Shell rot?

[klouise]

Hey guys!
So I have a new Redfoot named Russell and I think she's about 3 months old or so. I just adopted her a few weeks ago and just noticed this on her shell as I was soaking her. The have sphagnum moss in their enclosure and I mist them twice daily. My othet tortoise's shell doesnt look Like that. She's eating and drinking well and is an active little thing. Any ideas are great! Thanks!!

 

[ascott]

Looks like a minor case trying to get going....you can gently clean with a toothbrush and then apply some athletes foot cream ...and you can do this a few times a day...you may also want to let her be in a bit dryer environment while treating...

Also, if your enclosure is too wet and does not provide an area that is dry this will continue to be a problem....perhaps add substrate to make a deeper base then this way you can wet from time to time and the bottom layers will remain moist but the top layers will be dry so the tort is not constantly resting in wet substrate...

 

[klouise]

Thank you so much for your help! How often should I use the toothbrush? How deep should the substrate be? Is it a big deal if the substrate sticks to the cream?

 

[ascott]

You can clean the area a few times a day and the apply the cream...and since you are working the area and cleaning(be sure to give your tort some time to dry a little before applying the cream) on a regular basis I do not see substrate being a problem...but do allow somewhere in your enclosure for the tort to retreat to so that dry up can happen---this really does need to be an option so that the shell can heal up ....

 

[klouise]

Thanks! I actually took her to the vet today and got it all taken care of