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One of my adult female Easterns has developed a lesion near the hinge of her abdominal scute. It has gotten larger and deeper over the past few weeks. I can detect no odor or pus at the lesion site. She is eating well and activity is good. She lives in an 180 sq. ft. outdoor habitat (a part of my yard sectioned off) with sun, shade, water, and digging substrate. I have five other adult Easterns and one 2 yr. old all in same habitat and in good health. Prior to going to the Vet, filling the site with antibiotic and/or putting her in a quarantine tub, does anyone have suggestions about what this is and how to treat it? Picture attached. Thanks in advance.

My advice is to take her to the vet and get the antibiotic and quarantine her.

This Necrotizing Lesion needs to be cleaned immediately.
Try using a toothbrush and tooth pick ....GENTLY...Clean the area with a Tamed( dilute) solution of Betadine solution; or dilute warm Chlorhexidine. Debridement of all the black infection is necessary.. ...Really need to get him to a vet. as he'll probably need sedation and if the infection is deep will need to deroff the softened, necrotic area with a dental burr. A topical antibiotic is usually applied; along with some systemic treatment.

In the meantime; keep the plastron dry and place the boxie in an area that has ventral radiant heat.
Continue to cleanse the area often in the dilute solutions.

I'd ask the vet to culture the material he may have removed to determine the exact bacteria / fungal agents and to determine their sensitivity to antibiotics.
Many different types of bacteria can cause this infection.
Please keep us informed,
Ric

Great advice! See a vet, get some cultures run and quarantine this one from the rest right away.
Please do let us know what the vet says and does about this.

btw just out of my own curiosity and future reference in regards to my own turtles, does this turtle live indoors or outdoors? What type of substrate does she live on?
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PHRatz

Thanks for advice, I am working on her and have an appointment. I live in Southeastern Wisconsin and have had my turtles in my backyard habitat for 5 years now. It is 180 square ft., the substrate is regular earth (ground) dirt, with several bushes, ground cover plants, logs, a wading pool, and several areas I have built up a sand/dirt mixture for egg laying sites. Despite my efforts to make attractive egg laying sites, the turtles have never laid the eggs in the sites I prepared. I have let several clutches remain where they were laid in the habitat, however, never had hatchlings by that method (I am assuming the earth is too much of a hard/clay composition). Best success so far is by putting the eggs in a big flower pot with sand/dirt mixture, putting it on a shelf in the garage, and adding water once in a while (this method had better results than using my hovabator incubator).

A couple other tips I wish I had posted in the first reply.

One of the most common causes of this condition is Beneckea chitinivora( a keratin digesting bacterium.)
It has been found commonly in crustacean exokeleton.
Using live or thawed frozen crustaceans for feeders or tank mates such as crayfish in a pond, Brine shrimp, Mysis Shrimp, Daphnia cultures free swimming in a pond...should be avoided.

Also you may choose to raise the temperature in his /her
enclosure to the high end of what is acceptable. Sick boxes will seek out this higher heat; similar to humans, only we automatically develop a fever to fight the infection. They being cool blooded need to self thermo regulate a similar fever.

And lastly remember to almost force your boxie to stay dry underneath. Have him drink often; but from a ceramic dish or water bowl.
Ric

Thanks for so much info. It's interesting to know this has happened in an outdoor setting. No telling what's out there on the ground. I'm glad you have a vet appointment, please be sure to update us on this after you've seen the vet.
Whatever you learn about this could be helpful to everyone, such as ways to avoid it, what can be done to prevent it, etc. etc.

Good luck I hope this heals up quickly!
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PHRatz