How to Easily Fix Shell Rot in Turtles

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Today, I'm showing you how I helped to heal the shell rot on my red ear slider which developed over the past number of years when previous owners didn't give him proper heating or basking areas.
Shell rot can begin when a semi aquatic turtle doesn't have proper basking areas or heating, or when a land turtle is in too humid of an environment. This causes the shell to always stay wet or moist and end up rotting away. This treatment kills any bacteria or mold causing this rot which allows the shell to heal over time.
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[@GoHerping]

Forgot to mention, keeping your turtle out of the water more often, allowing the shell to stay dry more, will help improve it more quickly.

[@leventesimon5299]

GoHerping For a snake hot-spot, should I measure the temprature of the air, or the ground? (If I use a heat pad under my tank)

[@katharinelowen8464]

I would think you would check the floor

[@wulkfin5132]

GoHerping What happens if it has gold spots on its shell is that shell rot?

[@frostlinemlondon580]

I got my 3 turtles from pet smart and they came with lots of shell rot😭 they have little chunks out of the she'll too. What should I do please help me 😢

[@ultrafire6684]

Do as he said,and leave it out of the water for about 5-8 hours everyday. You can also use alcohol too. The key is more dry time than wet time while keep its shell very clean.

[@truthbetold6608]

I love the fact that your a young guy educating with a great amount of useful info...thanks dude

[@GoHerping]

thanks!

[@kaleijaramillo8363]

Yes! You're

[@TheAsominator]

Get out my head man 😅

[@candieschonauer4083]

Thank you so much.

[@MalonzeProductionsGaming]

hes so chill.. my turtle hates being touched. hisses at me lol

[@turtleanton6539]

Lolz😅😅 he will learn to trust you

[@No_Sleep789]

Ever heard of ASMR? Cause you'd be great at it, your voice is relaxing.

[@adrianvargas2261]

No Sleep 😂 for real

[@Raulyfps]

FACTS

[@deliciousroadcrack8396]

Have you heard of boyfriend asmr it make you feel lonely and hella happy and makes you think that you are a person that had just fallen in love with a voice of someone you dont even know

[@dancasey9410]

@@deliciousroadcrack8396 thank you you've changed my life. I looked up girlfriend ASMR it's great.

[@amywasson4238]

Check out the channel again 👀

[@charlottehayes6403]

this is such a great video! my turtles had shell rot last year and there weren't really any good, clear videos on what to do! This is exactly what i did and they are fine now! good for you and thank you!

[@tiff1922]

How long had u done it?

[@jazminee3601]

Israel Perez in the video he said it should take about 2-3 weeks

[@turtleanton6539]

Perfekt

[@AA-lu4vq]

First off, my daughter and I watch these teaching vids and think you are so awesome. We both just looked at each other when you said his name Franklin because we watch that cartoon on qubo everyday, and my daughter (age 5) was like "Wow Mommy that's Franklin in real life! They made a cartoon after his baby turtle!" Second, I didn't think of povidone. That's a great idea. I got our turtle from a nurse, ironically, whose daughter "outgrew her turtle" she says and they knew I'd be a good Mommy for it cause I also have a ball python I raised since a hatchling and have taken care of through several moves, and even when homeless when I was pregnant. Anyway, they definitely had poor husbandry and my turtle is just now getting better. I used an idea I got off youtube about making a coconut oil water soak and sure enough, she shed. I didn't even know what scutes were and was like panicking at first, lol. I also followed a few suggestions and made improvements to her 'house' and she seems happy. Anyway, long post but all that to say you rock and keep up the fantastic videos. Thank you so much.

[@BlackBunnyBamaLam]

Whoa...I'm just an artist looking for way to mold turtle shells (dead not alive) & found this very impressive presentation. #1-surprised and awed that you care enough about this turtle to do what you did to heal its shell and #2-your calm and very concise instructions! There's a world out there looking for you! You have something special!

[@jennywithlime]

Been considering adopting an adult red eared slider from a friend for a few months, your videos are very informative and, at least for us, encouraging. So thank you for sharing~

[@rebeccabusby9171]

Thank you so much for making Shell Rot sound repairable at home instead of some critical concern!

