i went away on vacation and my baby red foot now has shell rot in multiple places, (ill put pictures up later), but im wondering what the best way to care for this is?
shell rot
- Thread starter heyprettyrave
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i dont know if its shell rot or not, but some advice would be very helpful. should i take her to the vets?
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Looks like shell rot to me, you can use athlete's foot cream. There is a post up top in the main portion of the redfoot forum that discusses ways to treat. The foot cream works wonders and the fungus at this time is not bad and should clear up in no time. Also, this is a sign that the enclosure is too moist. Good luck.
Allegra
Allegra
I agree with Allegra, almost certainly fungal shell rot. Use the store brand 1% clotrimazole cream (it's cheaper and exactly the same active ingredient). I recommend the chlorhexidine wash in lieu of Betadine otherwise, cleanse with a soft bristle brush, let dry and apply the cream. Repeat every other day for a week or until the fungus appears to be gone. The shell will not have healed in that time but the fungus will be gone and you should see nice clean, although maybe slightly pitted, scutes. In a relatively short time, the pitting will also heal.
A few other notes... If you have other torts that were kept in the same enclosure or came in contact with the red foot, go ahead and treat them even if they aren't showing signs of infection. Dispose of any substrate that was in use and clean the enclosure and all components (bowls, rocks, hides, etc.) in a bleach solution (1 teaspoon/gallon). Afterwards, rinse throroughly and allow to dry completely. Live plants should be moved outside for a week or so.
A few other notes... If you have other torts that were kept in the same enclosure or came in contact with the red foot, go ahead and treat them even if they aren't showing signs of infection. Dispose of any substrate that was in use and clean the enclosure and all components (bowls, rocks, hides, etc.) in a bleach solution (1 teaspoon/gallon). Afterwards, rinse throroughly and allow to dry completely. Live plants should be moved outside for a week or so.
so how long should i continue to do this? I took her out of her enclosure, and im moving her into the enclosure with my large tortoise (but they will have NO contact at all) so will this be ok? I can treat the larger one too, if you guys think that would be best to do
Generally, within a week the fungus will be gone. If not, continue cleaning with chlorhexidine and reapplying the cream until there is no sign (white flaky or cheesy material) of the fungus present. Remember, if you move her to another enclosure, you will need to 'sterilize' that one too...
If she is relatively small, you can keep her in a storage tub until the treatment is complete. They are much easier to clean. Don't worry about lighting but maintain the heat levels. You can safely reduce the humidity during the treatment period.
If she is relatively small, you can keep her in a storage tub until the treatment is complete. They are much easier to clean. Don't worry about lighting but maintain the heat levels. You can safely reduce the humidity during the treatment period.
so when she is all healed i should change the dirt? and wash everything? and im keeping an eye on the larger tortoise now too, but they have no contact with each other, so do you think she will be ok? i moved the baby to a totally different enclosure and put up a divider
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