Reptile & Amphibian Forums

New tort owner here, but done all the research ahead of time.

New Russ has been with us slightly over a week, and today we noticed some very tiny white spots on the shell that are slightly indented. This practically sprang up over night, as the shell was healthy on Friday.

I fear this may be the start of shell rot. So far we've lowered the amount of water in the tank, and will be giving the shell a gentle wash with antibacterial soap. We're using a compressed alfalfa pellet bedding, but will be switching to partial sand/reptile dirt shortly.

So my questions.

One, what else can be done to prevent this from happening again? Things I should change.

And two, what else can I do to treat this, or at least keep it from worsening before I get this kid to the vet in the next week.

Number one, change the bedding immediately. Keep him dry. Russians must be kept dry, above all else. This is more important with these guys than any other tortoise that I've ever kept. If you've ever seen photos of the environment in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kazakstan, then you will know the place gets only a few inches of rain every year, and that what little vegetation is present crops up along oases, which is where these tortoises are normally found. They are not accustomed to humidity, nor should they have standing water in their enclosures, as they rarely drink. Instead, soak him once or twice weekly, more frequently before and after hibernation. Try using hydrogen peroxide should it become worse. So long as the shell rot is not too advanced, he should be fine until his vet visit next week.

T.G.

If you have a Russian Tortoise and In your email message you said you were lowering the water level ( big no no)Russian tortoises should have a water dish available for them 2-3 times a week, a shallow dish that they may or may not soak in, I have 10 russians and have never seen them soaking, they get water from the frozen vegtables and greens you should be feeding them.
Water and high humidity (outdoor pens that are wet) will promote shell rot of typres or skin conditions.