Nightmare scenario for Joe Exotic ... he tells us he's been infected with a painful skin condition, part of a huge outbreak at the Texas prison where he's doing time.
The "Tiger King" star tells TMZ ... He's among 300 inmates in quarantine at FMC Forth Worth. Joe says he's one of 140 inmates with confirmed cases of scabies.
According to the CDC, scabies is a skin infestation caused by a human itch mite ... and it causes intense itching and a pimple-like skin rash.
Joe tells us there is not enough medication at the prison to treat the infected inmates ... and he says one prisoner was infected for more than 7 months with open sores on his skin, and was allowed to lay in bed without treatment, told to buy over-the-counter cream from the commissary.
The CDC says scabies is spread by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person ... or by sharing clothing, towels, or bedding used by an infected person.
Joe says scabies isn't the least of the issues at FMC Fort Worth, where he's serving out a 21-year sentence for allegedly trying to hire two men to kill his nemesis Carole Baskin, as well as crimes against animals.
He tells us rats have also infested the living quarters, and inmates are complaining about rats climbing on their beds at night.
Bottom line for Joe ... he says prison medical care has been a huge issue lacking attention under the Biden Administration.
A rep for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ ... "A Scabies outbreak has been identified in one housing unit at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas. Out of an abundance of caution, the housing unit has been placed on modified operations status and social visitation has been temporarily suspended."
The spokesperson added ... "FMC Fort Worth is taking the necessary precautions to protect employees, incarcerated individuals, and the community from the possibility of being exposed to this outbreak."