6 year old redfoot with a cracked shell Advice please

[Hustler]

I just picked up 2 red foot females from the airport today....
The previous owner neglected to tell me one of them has a crack on the bottom of her shell
She is healthy and moves around, eats and poops just fine but it is a bad crack and I would like to fix it. She is approx 6 years old and it looks like the crack has been there for some time...
The scales around the crack are a bit loose if you squeeze it and the scale where the crack is....is gone.
I will arrange for my vet to take a good look at her next week but I would like to know what I can to to treat her and maybe fix this?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[dmmj]

it looks like one of her shell pieces is missing, and I don't think that is a crack per se. In all honesty it looks like the pieces in between the shells, but I could be wrong, If it is not affecting her eating and there is no ooze or fluids leaking I would keep her dry and on newspaper till the vet visit, and just keep an eye on her.

 

[EricIvins]

That's a growth/hinge line.......Nothing wrong, the whole Tortoise looks like that if you were to strip all those Keratin layers away......

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mel:

If you took away all the keratin on the shell, you would see seams or sutures in the bone underneath. These sutures don't line up with the growth seams in the keratin layer. I THINK what you're seeing under that removed scute is a suture in the bone. Eventually that section of bone will turn white and die and then over the months or maybe years, new keratin and bone will grow UNDER that dead bone. Then, after a LONG time, that white, dead bone will pop off and a pretty, new layer of scute/keratin will be underneath.

I have no idea what caused the scute to fall off in that area...maybe shell rot, or being chewed on, who knows. But its not life threatening, and there's really nothing you can do about it.

If it were my tortoise, and since they are kept in moist substrate, I'd be on the look-out and always aware of shell rot.

 

[Hustler]

you guys are 100% correct.
I was in such shock just to see it I didnt even think of that. What a relief.....
Thanks guys

 

[Zouave]

While i feel terrible for the tort, those are excellent pics showing the thickness of the scutes and what lies beneath.
Hope she heals quickly.

 

[Hustler]

Well I went and did my check up today and when i pulled her out of her humid hide i found BUGS......
tiny little greenish bugs just on that one piece of shell.... I tore everything appart but couldnt see any others in the cypress or on any other parts, just on the one part of her shell.
Should I be in a mad panic right now or would this be cured up with shell treatment cream?
I scrubbed it again and there is no smell and its nice and hard but bugs..... got me scared now

 

[dmmj]

if there is no smell I wouldn't worry, the bugs could just be a coincidence, any idea what the bugs were?

 

[Hustler]

none whatsoever???
it could be from climbing over fruit? or in the cypress? or they were in the shell?
I would like to try and treat this with something, maybe approach it like shell rot? or polysporin?

 

[Hustler]

Its really freaking me out as the scale was right by the leg....
I talked to my vet and she isnt quite sure what to do with them as they arent maggots or anything like that, I dont know who to talk to about bugs..... Or if they are threatning ect...
There isnt a ton of people familiar with tortoises up here as they are a bit rare (they still fiberglass patch cracks) SO Im hopeing to get some info or ideas here as you guys have way more torts and experience

---

Also that last pic has the cluster of bugs.... I cant get a close up of them my camera wont focus that tight

 

[Yvonne G]

I have those little bugs in my substrate too. They're too small to i.d. and I've always called them mites. I think they're just attracted to that portion of the shell because they are detrius eaters, and are cleaning it of particulates. I don't know if you should be worried about it or not. But you can try cleaning out the habitat and starting over with fresh substrate. Wash the shell real well with soapy water or chlorhexidrine, paying particular attention to the edges of the missing scute, then dry it good.

 

[Hustler]

Emy thats what im praying it is
There is a layer of dust attached to it from the cypress mulch and im guessing fruit/veggie juice as she is one that will sit on the food dishes lol
I dont want to kick her out of a hide to try and keep her dry as ive had a slider way back that had a dead chunk of shell i figured bone that was fine exposed..... just white and hard as a rock so I hope this turns out like that with new growth underneath.
But if this is something I can or should treat I would like to know now and get on it...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Hope it improves!