You guys are amazing!

[Melissa101]

Some of you might have seen/responded to a thread I made about my male spur thighed tort and his regular penis prolapses. I took him to a reptile vet who said it was due to a birth defect.

I mentioned that on here, and loads of you said it was more likely to be a parasite, so I decided to see another vet, who immediately ran tests and discovered it was indeed caused by a parasite, and began treatment.

Just wanted to thank you all for your knowledge and advice, I now have a much more competent vet because of it (even if it means driving an hour to reach him!).

I also had a little question to add, the treatment has ended, and while Harry isn't prolapsing as much as he did (it was initially about 5 times a day, the thing wouldn't stay in!), it still happens a couple of times a day. Should I make another appointment? The vet never told me if it would now stop altogether, or if it would still happen for a while. He's apparently reached puberty, so I'm wondering if it's more likely to keep happening? I'm not sure if there's any more to be done other than amputation? I'm not fond of that idea, but neither am I keen on the idea of having to keep popping his insides back in every day (as Harry certainly doesn't enjoy it!).

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

When you say he is prolapsing multiple times a day - what exactly do you mean? Are you having to push his penis back inside his body each time? How long do you leave it out before you determine he can't retract it?

 

[Melissa101]

So his penis comes out, and it won't go in unless I push it back in the way the vet showed me. I need to clean it first, as it gets covered in sand, and the vet said that could be painful if he managed to get it in while it was like that.

I'm not sure how long it's out, as I go in to check on him and if it's out, it's usually pretty dry and covered in sand.

Do you think that if I see it out, I should just wait and see if he can get it in on his own? He was never able to before, but maybe now he's had treatment he might be able to manage?

I'm just terrified if it's out too long he could get an infection or something? I haven't got any experience with males other than this one, I don't know if the penis coming out and staying out is normal? The vet definitely described it as propapsed each time he saw it.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Get rid of the sand to start with and that will reduce some of your concerns. There are many reasons why sand is a poor tortoise substrate.

Male tortoises commonly stick their penises out when they're feeling hormonal, but they should be able to retract them if they are healthy. Yours may not be able to retract given his past injury, but I wouldn't jump to push it back in when you see it right away though. Make sure he really needs the help first. I see my sub adult tortoise's penis several times a day, because he's just at that stage where he likes to stick it out and waggle it around for a bit. Sometimes a little dirt gets stuck, but he cleans it in the bath later when he sticks it out there. An injury could complicate the hygiene issue as well though. It it's being covered in sand, he also may not want or be able to retract it.

How frequently do you bathe him?

 

[Melissa101]

Ok I'll change the substrate, it's currently a 50/50 soil/sand mix, what would work better?

I bathe him every 2-3 days, I used to do it every day because he doesn't drink when he's in his enclosure, but a vet said it didn't need to be that often (it was the old vet though). Should I go back to once a day?

Sorry for all the questions, just when I think I know what I'm doing with my torts, a new thing comes up and I'm back to square one. I want to be a good owner, but I feel like I'm making so many mistakes!

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Cypress or fir mulch I find quite clean. Given your issues, I'd go to at least daily 30min soaks. It'll reduce risk of dehydration/constipation and give him the opportunity to invert his penis to clean and lubricate it.

 

[Melissa101]

Thanks very much, I've also made another appointment with my new vet for him to take a look and just check everything is going as it should, for both Harry and my other tort, as she was treated for the same thing, but has now stopped going to the toilet. That's for Monday, so fingers crossed it'll get sorted!

 

[jaizei]

I don't know that this is the case in your situation but it's something to think about. I think 'prolapses' are diagnosed (not necessarily by a vet) more often than they actually occur. I've had some tortoises let it all hang out for hours. If it got to the point where it concerned me, I'd just set them in a shallow dish of water to prevent it from drying out. I wouldn't use the 'sugar paste' that everyone talks about on a penile prolapse, nor would I cover it with anything to keep it moist. I feel as though the soaking accomplishes the same thing with the least amount of interference. I've known of several instances where what was most likely a normal flashing became a prolapse because of interference (probably not the best word).

 

[Melissa101]

You have a point, I'm calling it a prolapse because that's what I've been told, but I have no way to determine that's the case. I'm just going by what the vet said. The hanging out wouldn't concern me so much if I knew for sure it was normal, it's just the fact that it has been out for hours before and he's never sucked it in. In fact even with my help it's 'work' to get it inside. I'll see what happens on Monday, I just want to make sure neither of the torts are suffering with anything!

 

[AnimalLady]

oh man, poor guy!