Flaky Plastron
 

Hi
Can anyone help me?
My elderly Ibera (60- 70) seems to have a flaking plastron, I can get my fingernail behind bits of it and feels like I could pull bits off .. there is no offensive smell so I am not sure if its shell rot... should I try athletes foot cream.. or pull bits off ..?

I have taken the photos at an angle with the sun to show it up more

She seems very happy otherwise .. the other two I have seem Ok .. they were hibernated in the same box this winter .. it is very hot here 30 degrees with lots of UV (French Alps) and quite dry .


http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...psjcyc5fso.jpg


http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps3mzvgtos.jpg

It looks like old damage to me. I had this with my very old Hermann, Constance. Dan said I could take the dead flaky bits off if I liked but I left well alone. It hasn't bothered her at all or got any worse.

I just keep an eye on it.

I agree with Lynn, it looks like wear and tear / old age. It looks otherwise healthy, but as Lynn said, keep and eye on it.

French Alps sounds like a lovely place to live.

Just make sure she is not sitting on damp grass or plants, as they could encourage bacteria. If she were mine I would probably pull of the flaky bits gently. And bathe the area in diluted iodine, so it looks like cold tea. This will stop any infection setting in.

Odd .. I hadnt noticed it before, I give them a good once over before they go into hibernation, I will keep an eye on it .
Thanks for the replies so far..

Could this have happened in hibernation? She was in a box of soil in my cave.. it might of got damp in there?

If the soil was too damp then maybe.
But he/she might well have damaged the shell on rocks etc, and then too damper place helped the shell to flake.
They do like a certain amount of moisture when hibernating, but like most things, its in moderation:0)