flaking scutes?

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emyrose8
Posts: 2
Joined: 23 Sep 2017, 02:32

flaking scutes?

Post by emyrose8 » 23 Sep 2017, 02:44

Hi everyone, I have a russian tortoise, Joe, and I've had him for about six years. Earlier this year I noticed parts of his shell are flaking off at the scutes. Is it shell rot? This summer I started spraying a gentle iodine solution (1%) on it about once or twice a week, and it looks a little better, but I haven't been very regular about spraying. Not sure if that is right or not, all I can find online is stuff for turtles... any advice is appreciated!

I reached out to a friend who is a zoo keeper, and she asked some of her tortoise contacts what they thought. I've received mixed results. Some say scutes are supposed to routinely shed off, so it might be old layers stuck on there. They recommended soaking him in a water bath every few days or so to loosen them. But another contact said tortoises don’t shed scutes like turtles, so it shouldn’t be flaking and it looks like a bit of rot.

Any ideas? Or suggestions on what to do? I've attached two pictures: the first is one I took today (the lighting isn't the greatest) and the second is from the beginning of summer.
Attachments
Joe- Sept 2017.jpg
Joe- beginning of summer 2017.jpg

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: flaking scutes?

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2017, 08:52

Hi Emyrose8 (sorry, I don't know your name), and many thanks for contacting us.

You certainly have been given lots of conflicting information!

First of all, the person who told you that turtles do shed scutes and tortoises do not shed scutes is correct. Tortoises do not shed any part of their scutes if they are healthy, and the sort of flaking you described and your photos indicate that your tortoise probably has shell rot. If this is caught early and treated with something like chlorhexidine then it can be cured, but if left for any length of time it can eventually cause an abscess, which can turn into septicaemia, and is extremely difficult to cure, so it is important that you get treatment as soon as possible. The white patches you are seeing looks to me like where the shell has flaked off, exposing the bone. You really need a diagnosis from a vet who is trained in the treatment of reptiles (many ordinary vets have very little knowledge of how to treat tortoises).

Where do you live? Are you in the States? Is there a good reptile vet near you? Your zoo keeper friend might be able to recommend one. In the meantime here is an article from The Tortoise Trust on shell rot:
https://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/shellrot.html
and also one from an internet vet site
http://www.netvet.co.uk/tortoises/shell-rot.htm
So do have a read and see what you think.

I'm sure Joe will be OK after appropriate treatment, and do let us know how you get on.

Nina

emyrose8
Posts: 2
Joined: 23 Sep 2017, 02:32

Re: flaking scutes?

Post by emyrose8 » 23 Sep 2017, 15:04

Thanks Nina for responding so quickly! I do live in the States, but in a rural part of Minnesota, so I didn't think there were any exotic animal vets near me. But last night I did a Google search and found one about a half an hour away, so I will be in contact with them too (not sure how much they know about tortoises, but hey it's worth a try!). I read through the articles you posted (very helpful!) and it looks like Chlorhexidine is something I can get fairly easily. Thanks again for your help! I'll keep you posted on how Joe does with treatment.
~Emily

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: flaking scutes?

Post by Nina » 23 Sep 2017, 17:34

That's great news, Emily! I'm so glad that you've found a vet who treats reptiles and hope that Joe is treated and back to full health in no time.

Nina

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