My red ear slider has shell rot on plastron. How can I treat it?

Thanks for reaching out about Rizzo and including photos. This does appear to be a deep shell infection. First, water quality is incredibly important. All substrate (rocks, soil) should be removed. Water changes daily. Next, a dry environment needs to be set up to allow the wound to dry. Aquatic turtles can stay out of the water for very long periods of time. Rizzo can be kept dry all day and allowed two periods of time to be allowed to eat (1-2 hours each time) as turtles will not eat if dry. This will all allow the topical application of a anti-microbial cream, and not have it wash off. A soft towel or T-shirts can be used for bedding. Lastly, a veterinary visit is needed to prescribe systemic antibiotics, likely injections, as creams don't penetrate too deeply. These will heal over time if therapy is aggressive. Good luck.

It could be some minor shell rot. Use a soft bristled toothbrush and some diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) to scrub the affected area once or twice daily. Allow for a 1 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. Maintain pristine water quality via filtration and regular partial water changes. If the spots do not resolve or if they spread, have Squirtle physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. A UVB light source, calcium powder and multivitamin will promote shell health. You can also float a piece of cuttlebone in the tank for him to munch on as needed. It will provide additional calcium. Find the cuttlebone in the Bird section of the local Petco. The link below will provide additional information regarding the care of sliders. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

It looks like he has an injury on his toe or foot. A close up image would be needed to determine where the injury is located. A physical exam with your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet would be recommended to diagnose and treat any infection. Raphael may need antibiotics. For now, keep the water in the tank as clean as possible. Rinse the foot a couple times daily with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solution. Allow a 1-2 hour dry docking after each cleaning. Monitor for lethargy or decreased appetite. Confirm proper environmental parameters. Consider increasing tank temps by about 5-10 degrees F to aid in recovery.

It appears as if Franklin is missing a pectoral scute. This can be due to trauma, infection or a combination of the two. A turtle can develop infection from something as "minor" as a scratch on the shell. Have Franklin examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. He may need treatment and systemic antibiotics. In the meantime, maintain pristine water quality which will aid in healing and limit secondary infection and other complications. Consider increasing ambient temps by a few degrees to aid in recovery. Franklin may ultimately need to be dry docked (kept out of water) for most of the day until he heals.

I would be concerned about possible fungal infection. If you cannot make it to a vet I would recommend placing them in a dry environment three times a day for 20-30 minutes. You can buy iodine and dilute it a lot and apply small amount to the lesions. Also some pet stores have drops to place in water of tank to help with fungal growth.

Maintain pristine water quality and proper temperature. You can even bump water and ambient temps about 5 F to aid in recovery. Offer some freeze dried shrimp or krill to stimulate the appetite. Small bits of fresh beef heart may also get him eating. Other protein sources include feeder fish and nightcrawlers.

Although a picture of it would help to determine the underlying cause more specifically, this problem could be to shell rot. The loss of appetite could be due to the infection. Swab the infected area with a diluted povidone-iodine solution twice daily. Scrape away the infected area gently with a blunt tool or a cotton pad. If this time of first line treatment does not help and you do not see any improvement in 48hours a check up at your local veterinarian would be required as antibiotic ointment and more aggressive treatment may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.