General Care Discussion :: Normal shedding or shell rot?

[Lloyd-john]

Is it suggested to use to help cure the fungus? Do i need a prescription for this cream or can i just buy from pharmacy?

[steve]

Yes fungus and shell rot are different, with shell rot being much more serious. Fungus can lead to secondary infections with are serious too.

Just add water to the betadine to a tea colored solution. Be careful as it is very dark and can stain clothing.

At this point betadine won't do much against the fungus but it might help against those secondary infections.

SSD cream does require a prescription in the US. Its the same cream used for burn victims. I'm not sure if the silver or sulfa element that works (I've tried both colloidal silver and sulfa meds and they do not seem effective).

You rub a thin layer on, but as I said you might want to wait for some shedding first. Fungus adapts quickly, not eradicating the infection can leave a more resistant strain.

[Lloyd-john]

Do you think sea salt will help kill the fungus? I have found sea salt in my home and read kt can kill fungus but i want to know if i can use it for my turtles tank or how i should use it to its benefits. I think i am going to book an appointment for a vet tomorrow or tuesday so i can fin out exactly what to do

[steve]

Salt does not seem to be effective either.

[Lloyd-john]

Well here is an update of both my turtles starting from last Wednesday when i bought and started using Betadine and Polysporin on both my turtles to cure their fungus. It is working miracles and here is a before and after for both my turtles!

Turtle #1 - he had the major fungus
Before - http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... e73e451511
After - http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... a456d21592

Turtle #2 - he had minor fungus
Before - http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... 45bd28091b
After - http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... 7d650d06bf

[penelope]

I'm so glad to hear you are making progress -

[steve]

Looks/sounds great. Have they been shedding any of those scutes?

[Lloyd-john]

Shedding wise, i havent quite seem a difference the edges are all yellow still and im assuming they are shedding the fungus off them in the water since that is all i see but im not too sure they have been acting quite odd lately.

[steve]

So you're doing a scrub with the Betadine and applying the Polysporin during an overnight dry dock?

[Lloyd-john]

Well what i do is when i get home, i take them out of the tank to dry off then i brush betadine on them with a toothbrush an leave them for about 30minutes then rinse them, dry them and apply polysporin on them then leave them out for 30minutes then put them right into the water. Any suggestions or is what im doing good?

[penelope]

Hmmm...I may have misunderstood. Are you putting full strength betadine on them, or creating a "bath" of betadine diluted with water? Fungus aside, the general rule when giving a betadine soak is to dilute it with water, then let the babes sit in that for 10-20 minutes and then rinse them off **very** well before putting them back in their tank. The depth of the water should not be more than what is needed to cover their shell (don't want to force them to drink the junk).
I typically do the toothbrush scrub while they are soaking - softly, but with enough pressure to get some stuff off - I would compare it to less pressure than brushing your own teeth ~ more like the same pressure as brushing a baby's teeth. Again, fungus aside, I view the soak as a way of scrubbing off some gunk and disinfecting the newly cleaned area (rationalization)

If you are rubbing the betadine on full strength that may be why they look look yellow on the edges. Betadine will stain your clothes and hands if left on long enough. Heck when I use it ongoing to cure a wound on me, I turn yellow-orangish in the area.

I posted pictures earlier in this post to give you an example of what the water / betadine solution should look like.
If that is what you are doing, I apologize for misunderstanding your comment.
Cheers!

[penelope]

PS - if you dry dock them overnight the Polysporin has time to work. Understanding that these little guys and gals are not human, the prescriptions they receive from a vet are very often "human" stuff. Point being - if you had a cut and put Polysporin on it, would you hop in a tub and wash it all away? or would you be cautious so it could "do it's thing"? - thus the reason for the overnight dry dock, should you choose to use it.

[Lloyd-john]

So should i start soaking them? The reason im not is because i read its harmful for them..and yes i am usin full betadine strength but dippin brush in water every few scrubs. I dont know how to keep them dry docked overnight because it gets cold here overnight and i dont know what to as they make alot of noise when out of their tank and if i dry dock overnight id like to keep it warm but also make them go to sleep any advice?

[steve]

Do you clean off the Polysporin before you put them back in the water?

[Lloyd-john]

No i leave the polysporin on them when i put them back in the water for the night