Newbie! In need of help for injury and possible shell rot

[TriciaHH]

Hi all, I'm Tricia. My son has had two Russian box turtles for about 9 years. As he is in the Marines, they've become mine for the past 3 years. Spike and Jade (Male and female) live outside in an enclosed area of our yard. When I went out to feed them this morning Jade's front leg looked like it had been partially bitten off! As Spike DID bit her leg last week, as you'll notice in the photos, I separated them... so he couldn't have done this. Also, her shell is a whitish color on one side. There was a terrible storm two nights ago and it's been raining, but there seemed to be nothing in the enclosure that would've caused this injury. I immediately went online and did the following:
Bathed her for a few minutes in warm water, soaked the front leg in hydrogen peroxide, gently dabbed on a little pure, raw, unfiltered honey(antibacterial) with a Q-Tip, tried to wrap it in gauze (which failed as she is VERY strong and I couldn't get the gauze to stay on). She is now in a sunny room in a box with a shoe box to hide in if she wants. I also fed her some dandelion leaves, looks like she ate a little. The front leg already looks less raw. But I am not sure what the problem is with her shell. What to do next? Any advice? Thanks so much!

 

[wellington]

They are Russian tortoises, not Russian box turtles. Do keep,them separated forever. Can critters get into,their enclosure? I would keep her on some paper towel to keep the wound clean. You can put an over the counter antibiotic cream on it. It should heal fine, just keep an eye on it and keep it clean.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Tricia welcome to the TFO from AZ . You got some good advise for the cuts now and now for the shell rot you can pick up some over the counter toe nail fungus cream and put that on the shell .


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[Grandpa Turtle 144]

And thank your son for his service .


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[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!​

 

[Tom]

Do you have a dog?

I don't see any shell rot. I see only a chewed foot and damaged scutes. Something tried to eat her. Time to either build a secure lockable night box, or bring them in at night. Whatever did that will be back for more.

 

[mojo]

Hi and welcome. Hope your Horsefield recovers from injuries soon. Can be very aggressive when two tortoises fight or mate. Mine are shut in enclosed runs to keep predators out and shut in night time to keep rats, foxes etc away. Good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tricia, and welcome to the Forum!

It was probably a rat. And now that he's found a potential food source, he'll keep coming back until he is successful at eating the tortoise. For the time being, it would be a good idea to bring the two tortoises into the house at night. You won't need a whole other habitat for them, a cardboard box will do for overnight lodgings.

 

[Jabuticaba]

Hello and welcome! Hope you find out what is causing injuries to your tortoises. Good luck.


May, Aussies, & THBs
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[Reptilelove]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[TriciaHH]

And thank your son for his service .


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Thanks so much for your info! I'll pass on your thanks to my son.

Do you have a dog?

I don't see any shell rot. I see only a chewed foot and damaged scutes. Something tried to eat her. Time to either build a secure lockable night box, or bring them in at night. Whatever did that will be back for more.

 

[TriciaHH]

I do have a dog, but it wasn't her...she's a little Maltipoo. Thanks for your observations. Spike and Jade are now forever separated, will be inside their respective boxes except during the day when I am home, then their boxes will be on the deck so they can sun themselves while their new home is being built. Jade is doing great today and is healing well. I'm so thankful it wasn't worse but feel terrible for her going through something like that. They've been outside for 9 years with no problem, all very strange. I will make sure they are safe and have fun designing a fun, secure habitat for them. Thanks everyone for your responses! This is a wonderful forum.

 

[pam]

Welcome