Urgent Care :: Fungal Infection - blulite

[blulite]

hi guys im back agein with an update of how tumbles shell fungus is doing.

we kept him out of the water for over a week and we scrubbed his shell with a toothbrush and salt water once a day. and afterwards applied clotrimazole cream. this resulted in his shell looking a hell of a lot healthier. as it was loads better we decided to put him in his new tank.

now after another week his shell is back looking nasty and it now seems like it is bleeding. there is a small spot maybe 1 - 2mm that has appeared and when i wipe it, the spot goes then comes back again. the spot is wet to the touch and dries when wiped then goes wet again.

we are going to take him to the vet.. :(:(

we have again taken him out of the water as we dont want the shell to end up permenently damaged. or him develop shell rot. i plan on taking him tomorrow as soon as i finish work.

[marisa]

Taking him to a herp vet would be the best thing to do. Good luck.

[steve]

Fungus will come back given the slightest opportunity. It should not develop into shell rot as long the scutes have a chance to shed normally. I don't know what impact the clotrimazole had, if any. If it is a prescribed med, it needs to the appropriate dosage/strength for it to be effective.

You might want to ask the tortoise trust email list for herp vets in the UK. Good luck and keep us updated. http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

[SpotsMama]

When an oily cream or salve is applied to a shell that is dry, flakey or has fungus, the oil can conceal the damage and make the shell appear temporarily healthy but as soon as the shell dries out again, the damage will reappear.

On the spot that's bleeding, until you can get him to a herp vet, keep it clean and apply a gentle antibiotic cream - something over-the-counter for minor cuts and scrapes in people. Over here a common brand is Neosporin. You need to keep a bacterial infection from taking hold where the wound is. The cream you had been using is apparently a fungicide and probably won't be effective against bacteria - what you need now is an antibiotic cream.

Good luck to you. Please keep us posted as to how it's going.