Is this shell rot

[PeanutbuttER]

I think it is, but I'd just like to double check with everyone before I start treating for it.

What do you all think?

 

[Eighttrack]

Is the shell soft?

 

[Tropical Torts]

I think you may have a cherry head RF there but its hard to tell. If so it may be marbling.

 

[Madkins007]

My nickel's worth...

I see a little rot on the side of the plastron, but it could just be abrasion. The white on the carapace is trickier to me. It may be abrasion, discoloration due to stress a couple growing periods back, or something.

If it does not scrape off- if it is just hard shell material- it is probably not any form of rot. Clean it off well (Betadine and a gentle scrub), clean the habitat, and monitor it.

 

[PeanutbuttER]

The shell is soft, but she's still a hatchling. Close to 3 months old now.

She's not a cherryhead. I trust the breeder I got her from (She also sells cherryheads separately). Besides, she's still under 3 inches. They wouldn't start marbeling this small would they? I thought that was always a bit bigger before they started.

I treated her a week and a half ago for shell rot and gave her the full betadine/chlorhexidine and anti-fungal treatment for several days. It didn't seem to get any better, but rather it seems like its gotten more and more widespread. That's why I wanted to check to see if it was shell rot or if it was something else. It doesn't scrape off. I used a mechanical pencil and scratched at it for a second to check that as I was taking the pics. So, shell rot would scrape off then? If it doesn't scrape off does that mean that this is "normal" and I'm just being a bit too paranoid then?

I forgot to mention before. These white spots are new. They didn't grow in with new growth, but rather have appeared on top of/inside the "older" new growth.

Unless anyone else has an opinion on this my plan is to restart the chlorhexidine/betadine regiment and keep her clean. Also, I've been taking her out of her enclosure for about an hour or two daily now and setting her on a dry and soft towel to try and keep her "wetness" in check as a precaution.

I'll be honest, I'm worried about shell rot because my other RF had shell rot before I got her and she still has pitting and scars on her plastron. I don't want Maui to turn out the same. My goal is to keep her as well hydrated as possible so as to avoid pyramiding, but still have a dry enough habitat to avoid shell rot.

Thanks to you all for your input, ideas, and opinions! I appreciate them.

 

[Tropical Torts]

My little cherry head started marbling at 1 1/2 yrs old!

 

[PeanutbuttER]

Wow, well I guess I was under the wrong impression about marbling then. I thought they had to be about 6" before they did anything.

Does anyone else have any ideas about what those white spots on her shell might be? Those worry me a lot more than anything on her plastron since I've heard that shell rot doesn't happen on the tops of their shells very often. I want to make sure it's not something that's going to cause her any harm.

 

[stickyrice]

My 9 month old redfoot has the same white spots on the top of his shell too. I have been keeping an eye on them to see if they grow but they don't. Just a theory, I soak and rise him daily with regular tap water and I think the white stuff is maybe calcium deposits from hard water. It's like those white stuff that builds up on the top hood of a fish tank that's years old. When it's wet, the white stuff disappear, but when dry they show up. Same happens on the white spots on the shell.

I tried using a toothbrush to gently scrub it off, but it isn't coming off so I'm not going to risk scratching his shell if I do it any harder. Same with the fish tank hood, those white stuff need scrubbing with a wet towel to remove.

 

[HarleyK]

When it's wet, the white stuff disappear, but when dry they show up. Same happens on the white spots on the shell.

My rf also has those white spots and I am going to keep an eye on it. I also see it when it is dry also, not sure that it is.

 

[bluejen1313]

My rf has some spots on her plastron that scrape off...Is that shell rot? And if so, what do I do?

 

[stickyrice]

Perhaps posting up some pics of it up close?

I looked up info about hard water and it's also called limescale.
After my tort's water dish is dried up, I can see a white ring in it too.
Besides the fact that chemical cleaners are dangerous, another alternative I read is vinegar and lemon juice.
They both can loosen up the white stuff but slowly.

I won't use vinegar since it has a strong smell, my question is will lemon juice be safe to scrub on their shells?

 

[stickyrice]

Alright so today I tried using some lemon juice (from fresh squeezed lemons) with a cotton swap to wipe off some of the white spots and it doesn't seem to come off.
I think I am going to try not to wet my tort on top but instead let him sit in the water to soak.
I will stick to spraying him a few times a day with spring water to keep his shell moist.

 

[HarleyK]

i have been spraying my tort with filtered drinking water and it still has the
"hard water spots"

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would use a dilute betadine solution once, then not again as it kills off the beneficial whilte blood cells needed for new healthy growth. Then I'd dry dock her for 7 days while washing her off with Chlorhexidine 5 or 6 times a day. Shell rot is soft and scrapes off tho. Use the foot powder stuff once a day. Anyhow, I don't keep Redfoots but I do treat shell rot and what you have does not sound like the shell rot in my experience. But I hope this helps...
Treat for a week as if it were shell rot and if it stays the same and you can't scrape it off or push in the middle it's not rot maybe just water spots or marbling...