Soaking RF with shell rot?

[PandaBear305]

Hello,
My red foot has shell rot and the vet prescribed betadine to treat it while we get lab results back. Been keeping him dry on weewee pads, with the humidifier running for humidity. But was wondering if I should give him a warm bath. And if soaking him in a warm bath with betadine on him would be toxic, since they sometimes like dunking their heads in the bath. I have the same worry leaving a water dish in the enclosure if he has betadine on his shell. Any advice?

 

[Randi]

Hi. Could you please provide some pictures of your tortoise? If it is shell rot, you will need to make some changes to the enclosure. It happens when the substrate is too moist. You need the top layer of substrate to be dry.

If it is shell rot, you'll need:
Athlete's Foot Cream (with Clotrimazole 1%)
Betadine (only enough for two scrubs)
Chlorhexidine 2% (Novalsan) or Hibiclens
Toothbrush

You will start by allowing the tort their regular soak. Regular water for 30 minutes or more. After this, you will use the Betadine. You apply directly to the affected area and let it dry. You do this for two days. After this, no more Betadine! It will inhibit new skin growth. You will need Chlorhexidine 2% or Hibiclens from then on. You will soak the tort with regular water for 30 minutes or more to hydrate. Then you would change the water, and add a small amount of water to a container with some Chlorhexidine. Only enough to cover the plastron. Let the tort sit in the solution for 15 minutes. Always be supervising as to make sure they do not drink it or get it in their eyes. After this, you will get some Chlorhexidine on a toothbrush and scrub the plastron. I would scrub a few times. On the last scrub, you do not rinse. You let it dry. Then you apply Athlete's Foot Cream (with Clotrimazole 1%). Keep the tort in a container in the enclosure until dry. Once dry, tort can be put back in enclosure. This needs to be done daily or every second day. And even after the signs of shell rot are gone, I would still treat for two weeks to a month.

My Cherry Head had a severe case of shell rot and this is what worked for mine. I treated for over a year. No ill effects in regards to drinking or soaking in between treatment.

I would personally set up the enclosure and get rid of any paper towels, absorbant mats, etc.. Use cypress mulch, coco coir, etc. Less stressful for your tortoise during all of this as it is natural to it. You will also need to be prepared for pee and poop during the scrubs as they don't like them very much.


Hope to have helped. Best of luck to you and yours. Happy Easter!

 

[PandaBear305]

Thank you Randi for the advice! i have no pictures yet but the vet did confirm shell rot. He is running labs to check if its bacterial or fungal related. i was told that if i put them back on substrate that he may recontaminate it while being treated, thats why I've kept him on weewee pads in a "hospital" tub. I was told that his enclosure and water dish, house etc needed to be disinfected as well. In your case, what did you use to disinfect the area?

Before i had him on spag moss and some orchid bark. i think now I'm going to switch over to coco coir/fiber instead.

 

[Randi]

I would recommend a new vet. There is no need for any testing. It's fungal, not bacterial. Shell fungus or rot, occurs when the plastron (underside) is constantly on wet substrate. The only way to prevent it from reoccurring is to ensure the top layer of substrate is dry.

During treatment, I never changed my enclosure. I kept the coco coir on top of cypress mulch, hides, humidity, etc., the same. I also never disinfected anything unless it needed to be or it was time for a cleaning. The only thing that I did was ensure the top layer of substrate was dry and I started treating for the shell rot.

Not much more to be done. You can clean the enclosure and/or items inside as many times as you'd like but I do not think it would make any difference with what's going on with your tort as it is all related to moisture.

I also would get rid of the absorbant mat as it won't make any difference. It is probably stressing your tortoise out as it's very unnatural. I'd put in coco coir, cypress mulch, orchid bark or whatever substrate you wanna use. I'd get the enclosure set up as natural as possible to make the tortoise as comfortable as possible - hides, plants, etc. Treating is stressful and the tank will be their sanctuary after it's done. They need somewhere to retreat to. No need to make it a hospital tank. That's too stressful.

If you can correct moisture levels on the top layer of substrate and start treating, I think your tortoise will be just fine.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I agree with Randi. You don't need more Betadine. It will actually slow or stop the regrowth of the healthy shell.
A vet is not needed for this. It is actually common. My tortoises get it if we have very wet and rainy summers. I do a quick cleaning using a plastic item to scrape the surface fungus. Then a batadine wash, scrub, followed by some "Dollar store" athletes foot cream. (same active ingredient) I re apply the cream for about a week. Once a day and it will go away.
If you are housing this animal indoors, I'll give you this tip: Use a layer of orchid bark with a layer of potting soil on top. Moisten the bark by pouring water into the corners and the bark will absorb it like a sponge, leaving high humidity but the soil top layer dry.
Outdoors, get or make a "doghouse". Place it on higher ground, facing slightly downwards. Redfoot love the rain and they love to get wet, but at night they will seek out a place to get dry and warm. As long as they can dry them selves, the shell rot issues will stay at a minimum.
It sounds like you still need to do a few tweaks to your enclosure......Then BOTH of you will be fine.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Also, is 305 your area code? Miami?
If so, we have MANY options for housing a Redfoot!

 

[PandaBear305]

Thank you guys! I really appreciate the information. Little Gimli is currently housed indoors but once he gets bigger, he'll have a nice area in the backyard.

 

[PandaBear305]

Here's a before and after picture of today's scrubbing. Ive been using an electric toothbrush to help with the scrubbing. I noticed that once its dries before I put the cream on it begins to flake off. Should I scrape it off? Im worried that I'm hurting him throughout this entire process. I feel horrible that I let it get this bad for Gimli.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I gently scrape. A lot of people don't. Try to see if the scraping seems to cause any discomfort for the tortoise. I only do this when I first start the treatment and only if it's bad.
I.M.O. it isn't necessary to scrub or scrape after you begin treatment. (You may just be scrubbing away some new shell growth.)
I would use the athletes foot cream daily and not mess with the areas other than that. Some scarring will be there....For months. But the actual fungus will die pretty quickly. And wont require anything else.