My tortoise has shell rot and looks infected. What should I do?

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Steve and including photos. These lesions appear similar to ones seen when chewed on by a dog or raccoon. A veterinary visit is a necessity to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Systemic antibiotics are needed, probably injections. After the wound is deemed clean, an acrylic patch needs to be placed to prevent future infections. Hydrogen peroxide is okay to use initially but will indiscriminately kills cells, including immune cells and new skin cells. Keep on clean paper towels or other substate to prevent further contamination. The environmental temperature should reach 90+F during the day to stimulate the immune system. Call your local veterinarian. Good luck.

Sounds like he may have hypovitaminosis A. I suggest you read this article for suggestions on care and treatment. This is a diet and housing/lighting/temperature issue so be sure you are caring for him correctly. ( https://www.petplace.com/article/reptiles/general/vitamin-a-deficiency-hypovitaminosis-a-in-turtles/ ) ( http://www.avianandexotic.com/care-sheets/reptiles/aquatic-turtle/ ) As for the shell rot, you cannot keep an aquatic turtle on dry land 24/7. You should put him in water four one hour a day to eat and toilet then dry dock him again on land in a soft towel with a small, shallow water bowl for the remainder of the day. It is also important to get these turtles some UV light. At least twenty minutes a day in the sunshine or a set up with a UV lamp works well. It is also important the species are kept at their preferred body temperature to encourage the body to heal, a cold turtle can not mount an immune response. As a general rule around 25C suits most turtles.

Thanks for reaching out about Tiny Tim and including photos. The pictures do not show signs of shell rot but the eyes appear to be enlarged. This could be due to a vitamin A deficiency, so check the diet and correct problems. If persists, a veterinary visit is recommended. Check and correct husbandry parameters. Good luck.

I am very sorry that this is happening to Donatello! I think that the husbandry changes that you have made are a great idea, as often with cases of shell infections, it is due to poor water quality or other husbandry parameters not being completely perfect. With the other treatments that you are doing now, I don't think that you will be causing any harm, but they may not be strong enough to address what is going on with Donatello. Often when we see cases of shell rot, bacteria and other organisms can go deep into the shell, even down into the bone, and they can get a systemic (whole body) infection. Due to this, I would recommend that you take him to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can take a look at the shell, and may take a sample to look at under the microscope. Depending on what they see, they may recommend antibiotics or other medications to address any infection. To answer your question about how long it may take before seeing improvement - reptiles take a long time to show they are sick, and also take a long time to get better. The wonderful part about them, though, is that they are also very resilient and very good healers. They just take a while to do it, which can be hard! I hope that gives you a place to start, and I hope Donatello feels better soon!

Thanks for reaching out about Dory and including a photo. Remove from an aquatic environment and dry dock. Heat support should be in the 80-85 F range. Allow to soak in a shallow, clean room temperature water for 1-2 hours twice daily, monitor to avoid drowning. A veterinary visit is mandatory for the prescription of antibiotics, which need to be injections, in an animal this ill. You need to find a veterinarian. Try the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV.org), they have a find a vet area. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Squirtle and including photos. A probably diagnosis is an infection, requiring debridement of the wound and systemic antibiotics. A veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.