Shell Rot – Turtle Fungal Infections in the Shell

Hey! So fungus in turtles calls on three things. Fixing the cause of the fungus which is usually undercleaned water with high organics, chilling, lack of sunlight, subpar nutrition. If the turtle is designed for landfall, it needs to be able to ‘dry out’ 100% so that if the plastron (underside of the shell) stays damp, sooner or later it can develop a fungal infection. So, treatments are directed and fixing the cause. THEN – there are like, I dunno, a dozen different ways people fix these turtles, sometimes species-dependent. I’ve usually ignored small fungus spots if “going outside for the summer in proper enclosures” is just around the corner. If it was winter or the turtle wasn’t able to go outside, I’d prepare a shallow box and light half of it with a ‘full spectrum uva uvb light and heat lamp and dry them out completely for a few hours a day. You need to be careful and check in so the turtle doesn’t get overheated, dehydrated, or severely stressed. If you want to scrub the lesions, go ahead, not too aggressively but a soft bristle brush with hydrogen peroxide 3% over the counter can remove a dead-scute, clear off bacteria parasites or fungus that can be complicating issues. Some people drip methylene blue on the fungus, and that’s okay. Some people (myself included) soft-scrub Betadine into the lesions, rinse “fairly well” and then dry out under a fixture for a couple hours once a day. If they’re going back into a ‘top notch new and improved warm well lit UVA UVB full-dry capacity landfall Turtle Palooza they’ll rally and be fine. This is my two cents. Recap? Dry ’em out with a dab of Betadine once a day til better. Fix the enclosure. -Doc Johnson