Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Figured I'd post this as many places as I can... I have a Russian tortoise who has a tendency to push all her substrate aside and lay on the tank, where the heater is. She has a large scab on her leg that fell off today, and it's really red and raw underneath... not sure if it was a burn or infection of some kind, but I'm wondering if anyone knows how I could treat it to help it heal... I've been googling to no avail and I don't know if I need to try to put a bandage on it or something.

I am not a tortoise enthusiast whatsoever-- got the tortoise in college, and we've had no health problems to speak of until now. I'd appreciate any advice!

Hi Kate. It sounds as though your tortoise is seeking some more heat. If you don't have an overhead heat lamp of some kind, I would get one and use it. Heat from above is more beneficial for tortoises than heat from below. The leg wound could be coated with an antibiotic ointment for a few days (Bacitracin or Neosporin), or if it isn't too oozy and pus-like you could just observe it and let it dry out. It will need to dry out to heal anyway. You must judge whether to treat it with the ointment or not, or you could take it to a vet. If it looks pretty good, and you want to do something other than the alternatives above, you could paint it with Gentian Violet which will help to dry it a bit plus kills some fungus and bacteria. Put some on a cotton swab and dab it on the area. It will look purple for a while, but that is OK and it will wear off ultimately.