Ornate Wood Turtle or Central American Wood Turtle? Is this shell rot??

[holleyakers]

I'm worried that this could be shell rot or something worse. I can't figure out which type of wood turtle she is either. Any advise would be helpful.

 

[turtlemanfla88]

it is a Rhinoclemys Manni they are not cold hardy when temps get below 60 degrees bring them inside. Do you keep it inside?,how long have you had it?,how are you keeping it?.

 

[holleyakers]

We've only had her a week. She is inside in a 4' x 2' enclosure, approx. 65% land (coir and cypress mulch about 6" deep) and 35% water (shallow, about 4.5"). She has an 18" Exoterra Reptilight 5.0 light. A 60 watt basking light. She eats lettuces, kale, carrots and crickets so far....

 

[turtlemanfla88]

Mine also eat pellets in water,fish, turtle pudding,and earthworms

 

[littleginsu]

Was her shell like that when you got her? I did not think turtles got shell rot, but I could be very wrong. It almost looks like scorch marks or something.

@Yvonne

 

[holleyakers]

We got her this way. From Petco.

 

[turtlemanfla88]

can you give it natural sunlight. I have used the concrete mixing tubs from home depot or lowes with a wire cover. Just make sure the animal does not overheat in the sun. I always try to give all my animals natural sunlight.

 

[holleyakers]

Petco said we could bring her in and they would take her to their vet for recovery....I have no idea how I feel about that--shouldn't they have recognized it in the first place?

I would really love some advice on her shell.

 

[lisa127]

I have dealt with shell fungus (not rot) with a box turtle a couple times. It did not look like that though, it was white/creamy colored. In my case it was easy to cure with anti fungul cream. Like for athlete's foot.

 

[turtlemanfla88]

I do not think it is shell rot. i have seen shell rot. I have treated shell rot with betadine before and had good results.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Turtlemanfla 88
May i ask : what is turtle pudding ?


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[turtlemanfla88]

I call it turtle jello to. I make one for the tortoises and one for all of my turtles. I never had a turtle or tortoise refuse to eat it. It has jello,mulberry leaves,cactus Opuntia family, etc that is for tortoise. Turtle is jello, whole fish,shrimp,beef heart,rabbit liver,cuttlebone,etc.
It does work because my Forestni laid one egg and I hatched it some years back.

 

[TurtleTab]

The markings on the plastron look like colorations of the plastron but that one spot in the lower region is questionable, not necessarily shell rot but something questionable. I would soak him in water a few times a day and watch it. You can always put betadine on it to see if it helps. The top of the shell looks like neglect, like not enough natural sunlight and water. His shell looks dehydrated and poorly taken care of. Keep him outdoors for a a few weeks for natural sunlight, let him burrow into some moist soil. My turtle's shell had white paint on it, for 19 years and his shell always looked dry. I let him stay in an outdoor enclosure, let him hibernate, let him dig deep into moist soil and after a year, all the white paint left, his shell looked very very healthy and he had yellow spots that finally appeared and very vibrantly. Maybe all he needs is sunshine and good ole dirt. But I'm no expert on shell rot, so don't quote me on that.

 

[holleyakers]

Yeah, the conditions she was being kept in were horrible. That's actually why we bought her, we knew that was no way to keep a turtle. We've had her for about 3 weeks and she seems to be doing great, but I'm still worried about the black areas. Thanks for the input.

 

[KevinGG]

Petco vets are terrible. Don't take it there. If you are really concerned take it to a reputable herp vet. We have a section that has lists of vets based on your location

 

[tortadise]

This can be easily remedied at home for very little money by you.
First you need to get a toothbrush(new cheap one)
Then get some betadine.
Also get some anti fungal cream 1% clotrimazole

Then scrub the turtle in some like warm water. The shell and legs and get every part you can with the tooth brush.
Then apply the betadine and scrub his shell with it(keep away from eyes and mouth)
Rinse off and then dry with a paper towel.
Apply anti fungal cream over shell top and bottom.
Keep on a dry substrate like paper towels or a towel for about a week. Do this process every other day until gone. Should see it gone in a few weeks and start to look normal.

This will cost less than 20 bucks.

 

[KevinGG]

This can be easily remedied at home for very little money by you.
First you need to get a toothbrush(new cheap one)
Then get some betadine.
Also get some anti fungal cream 1% clotrimazole

Then scrub the turtle in some like warm water. The shell and legs and get every part you can with the tooth brush.
Then apply the betadine and scrub his shell with it(keep away from eyes and mouth)
Rinse off and then dry with a paper towel.
Apply anti fungal cream over shell top and bottom.
Keep on a dry substrate like paper towels or a towel for about a week. Do this process every other day until gone. Should see it gone in a few weeks and start to look normal.

This will cost less than 20 bucks.

Betadine kills white blood cells. I've had a lot of success with chlorhexadine (nolvasan) instead.

 

[tortadise]

Betadine kills white blood cells. I've had a lot of success with chlorhexadine (nolvasan) instead.

Indeed it does. This animal has no open wounds however, so betadine would work just fine. Especially given how serious the fungal infection looks. I also use chlorhexadine here too. But prefer betadine in severe cases that have no open wounds.

 

[KevinGG]

Indeed it does. This animal has no open wounds however, so betadine would work just fine. Especially given how serious the fungal infection looks. I also use chlorhexadine here too. But prefer betadine in severe cases that have no open wounds.

Good to know. Thanks for the reply

Kevin

 

[turtlemanfla88]

I'm worried that this could be shell rot or something worse. I can't figure out which type of wood turtle she is either. Any advise would be helpful.