[@jamesabarela]

OMG 😲 Your 🐢 is so chill... Totally comfortable with you handling it, he's even trying to climb on your leg...mine is like NO WAY JOSE!!! don't touch me, don't even look at me. When I first got him, he was shy of course. Then as time went on he became more and more comfy with me and would even swim up to the glass to get some food and eat from my hand... Then suddenly one day (and I have my suspicions) he wanted nothing to do with anyone and was terrified of me...and ever since then he hasn't let me near him. I never see him eat. He runs away all the time and is totally on edge whenever I hold him... I think someone did something to him or dropped him or something. That's the only thing i can think of. There is only one other person that has access to him and that person swears on everything holy that they didn't do anything to him or accidentally. But I don't believe that. Hopefully he will come around again and trust me 😢 soon cuz he's a cool lookin dude and I like him...and ill shut up now!!!

[@IllCallYouOut]

Lol I'm sorry but this made me laugh. I have two Greek tortoise and I'm sure that they want to kill me if they got the chance

[@katietotten]

Thank you so much for the information in this video! Your directions are very clear and easy to follow. I recently rescued a red eared slider from my work and I have noticed a few spots on his shell which look to be symptoms of shell rot. I will try your advice starting tonight and hopefully it will take care of the problem!

[@13linkinparkluver13]

Very informative! I just rescued two turtles and I'm obsessively doing research about them. They don't appear to have any shell rot, thankfully, but now I won't panic and I'll know what to do if they ever do. I also noticed Franklin is very calm with you. I know turtles generally aren't comfortable being handled (even when they trust and love you, like yours does) but I was worried the two I rescued just weren't very sociable because they'd been kept in one of those cursed china town carriers for their whole lives... They generally calm down if you stroke their shells gently, but I haven't even thought of just letting them roam around on my carpet, ha!

[@jamiestewart6917]

Thanks so much for this video! I got a Sulcata Tortoise almost a week ago and noticed some white spots forming on it's shell. I wasn't sure what to do until now- but thanks to this video I can now properly treat my tortoise. Hopefully Stevie gets better soon, thank you! Also I LOVE you videos!

[@robsmith6835]

This is the best step by step video I've seen by far for cleaning and taking care of turtle rot. My poor little girl just had some I found yesterday and had no clue what to do. First I went out and got her a dual heat and UVB bulb which comes delivered tomorrow and that should stop this from happening In the future. And today I just did her 1st cleaning following this video. Thank you for doing this video for us. :-)

[@ratman543]

I have a red eared slider, he's a pretty chill guy

[@ratman543]

His name is jellie btw

[@imtheattacker]

I have a turtle, but no one can tell me the breed, so I don't know the breed, his name is Normen, I got him Christmas of 2017, and he is very... Curious.

[@dannyhernandez1109]

Cody Smith can I see a video i might be able to tell

[@bobruh6260]

i have two, not sure about breed but i think pond turtles and they got so brave and crazy at the moment and i am not talking when they see food... :D

[@divuh8089]

Right

[@brandirose3874]

Thank You young man! You have helped my red eared slider turtle A Lot!🤗

[@jo-annelcsw6166]

Great video! I like how you are very gentle with your turtle. ( I liked the visit from the cat too!)

[@v2webster]

Fantastic video! So well done and informative! Love the cat photo-bomb!

[@rebeccacurran8365]

Great informative video. I have a yellow eared slider too. Such a friendly turtle!

[@lorisallade2062]

Great presentation. Good editing. Great voice. Clear with good tempo, easy to understand/follow. Very professional.

[@GoHerping]

Thanks!

[@suewhite6827]

good video. helped me to recognize shell rot and am now using your system to fix

[@thabuloodles9209]

Thanks alot Great Video When you do put him back in the water do you wash it off??

[@vivian-2514]

This was super helpful! Thank you!

[@BlaiseByrd]

I did a summer internship at the Karen Beasley turtle rescue and rehabilitation center, so I have done this quite a lot.

[@rhondaann411]

Thank you for educating on shell rot fix. My Red ear slider, I have had for 20 years, Franklynn (she). So hi to your Franky turtle.

[@44i35]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I had read about the treatment but I wasn't sure about it. This was great and reassuring! ✌🐢

[@priyadubey9641]

In how Many days??? It can to recover

[@amucrab4154]

@@priyadubey9641 can take up to a month

[@joeyhernandez9329]

thank you for making this video! helped me so much

[@albinohoodrat5934]

That photobomb at 4:32

[@john-jx9li]

😅

[@m34nu]

Such a big help,thank you!

