Red Foot Tortoise Health Concern

[FCExotics]

Hey everyone! I need some opinions from those of you more experienced with tortoises than myself. I've always admired them, and this is my first pair. I picked them up over the weekend at the Hamburg reptile show, and have them all set up in a 6' by 2.5' enclosure. They're breathing normally and have clear eyes and nose and are absolute little eating machines! However upon getting them situated I gave them their first soak last night and noticed what appears to be the start of shell rot or some sore of shell fungus on their underside. It's not flakey and doesn't scrape off (I gave them a light scrubbing with betadine and treated with 1% clotrimazole antifungal cream as a preventative last night - it still looks the same tonight). The plastron is also not as solid as the carapace - it's softer - but it is my understanding to be normal as they are so young. What do you all think? Should I keep treating with the clotrimazole (brand name Lotrimine) and how often?

I'm not sure how great of care they under before I picked them up but I have them under heat and UVB and feeding on endive, radicchio, romaine, escarole and the occasional strawberry or prickly pear fruit. They also get Mazuri tortoise diet offered daily; and everything is dusted with calcium + D3. I've only had them for a couple days now. Lemme know what you all think. Pictures attached and thank you in advance!!!

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[FCExotics]

Bump, anyone have any input on this?


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[nickolasanastasiou]

However upon getting them situated I gave them their first soak last night and noticed what appears to be the start of shell rot or some sore of shell fungus on their underside. It's not flakey and doesn't scrape off (I gave them a light scrubbing with betadine and treated with 1% clotrimazole antifungal cream as a preventative last night - it still looks the same tonight). The plastron is also not as solid as the carapace - it's softer - but it is my understanding to be normal as they are so young. What do you all think? Should I keep treating with the clotrimazole (brand name Lotrimine) and how often?

Yes, that looks to be a touch of fungal attack. I like your treatment plan. I would keep up the clotrimazole daily for a while and then drop back in frequency after a week. Be careful about soaking since you would want to avoid ingestion of the medication. Maybe a rinse with a light scrub (more like wiping with wet paper towel) prior to soaks if you do them. If I have a water dish present that I know (observe) the animals to regularly drink from, I tend to skip soaks, but having the dish and still doing soaks is not a problem.

A plastron with some give is normal in younger animals. It should become more rigid with time and growth. I do not make a habit of testing that frequently for somewhat similar reasons to why I would not want to compress a human baby's ribcage.

I would keep the air humid, but have most of the substrate's surface layer relatively dry with a section of moss or soil (or moss and soil) that is moist (not sopping wet) to dig into (I see moss already). Be careful selecting the moss and/or soil to avoid introducing pesticides or potentially toxic byproducts. The diet is good. I would bring the food dish further from the light if you are using an MVB or something. Food will wilt or dry out faster when especially close to the bulb. Papaya and mango are other nice fruits to add into your rotation, but the options are really vast. Turnip greens for a greens option addition. You can give some hard-boiled egg (crushed with the shell), shrimp, fish, or other flesh to their diet for additional protein and mineral content. I would add a cuttlebone, broken into two or three pieces, into the cage for nibbling if not already present. For live whole prey that provides some cleanup activity and serves as the occasional snack for a nutritional boost, I recommend isopods. I prefer Armadillidium vulgare, but you have options when choosing an isopod type (or types).

There are as many care style nuances as there are people and several things can work well, so do not be afraid to chart your own path instead of following anyone else's particular dogma. What I do works well for me. Many others handle things differently to similar degrees of success. I would not want them to change to my style just because it is what I happen to use. Question anything at any time. If someone else's advice fails for your animals, they are not on the hook and the animals pay the price.