General Care Discussion :: Normal shed or shell rot???

[Steve C]

Charles stared shedding the scutes on his belly and the first few have flaked off in a small area. What concerns me is the new shell area is pitted and seems dull. Can this be a sign of shell rot, or is it a normal shed.

[Tenodera]

Can you post a picture of it?

[Steve C]

I am having probs with my cam, I will try to get one up tomarrow. If anybody has a link to what a normal shed looks like can they post it.

[N4784N R4613]

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12091

[Steve C]

Well I think its shell rot. There a a few small white spots on his shell top and a thumb sized area on his belly. I have taken him out of his tank and am soaking him in sulfa daily. Once he is dry I am putting silvadine on the exposed areas. Is there any other things I should be doing to help him heal quickly?

[SpotsMama]

It would still be helpful to see photos of the infected areas.

Probably the most common cause of shell infections is a shell that doesn't get to dry off thoroughly - top and bottom - at frequent intervals. The bacteria or fungus that cause these infections thrive in moist conditions so if you can keep him dry for part of the day every day especially while he's healing that would be helpful. Keep him dry for at least a few hours after you put the silvadine on him to give it a chance to do its work. Then, check his basking situation to make sure he can get completely dry (plastron too) when he's basking and make sure he basks regularly.

If the infected areas are white then they are likely some sort of fungus. Check the ph of your turtle's water. Fungus thrives when the ph is very high (like over 8 ). If the ph is very high you should consider lowering it. Come back on here if that's the case and we can discuss how to go about this.

All the things that a turtle needs to stay healthy are also necessary for a healthy shell - good diet with sufficient calcium, basking under a good UVB light, and clean water. Make sure that all these factors are up to standard.

[marisa]

Can you get some Nolvasan (chlorohexidine)? If you got the Silverdyne from a vet, get some Nolvasan as well and clean the shell and let it dry before putting on the ointment. It would be better than soaking him in sulfa.

A pic of the plastron and carapace dry is still coming?

[industrial_girl_2000]

Shell rot.....definitely make sure your turtle has a chance to completely dry off daily for a few hours (as in, he needs to be completely out of the water). What kind of basking dock do you have for him? What kinds of UV lights? Does he bask daily for a few hours?

Also, keep the water in his tank extremely clean, even if it means changing it weekly. This will prevent bacteria buildup.