[@KuramiRocket]

Great video! I've noticed my sis's partner's turtle is developing a whitish spot and looks like it might be shell rot. It has been getting colder here so he may not be warm enough. Thanks for video! It's time to fix that!

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Great job my man 👍🏼 🐢

[@abbieridgway6068]

This video is amazing thank you so much!

[@GAMINGMATRIXXX]

Watching this in 2022. My 3 year old Reeve’s Turtle, Willow, has Shell Rott. I will use your method and hopefully it will cure it. Thank you.

[@nikosconstantopolous7942]

Excellent video, thank you 👍🏼

[@KimFusedFPV]

Nice video! Thanks, I just took in an aquatic turtle that they said was 20, female and from what I can tell she is a yellow bellied slider, she looks like your turtle for sure. Noticed some white spots, did a little research and I'm pretty sure she may have a little bit of shell rot. This was a perfect video to watch, thanks for the instructional, now on to treating. :o)

[@camaples]

Thank you, brother.

[@louel9272]

Great vid sir very well explained! Btw povidone-iodine is the generic name and betadine is a brand name 😁

[@ladiebugchikon4177]

Great video! The cat 😄. I'm here because my daughter found an injured alligator snapping turtle (Florida). Most likely hit by a car on this rainy day. I think we will try to get him into a large trashcan with wheels and place him somewhere more safe. I hope his shell can heal in time.

[@homiecreeper197]

Thanks pal,I hope it works,both of my turtles have it and one of them has a lot of it all over her shell.I really hope it works.

[@bigboo2097]

Thanks bro nice video. Helped my Texas Map turtles shell rot

[@advocategurmeetsingh]

Hii.. U are really awesome!! Well explained.. Everything explained in detail. .. Lovely.. Thanx a ton

[@vinitajohn4614]

Thank you the lovely video. My turtle is shell is in a very bad condition...kindly guide me in depth how to help him heal 🙏🙏🙏

[@natashaabigailsubrata3177]

Thank for the vid^^ i was so worried when my turtle had shell rot since this is my first time having a pet turtle

[@vinitajohn4614]

Thank you for the information. Please guide me how heal my turtle's cracked shell. 🙏🙏🙏

[@randysandoval4057]

I never knew god has a KZbin channel thanks so much man I really appreciate it 🙏

[@VulpineStreamer12]

God???

[@jennacat13]

Thanks for sharing,

[@jacedw5584]

Omg thank you so much you saved my tortoises life

[@kelly-annec8495]

Hey! Should we rinse the solution off before returning him to his tank, or should we leave it on? Excellent video, thanks for doing this!

[@htowncardetailing7225]

Looking fresh lol i love how i can come to u for help and for awsome videos

[@Saufe_Serva]

Thank You for this video

[@ChiefxWop]

Hey man every video i watched on shell rot scared the fuck outta me you actually brought some reassurance and showed how simple it is to fix. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@elizabethtrainer9732]

I notice in previous videos that you let your turtle walk around freely quite often, I let my turtle walk around as well. Prior to letting her walk around her shell was great, she has a huge basking area with lots of light and heat, but now she has a few places of shell rot. Could it be that our turtles are picking up basic, human bacterias that are interfering with their own chemistry, which is causing the shell rot? (Great video...I'm going to take these steps today, thank you.)

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes. Dont do that

[@exoticpetkeeper346]

Can I also put an anti fungal cream and an ointment? Because I am doing your procedure too but I also use those 2.

[@Cicada11011]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, NOW MY LITTLE SHELL BABY IS BETTER 😊💖

[@turtleanton6539]

Great😊

[@aprilfields5469]

Thank you so much for this video! I got my turtles without the proper research so they have a few problems much as shell rot and pyramid-ing. But I'm trying to fix my mistakes! I did try to get my parent's permission to get separate 75 gallon stock tanks but that has fail. Even though I can't do much about the stock tank, I am currently working on improving their diet and other things to give them better life until I move out and can do my own thing.

[@mrwhiskers1471]

Can you do a video or retained scoots? My turtle has them and has a good basking area and has uv light with a heater

[@ajajdjdksifo3253]

Thanks for a nice video! Love you:)

[@biospider3.068]

Thanks so much! My turtle has had shell rot for years and I wasn't sure how to fix it. Hes been sick in the past but hasn't been since, however it was difficult having a good basking set up for him once he became a certain size and I believe that's where the majority of his rot came from (also water being too cold). I felt really bad seeing his shell in that condition and it pains me to say it took so long to do research on it but im hoping this works!

