Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone I posted awhile back about Max. Well hes been fine for over a year now but i think hes getting shell rot. He has little white spots on the bottom of his shell and and bigger black spots around thoes. I looked up shell rot and Iam doing what it said with milled SR. which is dry box TRipple cream and soak for 30mins a day. Now how do i keep his home from getting this white fungis that grows am i keeping the bedding to wet. I do wet it alot. I found another site said just wet one area of the bedding and keep the some what dry. Need help dont want him to get any worse. He does not seem unhappy he eats like crazy and drink ok. Thank you

Have you tried providing a drier environment with areas of high moisture.

Make sure there is no sign of bleeding or brusing. If there is it would probably be a good idea to take it to a vet.

Ed

>>Hi everyone I posted awhile back about Max. Well hes been fine for over a year now but i think hes getting shell rot. He has little white spots on the bottom of his shell and and bigger black spots around thoes. I looked up shell rot and Iam doing what it said with milled SR. which is dry box TRipple cream and soak for 30mins a day. Now how do i keep his home from getting this white fungis that grows am i keeping the bedding to wet. I do wet it alot. I found another site said just wet one area of the bedding and keep the some what dry. Need help dont want him to get any worse. He does not seem unhappy he eats like crazy and drink ok. Thank you
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

If the box turtle has shell rot then you are keeping the bedding too wet and possibly letting it get too dirty between cleanings. Check on your husbandry and make the corrections before the shell gets worse. That means remove the old bedding and only keep it only as wet as a damp forest floor, not a swamp

How warm is the setup? If fungus can grow it must be pretty warm-does the turtle have a cool area as well?
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Tess
Kingsnake.com Forum Host

Yes I Cleaned it just the other day. How offten should it be cleaned? I do it onec a month it is a large tub 3foot by 2foot.
Yes he does have cool place and warm, the only place i have seen the stuff is on the cooler side. So change these thangs and he should be fine? We are in a apartment right now look for a house soon. I know he will be much happy out side. I had out side before we movied here and he did grate. Will it hill the way Iam treating it? Its not that bad yet. just alittle flaky in spots and just on the bottom. Thank you for the help. If it does not get any better will take him to his vet.

OK better detail on his shell no soft spots,no bleding,just manely more black lines following the shell lines and a few spots. Could it be dry shell his skin is alittle dry. I soaked him and fed him to day boy he does not like the dry box idea at all. will it hurt to put him back in his home or should i wait a little longer. All the pics. i have seen all are alittle differnet. So not really sure. have a pic. but dont know how to upload it just yet.

With a clear picture it is easier to offer a suggestion to what you are asking.

In the mean time drying out the substrate to begin with is a good start. That is, clean out the enclosure and don't make the new substrate as moist but do offer a section that is on the moist side.

>>OK better detail on his shell no soft spots,no bleding,just manely more black lines following the shell lines and a few spots. Could it be dry shell his skin is alittle dry. I soaked him and fed him to day boy he does not like the dry box idea at all. will it hurt to put him back in his home or should i wait a little longer. All the pics. i have seen all are alittle differnet. So not really sure. have a pic. but dont know how to upload it just yet.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

max shell

That's really tough to see from the size you have it at but it does look abnormal enough to suggest a vet visit.

>>max shell
>>
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I like the way this thread is heading. Tips at improving the husbandry, edging towards a vet visit. You had mentioned you clean a tub once monthly; this doesn't seem nearly enough. Perhaps you are discussing only full substrate changes. If this is the case, it could be managed with daily spot cleaning.

Ian

Shell Rot” is a catch all term which can be any number of infections either bacterial or fungal in nature.

Usually if there is are small WHITE ulcerations or cotttony like patches; it’s indicative of a Fungal Shell Disease.

Turtle which are sick, frightened or socially subordinate may spend more time than normal submerged in water and decreased time in dry basking, becoming more prone to water borne fungal infection. Certain foodstuffs such as tomatoes if left to spoil in the animals environment have been associated with harboring fungal agents.

Black rings or linear black patches (can be with bleeding), (can be with softening of shell) are indicative of bacterial infection.

Your picture suggests your boxie is beyond the initial stages of either bacterial and / or fungal infections.

He appears to need strong anti fungal medications and antibiotics (Secondary Infection).

Please consider a Good Rep. Vet. Immediately.

Ric
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Ok i am looking for a vet. And to let everyone know hes not wild cought. I bought him from a store in Cal. 5yrs ago. I do take good care of him. Its just hes had these black marks for a long time. When I frist got him we went outside and i looked away for just a second and my dog got hold of him all my fault. He has been to the vet when this happened. He was not hurt a few scraps. 4yrs have gone by and she said that it was ok back then, She did give me stuff to keep him clean which i did for 3 or 4 weeks , but here lately it just seems to be getting bigger. Just didnt know if it could go on that long and him not have gotten sick. I did not know if the blackness was him healing or not,but from what you all have said maybe somthing eles? So I should of gave you all more info. I called one vet he said talk to TSU. I did see an message about their work on turtles. Thank you for all your help. Sorry so vage on the info. should of know better. Should I take him back to that vet because she knows his history? Or a new vet? Hard to find them her alot do not treat turtles. well have a few more to call. I am trying to get him to see one. Becaues the family does care for him. thank you again )

"Should I take him back to that vet because she knows his history? Or a new vet?"

It would seem that the vet that has a history on him would be the best choice.

Keep us posted on his condition.

Ric

OK Max went to the vet. His doc. was not in and would not be in for a week. So we seen another doc. He gave us Conofite for fungal and told me to use Neosporin cream too. Hope this works if not will take him back. How long should i wait med. say 4 weeks on the bottle. It seems that the bad stuff is flaking off is this normal?

“ How long should i wait med. say 4 weeks on the bottle. It seems that the bad stuff is flaking off is this normal?”

Regarding the length of time to use your Boxie med; consider giving the Vet. a call and ask him/her. He should have informed you of that at the time of your visit......as he has examined the boxie up close and prescribed the med. You have paid for his medical advise; and deserve an answer.

Regarding bad stuff..if your referring to the black or white residue of infection on his shell; I would think that is a good sign. Hopefully the fungal infection is dying; and falling off. When you check with the Vet on the time duration of your med, ask also about the flaking off. Not being able to see the boxie up close is difficult to positively advise.

It does take time to turn these long term infections around;
and I think with the med and and your boxie's continued good appetite you should see a change for the better. Continue to also give him good ultraviolet "B" light.

Ric

Though the picture is small, I think that this is what two of my turtles have. I noticed that little white spots and groupings were appearing near the edges of the turtles scutes, particularly at the bottom. The turtles were acting normal, the worrisome spot did not have an odor, and there were no red or pink areas present. I told exactly what I told you to both my vet and rehabilitator at a local turtle and tortoise rescue. The vet said that he would simply scrap the white stuff off and clean it. The rehabilitator told me that it sounded like a fungus and not shell rot. However, if untreated, it could lead to a bacterial infection. To treat, swab with full strength iodine using a cotton swab and being careful not to get it on the skin, especially the eyes. After it dries, apply the fungicide Lotromin, generic name is Clortrimazole. You can
find it in the athlete's foot section of a store, or for a bigger amount for the same or lower price, the feminine itch isle under Gynolotromine. Just look for the ingredient Clortrimazole on the generics for a cheaper price than the brand names I gave you. Do this regime twice about 5 days apart and that should take care of it. The shell is damaged now and the white is porosity of the shell now, so it will not go away as surface fungus does after treatment, but the fungus will be dead.
I will be using this procedure as soon as my turtles come out from hibernation. Hope this helps.