My new turtle has shell rot. What are the best treatment steps?

Thanks for reaching out about Frank and including the pictures. The lesions on the plastron (lower shell) doe appear to be due to an infection. Rarely do the fluid additives help in situations like this, because the infection is too deep for this treatment to work. Gently scrubbing with an old toothbrush with a dilute betadyne solution (1:10, light tan color) to remove any debris. Applying a topical antibiotics such as neosporin could work well but Frank needs to stay dry for 6-8 hours. Red eared sliders do great out of water and only need water to eat and drink. If the lesions get worse, a visit to a reptile veterinarian and systemic antibiotics is needed. Monitor water quality to provide a clean environment to live. 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!

Hi there! So sorry to hear about Willow's shell troubles. You can try dry-docking him and just letting him into the water for an hour a day to defecate to let the shell really dry out. You can clean the shell with some very dilute betadine or iodine, or chlorhexidine solution mixed one part solution with 10 parts water 2-3 times per day while you dry dock. Keep in mind, when trying to feed him a couple times per week, he'll want to be in the water for that as well as for going to the bathroom. They will not eat when being dry docked. If here is no improvement at all in a week or so, he may need some prescription cream to apply to the shell. Shell rot usually will be a result of water quality not being ideal. Below is a link to Austin's turtle page, one of my favorite turtle husbandry pages, as well as a link about treating shell rot. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck! http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-mississippi_map.htm https://www.vettails.com/vettails/2016/2/21/how-i-treat-shell-rot-in-turtles

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 Amad and including photos. If showing signs of being that sick, disease process is advanced and a veterinary visit is recommended ASAP. Most emergency veterinary clinics are open today. Check, review and correct dietary and husbandry parameters, as these are essential for proper health and to help stimulate the immune system. By the photos, fruit and mushrooms, and some greens are not a very well rounded diet. Severe illness probably requires systemic antibiotics and some diagnostic testing. Check heat support as needs to be in the 85-90 F range for this species. 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.

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.