[@ariannapochet9933]

Hey did this treatment work for your turtle?

[@biospider3.068]

@ariannapochet9933 hey. It did work to some degree it's been a while since I did the treatment and I think he has shedded since then but im sure it would be more effective in the beginning stages of shell rot. Basically don't wait if you can help it. Hope this helps!

[@ashleydeshazo4122]

This worked really well on my sideneck. We took him to an exotic vet afterwards just to be sure, but it was completely gone! The one thing we struggle with is shell fungus. I spot clean his tank daily, monitor the water chemicals, give his shell a good scrub weekly, and wash the whole tank monthly. He also has a really good filter and I rinse the filter pad weekly and replace it every two cleanings. He also gets 1/3 water changes every week. I make sure he has enough calcium and he has a good UVB light and a dry place to bask. I just can't seem to get rid of the stuff for good. It's not sticky or soft like shell rot, but more like a dry, white substance. Before I got him, one of his two previous homes had seen a bad fall that left some crackage along his shell. It's healed up fine, but the fungus always seems to retreat into the old cracks. It's an almost seasonal thing we deal with on a regular basis. The vet told me I could use althlet's foot cream or a more...erm...feminine type of cream, as both funguses are in,the dame family as shell fungus. Both of these things seem to work- first, I use the very mild soap to wash his shell. I dry him thoroughly, then coat the affected areas with the cream. I let him wander the carpet for about an hour so it does its thing. I then wash it again thoroughly and put him back in his tank. Every time he gets a serious outbreak, I give him some dry dock time and flush out his whole tank. Even with all this, I can never seem to keep the fungus away permanently. Is there anything I can do, or is something we'll just have to deal with?

[@noproblamas2205]

If you can get an ibc tank and chop and flip, you can grow food on top as the filter through a substrate media like scoria or even river rocks, and have Awesome water quality.

[@horsefamily32]

This was a really good video. Thank you. I like to also use Chlorahexadine blue ointment. I currently have 2%. You can put a good coat on their shell (after cleaning as you've shown) and let them sit for 10 minutes minimum to let it dry. If you get the liquid, get 4%.

[@noproblamas2205]

Repair on base of my turtle. Has some pitting where you can see multiple layers. Was a rescue old girl that was roaming the streets.

[@harley-jean1889]

thank you for this video , just got my 2ed turtle from a guy who got her bc she is “ cute “ and the turtle is in bad shape :( doing my best for the girl and needed to know how to cure this rot on the back of shell . YOUR A LIFESAVER

[@bingchilling495]

same thing i buy turtle in bad condition a dont know it is in bad condition

[@blasmerry]

Franklyn is such a cute turtle! 💕

[@GoHerping]

I agree, thanks!

[@charlesmayer8159]

Thank you man helped me hella

[@tyrtle_turtle3924]

Thanks! My turtle has extreme shell rot and I'm wondering how to fix it

[@aprilhicks9722]

Ahhh, thank you so much!! My turtle was starting to get shell rot and I got worried! Again, thank you!

[@jojotorres6199]

do you rinse the iodine off of him first before putting the turtle back in his enclosure?

[@cholos17]

Thanks!

[@wubwub6728]

is it okay if I use this treatment together with the acriflavaine treatment ?

[@Majesca84]

You are awesome. Nice job! I was wondering if I send you a pic of our little turtle if you could tell me if it is actually shell rot?

[@GoHerping]

Sure, you can email it to [e-mail]

[@rebeccabailey9589]

I got a RES a couple months ago and hes the funniest, meanest little thing ive ever seen. It's also nice to see another RES that has darker coloring, all of the other videos i watch of them have these bright green shells and make me wonder if theres something wrong with him.

[@tiff1922]

I have a RES and it's black but I think it normal but pink around his belly ain't no normal.

[@jeogriffith]

Your the best!

[@kristen4301]

Does diluted Nolvasan solution work as well? I got it from my vet one time when my 3yr got a crack on her shell, it’s to clean a wound before applying prescription cream.

