Shell rot

[Maggie Cummings]

OK, I confess, none of my animals have ever had shell rot. so I really don't know how to treat them right. So this is what I've done so far.......
It's 2 rescued 3-toed, so please let's just pretend they're tortoises. I've had them for 9 months and somehow, just never looked at their plastrons. So the rot is bad, already made brown rot pits.
So I've...

Used a tool and went over each pit and scraped all the rot out.
Covered them with Tinactin....but then they just either wipe it all over their food, then eat it, or simply wipe it on the paper towels that is their substrate now. How many times do I use the Tinactin?
They have it really bad, can it kill them? I really need help here.......
They must have come with it and I just didn't see. I have a 3-toed from Mike Taylor who is the same size as the other 2 and he doesn't have a spot on him. His name is Buddy, he's cute as hell.
So here's a couple of pictures to sorta help. I really need Lacey to show me how to use my camera better, it's a really good camera with a really lousy operator.....









This was before I worked on them. So you can see the rot good in a couple of pix. So I'd really appreciate any help you've got......

 

[Kasia]

OK, I confess, none of my animals have ever had shell rot. so I really don't know how to treat them right. So this is what I've done so far.......
It's 2 rescued 3-toed, so please let's just pretend they're tortoises. I've had them for 9 months and somehow, just never looked at their plastrons. So the rot is bad, already made brown rot pits.
So I've...

Used a tool and went over each pit and scraped all the rot out.
Covered them with Tinactin....but then they just either wipe it all over their food, then eat it, or simply wipe it on the paper towels that is their substrate now. How many times do I use the Tinactin?
They have it really bad, can it kill them? I really need help here.......
They must have come with it and I just didn't see. I have a 3-toed from Mike Taylor who is the same size as the other 2 and he doesn't have a spot on him. His name is Buddy, he's cute as hell.
So here's a couple of pictures to sorta help. I really need Lacey to show me how to use my camera better, it's a really good camera with a really lousy operator.....

View attachment 193428

View attachment 193429

View attachment 193430

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This was before I worked on them. So you can see the rot good in a couple of pix. So I'd really appreciate any help you've got......

Hi
Maybe after applying the oiment put a thin layer of bandage on their plastrons and tape it to their top so they will not smear it around and still let it breath and dry out. I would go twice a day at least with the cream until it clears. They don't look very bad on you pics Maggie cute little fellows Hope they get better soon.

 

[MPRC]

I wonder if you can treat them and then just be a meanie and prop them up on a lid or jar for a few minutes while it soaks in. I know that technically you don't want them to be moist, but if they are absolutely rubbing it all off maybe you can wrap a strip of saran wrap around them for like 10 minutes while you supervise them so no one eats it?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I followed Kasia's advice and wrapped a gauze strip across the plastron and taped it to the carapace. Seems to be working just great! But I did think it looked really bad......

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I clean the areas with a plastic tool like a credit card and then dab the areas with iodine and water. Once.
Then apply the athletes foot cream every day or every other day.
Just a slight smear. Not a wad of it and the fungus will die quickly. Within a week to ten days.
However, the damage takes very long to scar over and unless you look closely, you might not think that it has worked.
This is semi common here in the tropics.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I clean the areas with a plastic tool like a credit card and then dab the areas with iodine and water. Once.
Then apply the athletes foot cream every day or every other day.
Just a slight smear. Not a wad of it and the fungus will die quickly. Within a week to ten days.
However, the damage takes very long to scar over and unless you look closely, you might not think that it has worked.
This is semi common here in the tropics.

Thanks everyone. It's wet here but nobody I ever had got this, and it looks so bad......

 

[MichaelaW]

I clean the areas with a plastic tool like a credit card and then dab the areas with iodine and water. Once.
Then apply the athletes foot cream every day or every other day.
Just a slight smear. Not a wad of it and the fungus will die quickly. Within a week to ten days.
However, the damage takes very long to scar over and unless you look closely, you might not think that it has worked.
This is semi common here in the tropics.

Exactly what I do. Works wonderfully.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks everyone. It's wet here but nobody I ever had got this, and it looks so bad......

Most of it will scar over.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Does it look terrible bad? Or just sorta normal bad. There's deep pits in that mess......

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Does it look terrible bad? Or just sorta normal bad. There's deep pits in that mess......

No. It looks pretty bad.

 

[Yvonne G]

Not to worry, Maggie. Shell rot is one of the easiest health problems to fix.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Not to worry, Maggie. Shell rot is one of the easiest health problems to fix.

Yes it is.
I've had two tortoise health issues. One cost over $2,500 and one cost a buck.
The buck was for some dollar store athletes foot cream to cure shell rot.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Thanks for the encouragement, I know it's bad and it scares me.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks for the encouragement, I know it's bad and it scares me.

Nothing to be scared of.
I see it a lot.(Just not recently) and it always goes away.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Nothing to be scared of.
I see it a lot.(Just not recently) and it always goes away.

I'm doing just what you told me. So I have high hopes for them.....Thanks a lot

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They'll be fine.
100%!!

 

[Pearly]

Hi Maggie, I've never personally dealt with shell rot in torts, but have treated fungal infections in humans and this is what I know: 1) unless the individual infected is severely immunocompromised, they do not kill, it's more of a cosmetic nusance. You may have seen toenail antifungal meds commercials where the nails get thick and brittle and start crumbling. That's what fungus does to that keratin of our torts' underside when they sit on wet substrate. Mine have had extremely high humidity and moist substrate for past few months bcs I have noticed their shell's getting little "wrinkly" (not really piramiding) and I too have been checking their bellies after each bath. 2) They take a looooooong time to clear up. 3) Cudos to you for using common sense and debreeding the infected/dead tissue 4) Tinactin or any other anifungal is great, just do it daily or couple times a day over loooong time till you see improvement. And that you WILL. 5) one more thing I have read about tort fungus, is people at the beginning clean things up and wipe those areas with Betadine just one time, then move on to the antifungal cream and keep that up for weeks or even months. Kasia's idea with the bandaging is super and glad it's been working well for you. Just be sure the bandage layer is thin and very breathable bcs with fungus air circulation is everything. Fungus multiplies like crazy i dark, warm, moist, stuffy environment where there is no good air flow. And watch that bandage for wetness bcs if they dunk it in water, walking around with wet cloth stuck to that belly may hinder the healing process. Good luck with this Maggie, and don't worry, it will get better. Just be patient