Soft Shell

[TortoiseLove]

Could I use a chlorhexidine solution or bedamine to cure a bit of soft shell on my russian tortoise? I cannot get him to a vet due to vacationing. I caught it early and was wondering if I could cure it myself?

 

[Yvonne G]

Those preparations would only work if the soft shell was due to external causes (shell rot, etc), most likely your tortoise's shell is soft due to internal causes (MDB and calcium deficiency). The reason I say that is because you said you can see liquid through the transparency of the shell. Shell rot doesn't allow for that.

 

[TortoiseLove]

So if I provide him with proper care and calcium could it heal over time?

 

[Laura]

It depends on how bad it is and what kind of damage has been done.. Does yout tort eat? Access to outside and real sunlight? What is the diet?

 

[TortoiseLove]

He loves to eat! He is outside most of the time in an outdoor pen and sleeps indoors at night. But just in case I also have a UVB light. He eats mostly dandelions, white clover, and red clover. I also sprinkle calcium on his meals.
It could of been from his past which I do not know much about. But this morning, I found that some liquid had come out of where it was soft so I took papertowl and a small amount of unscented soap and tried to squeeze out what I could. After cleaning it, I put some polysporin and a bandaid on it. When I checked on him an hour ago, the soft spot was no longer soft!!! And no more liquid.