[@arnokosterman231]

Thank you♡♡♡

[@The_Only_Porker]

Should I tend to all of the spots on my tortoise at once or should I do one spot at a time after the spot has healed?

[@elyyayt8865]

Hi.. I am currently treating my red eared slider shell rot rn. And I am wondering if this would stain his shell ??

[@ashleyztinztun9105]

Do you have to clean your carpet after a turtle walks on it or is it safe ? And can warm salt baths help too?

[@CCCFlemishGiants]

Hello and I'm so grateful for this video. I'm a rabbit rescue and just had somebody beg for help with a red-eared slider. I had one for about 15 years so I thought I would be okay to take this little one on. Unfortunately he's got just about everything they can have wrong with him wrong so starting from head to toe trying to get him healthy the shell rod is just one of the many things he's dealing with poor baby. And then I guess somehow the word got out and now there's two geckos that are going to join the family tomorrow so I don't know if you do this but I would love to know what kind of geckos they are if there's a way I could send you photo and you can tell me what they are just so I could get the proper setups and treat them correctly since the person who called me for help told me they were the same species and clearly they are not and the story is very strange so anyway I'm just going in assuming the worst and putting them both and quarantine and start again from the ground up with health assessment etc and already called the vet to get an appointment for them but knowing what kind of lizard they are would be helpful. 🙏👍

[@RubberDucky_2.0]

What soap are you using and do i need betadine or the other one

[@J.Cashhhh]

I heard you can use Neosporin as well

[@Mwink1975]

Hi, is dry shell or shell rot?!. Because my turtle's shell turn white after being out the water. I do wipe her shell off between water changes & use VitaShell cream on her sometimes to condition her shell. It's a very good product!!

[@jsaygoose4641]

thank you sm this video prob saved my baby turtles 😄

[@cherrylynn7173]

His claws are long. Wow!

[@captoblivious3826]

It's for the ladies ;)

[@luckyrooks3175]

Hey Alex I couldn't find no way to message or contact you to ask you a question about my turtle. So I just got a turtle and it has some shell rot. Does all shell rot look white? Please respond because I need to know if I need to do your method to treat it. And if the turtle is a baby will it be okay to treat it at this age. Thank you and love your channel your awesome.

[@lachingona4337]

After the iodine drys do u clean it off or put him right back in his tank

[@Holly.Wilson]

Thank you so much! I am going to use this on my Russian Tortoise.

[@shivramsamant517]

What is mild soap. Any specific kind

[@wavyyrap9973]

Can I use dawn as soap to clean too?

[@Matticus404]

What is considered mild soap? I'm hesitant to use mild hand soap or dish soap on my turtle. Is Dove, or unscented bar soap, considered mild soap and safe to use on my turtle?

[@jayeculture]

Do you need to wash off the Betadine/Povidone Iodine before putting the turtle back in it’s enclosure? If so, just a water rinse or with soap again?

[@kevinbray1142]

I have 2 Mississippi Map Turtles and one has shell rot all over his shell. When treating his shell can I cover the entire shell with Povidone Iodine or should I do each area at a time?

[@katrix-]

What brand of soap were you using?

[@VulpineStreamer12]

I have that same question!!!

[@bjanee]

tysm for this vid, I was just wondering if you need to rinse it before putting the turtle back in the water ?

[@NicoleNiki-yh1eg]

Do you?

[@raulgalvan7062]

Very helpful

[@GoHerping]

Good to know,thanks!

[@thanhhungtran91]

Thanks very much.

[@thanhhungtran91]

It is very helpful

[@Godskingdom428]

Hello, so I had this red ear slider for about 3 years, since he was little and I took good care of him. Unfortunately I had to give him away because I had to move in my dorm. Now my uncle gave me 2 new born turtles, I've had them for less than a week & they're not eating. I tried feeding them what I fed my old turtle, but they don't seem o eat. I was wondering if you recommend anything to feed them?

[@thomaszaccone3960]

What about neosporin or betracin poultice? I freed a snake that was entangled in a plastic garden fence. It was badly cut up. I used a batracine poultice on the wounds for a few weeks. It healed and I released it.

[@swetashanbhag1112]

Can I apply betadine ointment and follow the same procedur

[@krethule6282]

Do an asmr video, you have the perfect speech mannerisms for it..

[@conour1387]

Nice video

[@GoHerping]

thanks!

[@mbamboo3525]

Yay much love