Tortoise 15 years starting to get discoloration on skin

[Angie Robinson]

I have had my tortoise for ten years. Last year he got a skin infection. That was my fault. A child's plastic pool is great for soaking but after a few months he broke it and cut himself getting out. It was such a minimal cut, but he went to the vet and went on antibiotics, which he hated! The skin on the back of his front leg has become discolored, darker. I have been treating it with beteadine. And it hasn't gotten worse but it hasn't gotten better. His overall health is great. He is an outdoor tortoise. Do any of you with adult tortoises have skin discolorations? I've seen a lot of hatchlings posts of discoloration but not adults.

 

[Markw84]

The problem may be the betadine. Although good for disinfecting, it also damages the good cells and slows down healing. I know with aquatic turtles, I will use it on skin fungus but only one treatment or it slows healing

 

[Angie Robinson]

I have had my tortoise for ten years. Last year he got a skin infection. That was my fault. A child's plastic pool is great for soaking but after a few months he broke it and cut himself getting out. It was such a minimal cut, but he went to the vet and went on antibiotics, which he hated! The skin on the back of his front leg has become discolored, darker. I have been treating it with beteadine. And it hasn't gotten worse but it hasn't gotten better. His overall health is great. He is an outdoor tortoise. Do any of you with adult tortoises have skin discolorations? I've seen a lot of hatchlings posts of discoloration but not adults.
Also a few of his scales? Have fallen off on the back of he foot

The problem may be the betadine. Although good for disinfecting, it also damages the good cells and slows down healing. I know with aquatic turtles, I will use it on skin fungus but only one treatment or it slows healing

The problem may be the betadine. Although good for disinfecting, it also damages the good cells and slows down healing. I know with aquatic turtles, I will use it on skin fungus but only one treatment or it slows healing

I know I need to make another visit to the vet but it's hard moving an 80 tortoise. I am going to try to post a picture. I'm new to this forum, any forum actually

 

[Yvonne G]

What Mark was telling you is to discontinue treating the skin with Betadine. There's no need to go back to the vet.

 

[Angie Robinson]

Ok now that I know how to post a picture I'd like to share the blackening on his leg. And also noticed a few scales are missing.

 

[Angie Robinson]

 

[Angie Robinson]

He is dehydrated. I'm having a harder time getting him to stay in the water. I did feed him in the watering bowl (clean garbage can filled with Luke warm water) to keep him there as long as I could. I used a kids plastic pool from Walmart last year but he broke it and cut himself on it. That's how this all started. Up to this point we've never had any issues.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's really hard to tell a problem from looking at pictures. I'm going to offer that you should try to scrub those areas, gently, to get any debris and dead skin off then apply something like Neosporin to the areas. The Betadine inhibits the growth of new white blood cells, so you don't want to use it after the first application.

Are you sure he's not drinking enough water on his own? Does he eat anything besides grazing on the grass? If so, you can spritz water over his food.