male baby squirrel penis swollen & bloody tip

[T.L.Smith]

I have 3 baby male squirrels ( 2 weeks) from a downed tree. They eat well and take small amounts of water, we have hade no trouble getting them to potty until today. One has a swollen penis with blood pooled @ the tip and one of the others has a small spot of white @ the tip. What should I do? We wiped very gently for along time with warm water, removed the blockage and reduced the pooled blood, applied a small amount of triple antibiotic in hopes of helping. We change the bedding daily, fresh water, and feed and potty every few hours. There eyes have been open for 3 days.

[Ardilla]

It sounds like they may be sucking on their own or each others' penises.

An experienced rehabber will be here shortly. Just hang tight.

[T.L.Smith]

Yes they have but I thought they had stopped as I haven't seen them doing it but who could tell with that knot of fur. Do you have any advice on how to prevent this from happening?

[foxsquirrels]

Unfortunately baby squirrels just sometimes do this. Some are easy to stop and others are not. You might try feeding them more often. Sometimes this will help. I would separate them for a little while until they heal. Neosporin is great for using for this. I heard someone mention a bitter substance you can apply to deter them. Can't remember right now what it was called. I'm sure someone will tell you. You can also try a tube body sock for them at night.

[T.L.Smith]

Thank you both for your help. I thought it might be something very bad but feel a little more at ease. I will try feeding more often and keep the neo. on them.If you find any more info please let me know. I'll keep checking back while I watch G. Beck.

[T.L.Smith]

Puppy milk and I would quess they are around 3.5 to 4 weeks as there eyes have only been open for 3 to 5 days.

[Charles Chuckles]

OK no bitters/burn factor...I am going to post what my 4 plus year old is wearing now...just had to go through surgery yestuday because of bitting on his weedle(privet parts) yes wash warm water /yes ointment to keep from closing the hole...(Charleys started to close and was collecting in his sheath/burning him and only the size of a pin hole....so pleasedo not let them chew...if you need to make a small cardboard vest out of a paper towel roll do so and use gauze around then tape it...make sur you change often..I use small/and cut to fit sanitary pads the thin panty pads...here is some pics of Chuck...He is older and I had to make his bigger...any questions you have PM me it is hard to explaine but believe me this is what Charley did as a baby and now I am having one heck of a time Good luck

[gs1]

http://www.bitterapple.com/


some people use it to stop rabbits from chewing furniture but some rabbits consider it furniture seasoning.

i'm not so sure about putting some on a penis ... much too scary ..i think.

i like the tube sock thing, especially when so young.

all the best.

[MsOakley]

Oh poor Charley. Is his "diaper" just until he heals? In my 5 years of rehabbing I've yet to find the solution to the babies nursing on each other. Sorry to be discouraging, just being honest. Sometimes separating them for a few days breaks the habit. They usually grow out of it when they start eating real food. By the way, your babies are closer to 5 weels if they're eyes recently opened. Best of luck to you and them.

[pinky momma]

Yes they don't usually open their eyes until they are between 5-6 weeks old. Could you post some pictures for us? How much do they weigh? How often are you feeding them, and how much do they eat? You could put a stuffed animal in with them, sometimes they will snuggle with that. You could also start slowly adding baby (plain) rice cereal to their formula, it will help to keep them with getting so hungry so fast. Add it slowly or you will stop them up...... Good Luck.

[philomycus]

Sounds like they are sucking on each other- like already stated. BE CAREFUL though, and make sure they are in fact urinating. If there is a scab over the end of the penis, they will not be able to go. I have had them so that I literally had to pull the scab off before they go could pee, and that hurts, but it has to be done. neosporin is a great diea, but even better yet, separate them until they are healed if feasible.

It also may be a sign you are not feeding them often enough as well. Every 4 hours is how often you should bee feeding, even in the middle of the night.

[T.L.Smith]

UPDATE I sepperated them last night and they are doing better today, less swelling and peeing better.
THANKS TO ALL FOR YOUR HELP
Todd

[T.L.Smith]

I have been feeding them every 2 to 3 hours and I let them eat then make them potty then offer more milk. After they stop taking milk I offer them water with a small hole in a small kitten nipple. They take thw water as I keep half of the nipple pressed to my hand and the water has to be lapped from the nipple or my hand. I have been offering milk and water about every hour (they tend to take the water and reject the milk) but offer only milk until the eat every 2 to 3 hours. I have a friend who is a temberman and he bring then to me quite often but have this (what appears to be a common) problem.
THANKS TO EVERY ONE FOR YOUR HELP

[JLM27]

A couple of baby socks might help. Just cut one end off, so you can pull it on like a tube.

[Mickey's Mom]

This is a real problem with male babies and I don't mean to scare you, but I do want to warn you that it can become a life-threatening problem very quickly. Not only from the scabbing and inability to urinate that was already discussed here. But also, as they get a little older and are sucking strongly, the penis can be sucked out of its sheath. If that happens, the swelling must be reduced quickly so that it can be put back. My vet has used a mixture of sugar diluted in water plus Preparation H applied to the penis and then pushed it back in and held it with pressure until the swelling went down. In one case it stayed in and everything was fine, in another case they used a surgical stitch to hold it in, and in a third case it still came back out and ultimately the squirrel had to be euthanized. If the penis is out of the sheath too long, it can dry out and be almost impossible to get back in.

So my best advice is, if the sucking doesn't stop quickly, don't wait too long -- try to figure out who the offender is and separate him/her. If they're all doing it, you may have to separate them all for awhile until they stop. One method for little ones is to put one of the squirrels inside a pillowcase in the same enclosure with the other(s). They can still move around and feel each other through the cloth for comfort, but can't get to each other to suck. Be sure to turn the pillowcase inside out first, and cut off any thread loops or strings that a baby could get caught in. Sometimes you can put them back together for "supervised play" during the day when you can watch them, and separate them at night.

By the way, for reducing the minor swelling/redness of the tip that you described, we use Panalog or Animax or Dermavet ointments. Good luck!

[becrug26]

my male baby squirrel has a bloody scab at the end of his penis and I can't get it off. I soaked him/his penis for over a half hour to soften the scab but no luck. What else can I do to get it removed? I applied neosporin but I'm at a loss as what to do next

[lilidukes]

my male baby squirrel has a bloody scab at the end of his penis and I can't get it off. I soaked him/his penis for over a half hour to soften the scab but no luck. What else can I do to get it removed? I applied neosporin but I'm at a loss as what to do next

Try a little olive or veg oil. If this doesn't work you are going to have to pull it off gently. Good luck

[jlynratcliff]

I breed and show rabbits and bucks often have the issue with letting their penises hang out too long and the area becomeing dry so it cannot be withdrawn. We keep vaseline on hand for this...especially if medication isn't needed as in neosporins. Vaseline is also safe if small amounts are licked. We used to use it in our dance group by putting it our teeth to encourage smiles while performing...it sounds odd but it works! You might want to try keeping the area lubricated with a non medicated ointment after the scabbing has healed.

Good luck!
Jennifer

[MiriamS]

The pillowcase method is brilliant! I had a very difficult time last year with two greys and the littlest one would wiggle right out of the baby socks. Feeding more often helped and when I heard sucking I would physically move the offender. Also be aware that the sucking stimulation can cause excessive urination so the victim can end up dehydrated. Poor little boys. If only there were squirrel binkies.

[winky2]

What brand of puppy milk are you feeding and how are you mixing it? I'm wondering why they prefer the water to the milk... sounds like they're dehydrated. Maybe the milk is too concentrated.