Shell rot? Is he a cherry head? Thanks.

SeanG

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Hi all. Worried about my recent red foot I have. He's my first tort. I'm a little worried as to what he has on his plastron and if it's rot or not. He's 5 months old and has pale marks appearing on his plastron and its also springy but I've read this is normal for his age, is this correct? Please see the attached photos and I hope you can help me on this.

Also I'm wondering if he really is a cherry head or just a regular red foot.

Thanks for all help in advance.

2015-10-03 20.03.32.jpg 20151003_195448.jpg
 
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SeanG

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My mistake.... don't know why I thought it was called a caprice. Please change the word caprice to plastron in my original post :)
 

SeanG

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His head looks yellow to me. May be a yellow foot
Thanks for the reply. I live in hk and all I had ti go by was a photo when I purchased him. Doesn't help I'm colour blind too . Any idea on what's appearing on his plastron? Thanks.
 

Spencertretter

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I'm having the same problem with my red foot I believe. Mines worst but hasn't chanced since i purchased him from tortoise supply. If you look at my last started forum you can learn how to treat it.
 

SeanG

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I'm having the same problem with my red foot I believe. Mines worst but hasn't chanced since i purchased him from tortoise supply. If you look at my last started forum you can learn how to treat it.
Thanks, will check it out now.
 

SarahChelonoidis

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Those little spots look like they could be the start of fungus setting in.

I don't see any 'cherry head' blood in him. Definitely not a yellow-foot either. Looks like a northern red-foot.
 

domalle

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Hi all. Worried about my recent red foot I have. He's my first tort. I'm a little worried as to what he has on his caprice and if it's rot or not. He's 5 months old and has pale marks appearing on his caprice and its also springy but I've read this is normal for his age, is this correct? Please see the attached photos and I hope you can help me on this.

Also I'm wondering if he really is a cherry head or just a regular red foot.

Thanks for all help in advance.

Was he sold to you as a cherryhead?
He could well be one.
He has the enlarged scale of the cherryhead on the forelimbs
and does not show the typical plastral markings of a northern redfoot.
His color is uniform on head and limbs, another mark of the cherryhead.
He is very young.
The dark borders of the plastral scutes may expand with growth
to show the typical cherryhead blotched plastron.
Definitely the first signs of shell fungus.
 

Randi

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I believe there is also a difference in scales on the nose so a clearer, closer picture of the face would help.
 

SeanG

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Those little spots look like they could be the start of fungus setting in.

I don't see any 'cherry head' blood in him. Definitely not a yellow-foot either. Looks like a northern red-foot.
Thanks for your help :) . Would the same cure be as the shell rot route or is the step just to try and clean in off like I've read?
 

SeanG

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I believe there is also a difference in scales on the nose so a clearer, closer picture of the face would help.
Thanks Randi, I hope this phot can help you help me identify him :) 20151004_083217.jpg
 

SeanG

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Was he sold to you as a cherryhead?
He could well be one.
He has the enlarged scale of the cherryhead on the forelimbs
and does not show the typical plastral markings of a northern redfoot.
His color is uniform on head and limbs, another mark of the cherryhead.
He is very young.
The dark borders of the plastral scutes may expand with growth
to show the typical cherryhead blotched plastron.
Definitely the first signs of shell fungus.
I did some research on what tort was best for me and I eventually really fell for the red foots. I'm living in Hong Kong so all I had with me was a photo of one and the words red foot lol. Wasn't until I started watching Camp keegan that I found out about the cherry head and it's markings. Darker plastron was what made me wonder whether mine was.
 

domalle

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I did some research on what tort was best for me and I eventually really fell for the red foots. I'm living in Hong Kong so all I had with me was a photo of one and the words red foot lol. Wasn't until I started watching Camp keegan that I found out about the cherry head and it's markings. Darker plastron was what made me wonder whether mine was.

In case you are still wondering, he is definitely a redfoot, not a yellowfoot.
After taking a second look, as I said above he has some characteristics of a cherryhead.
But his head shape says northern and he doesn't have the bulbous nose of the cherryheads.
The northern redfoots and cherryheads are often bred together so it is possible he is a blend of the two types.
A more definitive identification may be possible with growth and the development of his plastral markings.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Redfoot. That is some unusual light head coloration. Most of the head. At any rate, it's a nice looking tortoise.
A few dabs of athletes foot cream on those spots would do no harm, and very well could stop it if it is indeed fungus.
My Redfoot clan get some shell fungus here and there during the wet Summer months. Not this year, though. Lucky.
 

SeanG

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Redfoot. That is some unusual light head coloration. Most of the head. At any rate, it's a nice looking tortoise.
A few dabs of athletes foot cream on those spots would do no harm, and very well could stop it if it is indeed fungus.
My Redfoot clan get some shell fungus here and there during the wet Summer months. Not this year, though. Lucky.
Thanks man, I've got a hold of some clotrimazole 1% and have been applying that once per day after cleaning hI'm with antiseptic and leaving him out while it dries off. Hopefully that does the trick. Will update you all. Thanks for all the help.
 

ZEROPILOT

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No need to use any more antiseptic. Just the foot cream. Most think that further use of the antiseptic will actually slow down the healing time.
It's an external issue and will die off quickly, but the marks will remain for a while. Months or more.
 

SeanG

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20151007_161830.jpgWell thanks all. Really impressed with the clotrimazole 1%. Seems to have completely abolished it after only applying it for 2 days. Was early on but even still! Will continue to apply the cream for a few more days still just to be sure. I'be also stopped spraying his cave as i know that was the main cause of it beginning Happy guy here.
 
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