Tortoise shell

[Cinnamon563]

My baby Redfoot tortoise has something wrong with his shell. I believe it could possibly be shell rot from damp conditions it's been very wet this year.

He lives in an outdoor enclosure 8ftx4ft. He also lives with a baby sulcata (no they don't need separated I've talked to many reptile specialists and my vet and they say it's fine as long as that have enough space and it is cleaned regularly, also they will be separated when a size difference is a problem) the sulcata has no issues and neither does my adult male sulcata.

He eats a diet of fresh mixed greens, fruit, and occasional crickets, worms, and pinky mice. I dust all their food with calcium and multivitamin once-twice a week.

If this is indeed shell rot is there any way to treat it otc? If it's not what is it and what can I do?

The rotted looking area is a little bit soft but not extremely soft.

 

[Jodie]

Sorry I stopped reading at no they don't need separated. Since they have different environment and diet requirements, I disagree, and likely cannot offer you any advice you would be interested in.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

I agree with Jodie. Separation is needed since redfoot tortoises and sulcatas have different diet & habitat requirements. Sulcatas eat a lot of grass. Redfoot dont. Redfoot eat fruits and protein, sulcatas dont. Redfoot live in tropical habitats, sulcatas dont.

But it does look like your redfoot has shell rot. It happens when the surface substrate is too wet. Redfoot are very susceptible to shell rot. Check to see if the sulcata has shell rot.
If not, this is another reason why different tortoises should not be housed together.

I honestly don't remember what you apply to the shell. Some antifugal cream i believe. And keep the top substrate layer dry while the rot is trying to clear up.
Hopefully someone more experienced comes along and is more specific on the cream you use to treat shell rot.

 

[Cinnamon563]

Thank you for your input. I do greatly care about the health of my pets and believe I'm doing everything best for them. They eat diets specialized to them. There are different areas of their habitat, to provide them with climates they need. All baby tortoises need high humidity it's been proven many times to be very important to their shell growth. There is a temperature gradient they may choose to go in cooler or warmer areas. Yes it is almost more work to keep each tortoise in the same environment making sure each ones needs are met. It is much healthier for them to be outside anyhow and you can only change the environment so much. However that really does not pertain to an issue this individual tortoise is experiencing I've read Redford tend to be prone to shell rot. I'm looking into trying to find a local vet it's hard to drive 2 hours to my current vet with work and all.

To anyone else who has the same concern or even the poster I'm responding to I am actually very open to suggestions of any kind. I greatly care about my animals and will always do what I think is best but there is always more to learn.
You will never reach anyone anything or help out the animals you feel are not properly taken care of if you can't submit some friendly advice.

 

[Cinnamon563]

Thank you. If it is indeed shell rot then hopefully someone knows what cream or whatever is needed. He will be coming inside very soon on drier substrate, pretty bad tropical storm headed this way.

The Redfoot is tropical and in a tropical environment so I would think the sulcata would have issues in this case. My adult sulcata also lives outdoors and is in great health minus some very mild pyramiding he had when he was found along side the road with some malnutrition problems but is doing much better now.

 

[Aunt Caffy]

Athlete's foot cream/ointment. the active ingredients can be any of the following: miconazole nitrate, clotrimazole, butenafine hydrochloride, etc. A common brand is Lotrimin.

Just rub the cream into the affected areas of the shell. When my tortoise had this, I cleaned the shell with water, dried it, then applied the cream. I did this twice a day until the rot disappeared then a few days after that.

 

[Gillian M]

I agree with @Aunt Caffy as far as the shell rot is concerned: athlete cream will solve the issue. Please keep us updated.

(By the way your torts have a wonderful enclosure).

 

[Cinnamon563]

Thank you! I will go to the store tonight and look for the cream. Hopefully it clears up

 

[Gillian M]

Thank you! I will go to the store tonight and look for the cream. Hopefully it clears up

Wishes for your tort to get well soon.

 

[BrianWI]

Jock Itch cream is antifungal as well, as are the sprays.

 

[Aunt Caffy]

Jock Itch cream is antifungal as well, as are the sprays.

I would be a little hesitant to spray directly on the shell of one so small simply because there might be overspray that he could possibly inhale.

You're right about the jock itch cream. When I was researching the active ingredients, jock itch cream came up multiple times.

 

[Pearly]

Definitely looks like she'll rot. Wipe it down with Betadine sol. just 1 time then start applying Lotrimin or any other cream for athletes foot couple times a day until gone. Make sure she doesn't sit on damp substrate. It'll be fine, very much treatable condition