Redfoot and Possible Shell Rot - Need Help!

mrtille

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Hi everyone, is been a while since posting back a some time ago in 2018. I have had my redfoot tort named Tsuni for 2 yrs now since getting her from store at about a few weeks old. She has grown pretty well indoors, about 6 inches long and with a good appetite and personality. We live in Pace, FL near Pensacola

But over the past couple weeks I have noted white spots growing on her shell. I have pics attached. Looking at them for your experiences does this look like signs of shell rot? If so I'm looking to take her to the vet, but worried they may not be open in our area yet with the re-opening of Safe Haven for pets.

Any ideas on husbandry or other remedies I can do at home to stop this? Advice or help appreciated.

- Merrill
 

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nicoleann2214

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Hi everyone, is been a while since posting back a some time ago in 2018. I have had my redfoot tort named Tsuni for 2 yrs now since getting her from store at about a few weeks old. She has grown pretty well indoors, about 6 inches long and with a good appetite and personality. We live in Pace, FL near Pensacola

But over the past couple weeks I have noted white spots growing on her shell. I have pics attached. Looking at them for your experiences does this look like signs of shell rot? If so I'm looking to take her to the vet, but worried they may not be open in our area yet with the re-opening of Safe Haven for pets.

Any ideas on husbandry or other remedies I can do at home to stop this? Advice or help appreciated.

- Merrill
@Toddrickfl1 @Yvonne G
 

Toddrickfl1

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It looks like fungus. Is it on the Plastron too? Try scrubbing it off gently with a toothbrush and get some anti fungal cream. Apply the cream to the area a few days and that should knock it out.
 

mrtille

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It looks like fungus. Is it on the Plastron too? Try scrubbing it off gently with a toothbrush and get some anti fungal cream. Apply the cream to the area a few days and that should knock it out.

What type of antitfungal for torts is recommended?
 

mrtille

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Ok Thank you. I didn't check her plastron but I can to see if there is anything unusual. What about perhaps changing tank? I know I have to keep humidity up but I notice her hide is very moist. Is that the way it should be?
 

Toddrickfl1

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Ok Thank you. I didn't check her plastron but I can to see if there is anything unusual. What about perhaps changing tank? I know I have to keep humidity up but I notice her hide is very moist. Is that the way it should be?
I could almost bet money if your seeing it on the carapace like that it's probably all over the Plastron too. The substrate will eventually become pretty wet when keeping the humidity high. I just swap mine out for fresh, dry substrate every once in a while.
 

mrtille

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OK I will do that today. What do you use for substrate? I had been using the tree bark substrate and not sure if that is better or not- How often once a month?
 

Toddrickfl1

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I use Cypress mulch or Orchid bark usually. You should be able to find both at home Depot or Lowe's. I usually just wait till it looks really sopping wet and then I change it. Probably every couple months.
 

mrtille

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How much humidity are you keeping? I have a reptifogger but I don't want to run in continuously bc it will make it too wet in there
 

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A minimum of 80% humidity is usually good. I like to use a 2 in layer of coco coir covered by at least 2 in of Fine - Small Orchid Bark. The Coco Coir underneath the orchid bark keeps plenty of moisture, while the Orchid Bark top layer will be dry. When my humidity starts to drop I just pour some fresh hot water into the substrate. If your enclosure is a closed chamber you will not require any fogger and your top layer won't be so wet. Good Luck.
 

mrtille

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Here is a photo of her plastron. I cant really tell if there is any concerns here. What do you all think? Do you use a cotton swab to apply antifungal and betadine?
 

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Toddrickfl1

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Here is a photo of her plastron. I cant really tell if there is any concerns here. What do you all think? Do you use a cotton swab to apply antifungal and betadine?
Yes all that white you see is fungus. I would apply antifungal to the whole Plastron and where the spots are on the carapace. Do it till it's completely gone.
 

Gijoux

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Here is a photo of her plastron. I cant really tell if there is any concerns here. What do you all think? Do you use a cotton swab to apply antifungal and betadine?

