One of my Redfoots was recently diagnosed by my vet as having shell rot. His shell was flaking off in one small section. None of my other redfoots are having this problem, and they all live in the same enclosures. I live in the Midwest, so this time of year they spend the entire day outside, and I only bring them in at night so they are safe from raccoons, etc. My vet has me treating the shell rot by scrubbing the infected area with some sort of Betadine/Iodine solution once a day. She said to do this until the area of the shell that has flaked off has started to grow back. She also said it is not a serious case because I caught it and treated it early. My questions are these:
1. is shell rot common in redfoots? It is occuring on the top of the shell which seems strange for a tortoise. I would think the part of the shell under the tort that is constantly in contact with the ground would be infected with it.
2. Any one with redfoots experience this before? If so, any advice? How long did it take for the shell to grow back properly?
3. Is there anything else I should be doing to prevent this and help nurse my guy back to 100% health? Other than the flacked off shell portion (which just looks a little strange because it is now white instead of black) he is his normal self. The most active of my guys, eats a ton, etc...
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Best, Stoli

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• Shell Rot and Redfoots - Stoli, Mon Jul 12 10:34:14 2004
• RE: Shell Rot and Redfoots - mayday, Mon Jul 12 18:37:05 2004