If you have already diagnosed it, let’s jump to treatment because Shell Rot is serious and can progress to SCUD (Septicaemic Cutaneous Ulcerative Disease) where bacteria goes to the blood stream. If you are curious about the details of the disease pathology, read more at the bottom.
Red arrows mark areas of decaying shell rot
It is very important to catch this early and start treatment. The main steps in treating shell rot are:
1. Dry dock your turtle about 20 hours a day.
2. Clean shell with antiseptic.
3. Provide UV light.
Dry docking
Keep your turtle out of the water. Shell rot progresses with moisture. Do give your turtle a few hours a day to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. Aquatic turtles have no saliva and have to be in the water to eat. Your aquatic turtle may get stressed during dry docking. I add a soft towel to provide comfort and put the animals in a low light environment to minimize stress.
Clean the shell
It is best to use an antiseptic like chlorhexidine. You can pick up 2% chlorhexidine like this from Amazon. Others also use betadine solution (10% povidone-iodine), however some have reported that betadine can slow down the healing of the shell. When your turtle is dry, I use a toothbrush to brush the antiseptic on the shell rot areas. This helps debride the shell and if you see any pieces of shell that is loose, you can GENTLY remove them. After, let the turtle sit in a dry container.
Brush on the antiseptic 
2% chlorhexidine
UV light
Provide at least 30 min of UV light/day. This keeps the turtle’s body temperature regulated to help heal. Use either natural sunlight or a UV lamp. IMPORTANT: keep an eye on them. Too much light can stress your turtle.
Healing: Have patience
Depending on the severity of the shell rot, it can take weeks or months to heal. Take pictures to monitor the progress and make sure to be consistent in your treatment.
Why did my turtle get shell rot? Most common reasons are:
- Contaminated Water
- Injury
- No basking area
Make sure to provide your turtles with fresh, clean water and a place to bask. That way, they can dry out as they are needed. Watch your water level so they can’t climb out and hurt themselves.
Don’t fret, it can happen to anyone. The turtles in the picture are mine and I thought I had it all figured out. Unfortunately, my turtles suffered injuries in May 2020. The map turtle (the one with more severe case of shell rot) climbed out of his tank and fell when he was young. The red ear slider (mild case) kept hitting his shell on an ornament when “sliding” into the water when I walked near. Here is what I did wrong. I thought with the shell injury it would go away on its own. But it is very important to help them! I didn’t keep them dry or tend to them and it got progressively worse over a year.
Update: June 6, 2021: I am still treating the turtles with the regimen and they are getting better. When they get fully healed I will post pictures!
