Urgent Care :: Is shell rot contagious?

[poxilina]

I have adopted another RES and I was wondering if it would be safe to place him in with my other turtle, that currently has shell rot.
The new arrival has been in quarantine for the past two weeks, and apart from being a little stressed she doesn't seem to have any other problems.
I wanted to place it in the terrarium with my other RES, and was wondering if it would get shell rot as well, or if it would be all right.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Yes it can be. You should wait till the other is cleared of it, the bacteria from the shell rot can spread to the other turtle. So waiting a bit longer to introduce the new turtle would be a good idea.

[poxilina]

When I put both of them together will I have to desinfect the tank before or will it be all right if I leave it as it is?

[happycamper]

How big is the tank? How big are the turtles? How long have you had your first turtle? Why does it have shell rot?

[steve]

A thorough cleaning and new filter media would be a good idea.

[poxilina]

The tank has 30 litres, but it is only filled halfway with water.
The turtles each have 4 inches, I have had the first one for about seven months.
I don't know why it has developed shell rot, when I bought her she had a soft shell, it has been cured now; it has an adequate basking area, as well as a UVB light bulb.

[happycamper]

Isn't that like 6 gallons?

[marisa]

If you have two 4-inch turtles in a container that's only about 7 gallons (they should ideally be in about an 80-gallon tanks), the bacteria level in the water will rise very quickly from poop and other debris. You can pretty much expect shell problems even with a filter if the water isn't changed frequently.

[regalesse]

shell rot is 90 percent bacteria based according to my vet when my newest rescues were seen. if your's has a bacteria based shell rot then yes it is contagious if you put them together then i would suggest treating the uninfected one as a preventative to keep it from getting it too.

[azazeal]

what are you doing to cure the shell rot, shell problems take a long time to heal, you should at least fill the 30 l tank all the way, are you using a uvb light?