General Care Discussion :: Shell rot and pH

[reptilegrrl]

A few weeks ago, Al got shell rot for the first time. We went to the vet and he told me that the rot was fungal in nature, and he told me something interesting: that fungal shell rot can be caused by high water pH. I had never heard that before.

I went home and checked my water's pH and I was shocked: it was super-high! Dr. White said that the ideal pH for a healthy shell is around 6; my pH was above 8. I have been slowly adjusting the pH over the last several weeks. Apparently my water is very alkaline right out of the tap.

So if your turtle has shell rot, check your pH and adjust it if necessary. If your pH is high, Dr. White said that for small habitats, you can use peat (found at garden shops) inside a piece of pantyhose, tied shut... it acts like a teabag. Peat is acidic, so letting it sit in the water will release those acids and lower the pH of the water.

[steve]

A pH of 8 sounds right for chemically altered municipal water supply. How bad is his shell rot? Did he have this before his new home? Can we see a pic? how is his recovery going? Sorry for all the questions

[reptilegrrl]

He never had it before we moved to this place, but he got it right before we made the pond. It's not super bad- the vet says he looks very healthy and that it's not severe rot. He had three spots of it- two of those are gone, but a new one appeared, so now he has two. I am having to lower the pH slooowly to not shock things, as per the directions on the bottle of pH reducer. (I gave up on the peat after about a week of it not doing much good.)

I am treating it with hibiclens, lamisil, and dry-docking.

I don't thnk it actually shows in any of his recent pictures. You can see some traces of the ointment in the pics I just posted in the photo area, though.

[reptilegrrl]

No need to apologize for the questions, btw

[marisa]

Water that's slightly on the acidic side is supposed to be better at keeping bacterial levels lower.

I have to ask---why are you using Lamisil? It says on the package not to use it on nails, and scutes have essentially the same make-up as nails.