What does turtle shell rot look like?
Symptoms of shell rot usually start as an almost unnoticeable discoloration on either the carapace (top of shell) or plastron (bottom) of a turtle’s shell. The color change can be white, yellowish, or green with a mold-like appearance. It can show up as spots or blotches and can appear anywhere on the shell.
What are the symptoms of shell rot on a turtle?
The symptoms of shell rot in pet turtles tend to be more subtle. You might see a reddish fluid under the shell plates, a slimy layer on the shell or softening, lifting, or flaking plates.
What kind of disease does a turtle have?
Turtle shell rot is also known in veterinary circles as ulcerative shell disease. It’s a generic term for a common infection that can appear in either the top half of the shell (known as the carapace) or the bottom half (known as the plastron).
What can you put on a rotted turtle shell?
Originally hydrogen peroxide was used to treat shell rot, but this actually resulted in the healing process getting slowed down significantly. Betadine, or a 10% Povidone Iodine solution, is now used and yield great results. Once you’ve scraped away the rotted shell to get to the tissue beneath it, apply the Betadine to the shell rot.
What happens when a turtle’s shell falls off?
You may also start to see soft spots forming or even have small areas of bloody discharge. If your turtle or tortoise has a very bad shell rot, it may cause entire scutes to fall off. This would expose the bone and nerves that are underneath the hard shell covering.
What happens to a turtle’s shell when it rots?
This will eventually cause small pits and divots in their shell and give their shell a moth-eaten appearance. You may also start to see soft spots forming or even have small areas of bloody discharge. If your turtle or tortoise has a very bad shell rot, it may cause entire scutes to fall off.
Turtle shell rot is also known in veterinary circles as ulcerative shell disease. It’s a generic term for a common infection that can appear in either the top half of the shell (known as the carapace) or the bottom half (known as the plastron).
Why are the scutes falling out of my turtle?
You may also notice a little white spot on the scute affected by shell rot. As the rot gets bad, the scutes may start to fall out. Shell rot is caused by both fungal and bacterial infections. It is more common among aquatic turtle as they spend more time in a humid environment which is conducive to the growth of bacteria and fungus.
Originally hydrogen peroxide was used to treat shell rot, but this actually resulted in the healing process getting slowed down significantly. Betadine, or a 10% Povidone Iodine solution, is now used and yield great results. Once you’ve scraped away the rotted shell to get to the tissue beneath it, apply the Betadine to the shell rot.
