Plastron Problem, please help diagnose

mini_max

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What is going on on the lower left where it has turned white? And what do I need to do about it?

About the tortoise - 2-3 year old Russian living in an indoor enclosure on a orchid bark coco coir mix. 100 basking down to 79 in outer corners. Eats grocery store greens, mazuri, weeds and safe plants as soon as the growing season starts. Lives outside in summer. Currently active and eating well. I feel like this wasn't there a month ago?

Worried!!! Thanks in advance for the help.
image.jpeg
 

dmmj

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you feel like it wasn't there or are you sure it wasn't there? It looks like an injury of some sort to me
 

mini_max

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i know for certain it wasn't there when I last examined him. Problem is it has been at least 3 weeks to a month since I last flipped him over to have a really good look. Maybe longer. So you think an injury? He's been kind of crazy lately, but has nothing to hurt himself on. Never fallen, dropped, bitten or anything.
 

Anyfoot

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What is going on on the lower left where it has turned white? And what do I need to do about it?

About the tortoise - 2-3 year old Russian living in an indoor enclosure on a orchid bark coco coir mix. 100 basking down to 79 in outer corners. Eats grocery store greens, mazuri, weeds and safe plants as soon as the growing season starts. Lives outside in summer. Currently active and eating well. I feel like this wasn't there a month ago?

Worried!!! Thanks in advance for the help.
View attachment 169978
Is that the same thing in the right anal scute too.
 

mini_max

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No, that is just the way he looks on both anal scutes. Totally normal. Posting a really close up.
 

Anyfoot

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It seems to cause no discomfort to touch if that helps.
Is there any stones/rocks in the enclosure?
Does this tort live alone?
Have you let the coir orchid bark mix get too wet at any time?
 

mini_max

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Yes some rocks and I am guilty of keeping the coir pretty moist because of the dry winter air. Lower levels are nice and moist but the top layer gets dusty within a day. Do you think rot or fungus. He has a stone like hide that is kind of rough that he has started hauling himself up onto.
 

Anyfoot

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Yes some rocks and I am guilty of keeping the coir pretty moist because of the dry winter air. Lower levels are nice and moist but the top layer gets dusty within a day. Do you think rot or fungus. He has a stone like hide that is kind of rough that he has started hauling himself up onto.
To me it looks like a combination of it started with rot and then where the rot was it rubbed away on something rough( the stone). I know you don't think so but I also think that is the same on the right anal scute. I had a similar thing with one of my hingebacks (hingebacks love wet). However I let one side of the enclosure get too boggy.
If you look down the center scute boarders(the boarder that goes the full length of the plastron in the middle) on either side of this boarder line you can see small white squirly lines(very faint looking, hard to see). I also got those on my hingeback due to being over wet.
Put some athletes foot cream on those areas. Even that one you think is normal( it won't do any harm either way). Keep your tort dry for a while whilst you are applying cream.

Let us know how you go on please.
 

mini_max

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Thank you! I will treat for fungus and dry things out.

So i cover all my bases, if this is an injury, will it heal and go back to normal? I don't know anything about shell injuries or how to treat them or what to watch for. Any advice would be much appreciated.
 

Anyfoot

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I will treat for fungus and dry things out. If this is an injury, will it heal and go back to normal? I don't know anything about shell injuries or how to treat them or what to watch for. Any advice would be much appreciated.
If that is just a scrape and fungus did not play a part at all, your tort must be persistently scraping the same area of the plastron. So I would remove whatever the tort is scraping on.
From the little experience I have in rot, they get a small scratch, then because the substrate is too damp, bacteria gets in the scratch and fungus starts growing.
I've got a tort that may aswell be an aquatic Tortoise, she is in water at least 20hrs a day. She has never had shell rot(fingers crossed). This must be because she hasn't scratched herself.

Since my hingeback got shell rot,
I have removed any sharp stones, I only have pebbles in now, this is because this species like to lick wet rocks for hydration.

It should heal over time, but I don't think any plastron that has rotted/scraped away will grow back. Its no big worry, just a lesson learnt.
 

dmmj

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If that is just a scrape and fungus did not play a part at all, your tort must be persistently scraping the same area of the plastron. So I would remove whatever the tort is scraping on.
From the little experience I have in rot, they get a small scratch, then because the substrate is too damp, bacteria gets in the scratch and fungus starts growing.
I've got a tort that may aswell be an aquatic Tortoise, she is in water at least 20hrs a day. She has never had shell rot(fingers crossed). This must be because she hasn't scratched herself.

Since my hingeback got shell rot,
I have removed any sharp stones, I only have pebbles in now, this is because this species like to lick wet rocks for hydration.

It should heal over time, but I don't think any plastron that has rotted/scraped away will grow back. Its no big worry, just a lesson learnt.
I have got a red foot that practically lives in his water bowl.
 

Anyfoot

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I have got a red foot that practically lives in his water bowl.
Mine is a hingeback. I've had to add more baths so the others can get it in if they want.
Have you ever had any shell rot problems on this redfoot?
 

dmmj

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Mine is a hingeback. I've had to add more baths so the others can get it in if they want.
Have you ever had any shell rot problems on this redfoot?
surprisingly no I have not
 

Yvonne G

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Maybe that part of the shell is a bit lower than the other side and it rubs the substrate when he walks. It looks like it has been scraped to me.
 
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mini_max

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I think that you are right that he had a surface scrape. One application so far of anti-fungal and the white on his plastron is back to black. I think he scraped himself when he hoisted himself up onto his hide which is quite rough on the outside (but was not intended for and has never previously been used for climbing ).

I will continue the anti fungal. However, what does the fact that fungus showed up mean? Is there something in my enclosure that needs correcting? I always thought I kept it really clean, and I added new substrate very recently.....

Thanks!
 

Anyfoot

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I keep coming back here and looking at this.
I keep thinking could that amount of wear be done from just one scrape. Probably not. You said it wasn't there about 3 weeks ago. Have you noticed this tort climbing the walls alot over rocks lately. (trying to get out of the enclosure), and maybe rubbing it's back end on rocks.
Just a thought.
 

JoesMum

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Is your tort walking properly. Does it walk with the plastron fully clear of the ground? Is there some weakness in that leg?
 

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