Chin prolapsed penis

[teampanda]

Hi
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we can deal with a prolapsed penis. It just keeps coming back out despite our best efforts. There seem to be 2 schools of thought, both involve keeping it lubricated/moistened. We have been told by the vet to put it back (very gently!) but we have read that other people say that the Chinchilla should do it himself, but he doesn't seem inclined to do so.

Any thoughts would be welcome.

Thanks for looking.

PS There are no hair rings in sight, which makes it even more confusing.

 

[ABBY W.]

How much does he weigh? I recently had an owner contact me who was having the same problem. It turned out he had lost a lot of weight due to a tooth problem, which was causing him to not eat. Once he dropped below a certain percentage of body fat his penis prolapsed, and he was unable to re-sheath it. They got him on critical care and got his weight back up, and he was able to re-sheath it himself.

The other possibility is a condition called peyronies. This is when a chinchilla actually breaks the penile bone. If you can re-sheath the penis this probably is not the case. I had a chinchilla do this once, and his penis was broken so badly it was L-shaped, and we were unable to put it back. I had to have him put down.

 

[Claire D]

Repeated prolapsing of the penis can be a sign of underlying illness. Chins that are run down or in pain can prolapse. If there are no signs of fur ring I would check for other possibilities.
Some basic questions which might help you to pinpoint potential problems are:
Is the chin eating ok?
Is he pooping ok?
Peeing and drinking normally?
Has he lost any weight?
Is he showing any signs of tooth problems? Weepy eyes, quidding food (crumbling it), dribbling, closing his eyes (like a flinch), flicking his ears or wiping his mouth when he eats.

If the penis is not staying inside the sheath he may need a purse string suture to keep the penis in so that it does not dry out or atrophy.

Whereabouts in the UK are you based?

The other possibility is a condition called peyronies. This is when a chinchilla actually breaks the penile bone. If you can re-sheath the penis this probably is not the case. I had a chinchilla do this once, and his penis was broken so badly it was L-shaped, and we were unable to put it back. I had to have him put down.

The penis does not contain bone! Peyronies is a condition which affects the fibrous connective tissue in the penis and causes the penis to curve abnormally.

 

[tunes]

Ditto what Claire said, all the way around. I've had males who can't retract their penis due to both, pain and illness.

And no, there is no bone in the penis.

 

[bell]

This happened to a chin I had Miracle (he has since passed but not because of the penis). As a 3 day old chin his mom eat the skin around the penis so he had no sheath to put it back into. I did not have him put to sleep but his penis was always exposed. He lived fine with it like that.

 

[Chinniechantel]

. As a 3 day old chin his mom eat the skin around the penis so he had no sheath to put it back into. I did not have him put to sleep but his penis was always exposed. He lived fine with it like that.

I have a chin who had the same thing happen! I thought he was my little odd ball, but am glad to hear there are others doing well! My Peeko had mom "over groom" him at birth, so his penis never had a sheath to go back into. He is fine, does a good job at keeping it clean, and we have never had any problems. I do keep his cage extra clean, and make sure everything is ok, but hey- no hair ring checks!