Yes I think you do need to treat the Plastron also. I would glove up and first clean the shell with a cloth then I would use a dedicated toothbrush to literally scrub those white areas and then apply the "athletes foot cream".
 

mrtille

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Yes all that white you see is fungus. I would apply antifungal to the whole Plastron and where the spots are on the carapace. Do it till it's completely gone.

Wont it just rub off while she is moving around in the substrate if on her plastron? just trying to understand that part
- Tks!
 

Gijoux

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Has anyone used Tea Tree Oil on these spots of fungus? I know it works really well on humans and other mammals, but not sure if it can be used on Tortoise shells. Perhaps @YvonneG will know. It would make application easier because it would soak into the spots. Please don't use this until we hear from someone who knows if it is safe to do so.
 

zovick

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Wont it just rub off while she is moving around in the substrate if on her plastron? just trying to understand that part
- Tks!
It won't rub off just from the tortoise walking around in the enclosure because the fungus is actually eating into the tortoise's shell. If the condition gets bad enough, you will see pitted areas in the shell surface where the fungus has penetrated the outer layer. In very bad cases, you can even see the bare bone showing which is normally under the scutes. Occasionally, cleaning off the fungus requires a good bit of effort and blood may even be seen oozing from the bone. Scutes will heal over the bone again given enough time, but it requires a fair amount of effort to keep the fungus under control so that can happen.

Note that scutes are like our fingernails and cover the boney part of the tortoise's shell. The scutes are not very thick, just about the same as our fingernails or even a bit thinner.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Wont it just rub off while she is moving around in the substrate if on her plastron? just trying to understand that part
- Tks!
You don't have to really put so much on. Take the tortoise and put some on and rub it in. Keep the tortoise out of the enclosure on paper towels for maybe 5-10 minutes before returning to it's enclosure. If you do this every day you'll see it start to go away quickly. I'd even do it twice a day in this case.
 

zovick

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You don't have to really put so much on. Take the tortoise and put some on and rub it in. Keep the tortoise out of the enclosure on paper towels for maybe 5-10 minutes before returning to it's enclosure. If you do this every day you'll see it start to go away quickly. I'd even do it twice a day in this case.
This Redfoot's plastron is pretty severely damaged by shell rot at this point. It needs to be treated as Todd has described or possibly even a bit more aggressively. I would recommend brushing the white areas very gently with a wire brush or a very stiff bristle brush to debride them and remove the dead and infected tissue, then treat the area via one of the methods described in this thread.

Just FYI, here are two treatments for shell rot from my archives. The first is very similar to Todd's but adds another weapon to the arsenal.

NEWER REMEDY FOR SHELL ROT:
Often these infections are fungal and you can treat it with a fungicidal creme (e.g. Canesten = Lotrimin: 1% Clotrimazole, Micatin: 2% Miconazole nitrate). It is possible that there may be a secondary bacterial infection present, too, so alternating with an antibiotic creme like Polysporin or Neosporin might be a good idea if the fungicide alone doesn't work well. The plastron has to be cleaned, so disinfect it with betadine solution daily, and then apply the creme in a thin layer.

One of my friends recently tried the above treatment on a severe case using just Lotrimin and Betadine, and it worked wonders in only 7-10 days. I have always used the older remedy below from way back in the 1960's which also works, but seemed to take longer.

MY OLDER REMEDY FOR SHELL ROT:
This same problem used to occur on the plastra of Radiated Tortoises which were kept at St. Catherine's Island, GA. I have seen very remarkable results when the white areas of shell rot were gently brushed off with a wire brush (be careful) or with a very stiff bristle brush, and then painted liberally with Gentian Violet. This should be repeated every 2-3 weeks for about 3-6 months, depending upon how well it responds.

One of my friends had a Radiated Tortoise which came from St. Catherine's and looked just as bad as this Redfoot. He treated it with Gentian Violet as described above for 6 months. Not only did the problem go away, but over the next few years, the entire plastron filled back in and today looks almost 100% normal. The tortoise is a great producer of very pretty offspring for him as well, so that story had a happy ending.

One note about Gentian Violet: it is very effective on fungus, but will stain anything it touches purple, so be careful when using it. Also, it should be available in many drug stores.
 
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