Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just curious about scutes coming off the plastron of a friends adult desert tortoise. Fungus??? Contagious? Treatment?

Thanks for your help.

It's very likely a bacterial infection that has caused some scale of shell rot. This is very common if substrate isn't changed often enough. Turtles and torts will develop a whitish patching on the plastron and eventually if not treated, it will lose scutes or chip. It is extremely contagious once a tortoise is infected.

The only treatment I have used is over-the-counter anti-biotic ointment (like triple antibiotic - available at any drug store). You want to scrub the area down with alcohol or betadine adn then apply the ointment. Continue applying ointment every week to two weeks until the condition is better.

If left untreated, the damage is permanent. Above all, make sure the substrate is changed or cleaned regularly.

I belive urine to be the cause.

Paul