New shell rot??? Can't tell what I am doing wrong

Nugget1994

New Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
7
Hi,

Just have some questions regarding my russian tortoise, Nugget. His shell seems really dry and flaky on the top and kind of discolored underneath the flaked off parts, also it feels like there is a layer of "membrane" over the parts that flake off. Almost like adhesive on plastic or something, its not sticky, just has that feeling of being a layer over the shell. the shell is definitely hard underneath though, not squishy in any way. the same goes for the lower portion of his under shell. i am really worried that he has shell rot or something wrong with him. He's a very active and smart little guy and I don't want him to be in any health dangers. He does seem to be getting physically bigger though, so maybe it's just his shell growing with him?

Here's a link to some pics I took. http://imgur.com/a/eycD6 the last 4 are when I first got him, the vet said it looked like he was recovering from some shell rot due to the previous owner's miscare for him.

If he does have shell rot, what should I do? I give him the TNT tortoise nutrition powder on his food, and he had a good UVB bulb (although it only lights half the enclosure). I don't have the money for another vet visit right now, but if it does look like shell rot, I'll get him in ASAP
 

Nugget1994

New Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
7
Hi,

Just have some questions regarding my russian tortoise, Nugget. His shell seems really dry and flaky on the top and kind of discolored underneath the flaked off parts, also it feels like there is a layer of "membrane" over the parts that flake off. Almost like adhesive on plastic or something, its not sticky, just has that feeling of being a layer over the shell. the shell is definitely hard underneath though, not squishy in any way. the same goes for the lower portion of his under shell. i am really worried that he has shell rot or something wrong with him. He's a very active and smart little guy and I don't want him to be in any health dangers. He does seem to be getting physically bigger though, so maybe it's just his shell growing with him?

Here's a link to some pics I took. http://imgur.com/a/eycD6 the last 4 are when I first got him, the vet said it looked like he was recovering from some shell rot due to the previous owner's miscare for him.

If he does have shell rot, what should I do? I give him the TNT tortoise nutrition powder on his food, and he had a good UVB bulb (although it only lights half the enclosure). I don't have the money for another vet visit right now, but if it does look like shell rot, I'll get him in ASAP
 

biochemnerd808

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Oof, yep, looks like over the next months or years the entire top layer of keratin will likely come off. Nothing to do about that. The good news is that the new keratin layer looks to be growing in ok. It's not rotting down to the bone.

It will most likely heal on its own - it's hard to tell though if there is still any active rot. An easy way to knock any possible rot out (without harming your tortoise) is to swab the entire shell with diluted iodine tincture. You can get it for $3 or so at Wallgreens (or any other drugstore). Some places only have it behind the counter, so you may have to ask them for it. Then take a small dixie cup or something, put a few tablespoons of warm water in there, and then drip iodine tincture in there until it looks like weak tea. Then, with a cotton swab, swab off the entire shell. At places where it's flaking, and at intersections of the scutes, you may have to press the cotton a bit to make extra liquid come out and saturate it. Then let it air dry. Be sure to rinse your tortoise under running water the next time before soaking, so that he doesn't sit in and drink the iodine water. His urates may turn a little brown, but that will go away by itself. The iodine tincture will kill fungal rot as well as bacterial stuff on the surface of the shell.

In the long run, just keep on providing good care (good food, UVB, hydration etc) and over time, his shell will heal. One day you'll look back at the old pictures and be amazed at how bad it looked... so don't lose hope, it WILL look better with time.
 

Yvonne G

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Pictures are a big help, but seeing the tortoise in actual time would be much better. From the pictures, I'm tempted to say all the shell damage you're looking at is old, but I can't really know for sure.

Your best bet is to go ahead and treat for the shell rot as a preventative measure. Buy some Betadine and some Chlorhexadine. The first day, clean all the spots with Betadine. Scrub them well with a tooth brush, getting the solution inside all the nooks and crannies. Don't use the Betadine again...first day only. After day one, clean the shell with Chlorhxadine. Allow it to dry then rub in athlete foot cream, getting it into all the spaces under the lifted shell spots and making sure to cover every surface you can.

Do a 'search' for shell rot. We've talked a lot about this subject here on the Forum.
 

Nugget1994

New Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
7
Thanks for the tips! I heard on another post to use diluted iodine with a cotton swab. Would this do the same as the betadine and chlorhexadine?
 
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