Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anybody have any suggestions for treating shell rot other than the damn Dr. Turtle medicated block that the pet store people said would " clear that right up" ??? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

First how extensive is the rot? If it is really deep and bad I would first get the animal to the vet. If it is a septic situation his life could be in jeopardy.

If it is fairly superficial rot you can just keep him dry docked around 20 hours a day and use some betadine solution on the rotted area and an electric toothbrush. The electric brush really helps get all the the necrotic tissue out of the area. I have had sucess using silverdine (sp?) cream on the wounds after I cleaned them with the betadine and rinsed the areas with water then dried the turtle off and applied the creme. (which you need a prescription for).

The most important thing to do is keep the animal dry for most of the day. Four hours to hydrate and eat are sufficient for him. Then each day after the hydration period you would treat the wounds and put him in dry dock. If more lesions appear the others keep getting worse I would reccommend a trip to the vet. Some antibiotics or antifungals may be in order.

Steve

OOPS -- Sorry

Thought this was the general turtle forum. Softies I am not sure about using the silverdine creme on or that you can dry dock them that long. Also the electric toothbrush might be a bit too abrasive on the softies shell. I have only treated softies for fungal patches never shell rot.

I don't know if they can dry dock so long and I am sure there is someone here who has actually dealt with this condition in softies and could better answer this question for you.

So what did you do about the fungal problem?? Feed me with as much info as possible.