Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got a 5 year old gulf coast box turtle and I've noticed that his plastron has become really flaky in some parts. it's not shedding though and there's no pus or stickiness, could it be old shell rot? i've also brushing the areas with a soft toothbrush begins to wear it away. should this be cause for concern? any help is appreciated, thanks!

You should probably take it to a herp vet.

Yes, this is a cause for concern. Anytime something changes with the behavior or skin and shell condition, it is a sign that something is probably going on. Shell rot is very common with turtle kept in old bedding, too wet bedding (or too dry), if their diet is bad and the shell condition becomes poor, on and on.

The best thing to do since you have not seen this before, is take the turtle to a vet with reptile experience and learn from from him. He can tell you what is causing this-could be bacterial, fungal, or even systemic. He should be able to tell what you need to do to correct it and how to remove the cause of whatever is making the shell flake off.
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

Hi Paul,

Since you say he's 5 years old, is he captive bred? If so he probably has some shell fungus. You can apply some triple antibiotic to slow the infection. Sometimes this happens due to sitting in soiled substrate.

If the turtle is originally wild caught, it is quite common for both Gulf Coasts and Floridas to have some level of shell rot from sitting in highly acidic water which can lead to some shell degradation and be more susceptible to similar infections.

Treatment is pretty much the same either way. You can see some improvements but if the infection is deep, it is not reversible.

If its really bad, I would have a vet check it. He/she can perform some pathology to determine the source and treatment options.

Paul