to do so at any time now, there has just not been a need to do so. Yet:)
Your babies look beautiful, I keep two breeding pairs of Bolvarins together. They get along fine, haven't had fighting yet
 

Pearly

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Haven't used the coco oils but this makes me want to. They look amazing.
Your babies look beautiful, I keep two breeding pairs of Bolvarins together. They get along fine, haven't had fighting yet
As you can see this coco oil thing can stir up some controversy and I think in the end is just a personal choice we are all free to make for our pets. As for keeping in pairs, I at times go against the grain on this one. Did this same thing once with fish tanks, had betta in small community tank where everyone lived in peace and harmony. My thing is 1) keeping everyone well fed and 2) have the habitats well planted with lots of options for hiding or getting away for everybody, which they seem to utilize at the beginning but once the "order" is established, they each just do their own thing. And thank you for the sweet compliment:)
 

Pearly

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I just can't. That oil is sticky and clogs pores. I prefer Joe natural and worn and knowing that his shell can breathe
Maybe your oil is different. The kind we have here feels like butter when you first take it out of the fridge it's cool, it sort of ... flakes when you dig in to scoop it out with your fingers, but as soon as you start smearing it on your tort the warmth of your fingers and their little body's melts it and it becomes like liquid olive oil consistency where if you had too much it would drip off your tort. I am always careful with their heads especially around the eyes so no oil gets in them.
I think shea butter or olive oil or any other plant derived organic oil would do this same thing.
It is a personal choice we can each make for our pets. Somehow I think that once my babies move out to their tortoise garden full time I may not be so inclined to keep them so pristine:) and like you start getting used to their natural look:)
 

Pearly

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Mine get the shell rot from being outside in the Florida weather (high humidity, lots of rain) and a big contributor to my issues is the sandy soil we have. Sucks but it is an ongoing battle for me.
Where in Florida are you? I come every year for the summer or Christmas so the kids can spend time with Grandma who lives close to Ed's place (ZEROPILOT) if you are not too far I'd love to come see your heard , though this smells like a danger to me. Not sure if I could walk out empty handed:) hahaha!
 

kelii

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My vet recommended coconut oil when I was concerned about their dry legs. She said to apply it sparingly once or twice a week.
 

Kaska

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Sep 29, 2016
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28
I going to post this because of the 5 Bolvarins I have seen in the last week all 5 had shell rot but the caretaker before me thought it was normal and this was multiple people if you see white on the belly like thisView attachment 198861
That's shell rot and if left alone too long it will eat though the shell. I've seen some that were bleeding a bit because it eat so much though the shell. Now this is caused because Redfoots need humidity so some people wet the substance and leave it at that well that causes shell rot. The best way to prevent it I found is go humidity use a humidifier and attach a hose to it to pump the humidified air in, also in their hide go and buy those big yellow sponges and put Velcro on them then attach them to the roof of the hide on the inside that way you can pull them off wet them and then put them back on in the inside and it will increase the humidity a lot. This is what I've been doing for my Redfoots and i have over 20 of them and not one of them has ever got shell rot and they are all smooth shelled because I can keep the humidity in the upper 80s without worrying about how wet it is in there. I'm just so tried of seeing Redfoots with shell rot when it is so easy to prevent and stop.
Thank you so much for your post on shell rot! I'm getting my first redfoot tomorrow and have been trying to figure out the humidity.there's so much info out there it's confusing. I think I'll try the sponges idea, that great! What do I need the humidity to be for price health? I'm curious, what substrate do you use for redfoots?
 

ZEROPILOT

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Athletes foot cream works very well and acts very quickly, but the scars left behind will take a lot longer to fade and it might look like there is still actice fungus. If the area is hard, it's not active. The fungus affected area will be like wax.
 

Pearly

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You use regular (organic) coconut oil to massage your RF? What are the Benefits? Very interesting to know...
Yes, cold pressed organic. I would have probably never know about it if it hadn't been for this forum. Some people love it some don't. I obviously do:) I love messing with my babies, touching and handling them, plus they spend few hrs outside in their Tortoise Garden so this gives me a chance to closely inspect their skin, scales and shells. As for the oil itself, I believe it conditions their shells/skin just like human face/hand creams and hair conditioners. Long after I was already doing my coco oil routine I discovered "tortoise shell conditioner" at petco or petsmart. I didn't have the time then to stop and look at the ingredients but I'd bet they contain some type of oil.
 

TempestRising

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Yes, cold pressed organic. I would have probably never know about it if it hadn't been for this forum. Some people love it some don't. I obviously do:) I love messing with my babies, touching and handling them, plus they spend few hrs outside in their Tortoise Garden so this gives me a chance to closely inspect their skin, scales and shells. As for the oil itself, I believe it conditions their shells/skin just like human face/hand creams and hair conditioners. Long after I was already doing my coco oil routine I discovered "tortoise shell conditioner" at petco or petsmart. I didn't have the time then to stop and look at the ingredients but I'd bet they contain some type of oil.
Thanks! That's really a good thing lol I use Coconut oil in my daily routine for my hair skin etc so luckily I have some laying around I may give this a try and see how my babies enjoy it!
 
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