Problem, very worried....

[YamahaGirl]

Hello,

As you may be aware I have a male squirrel who has a large penis, it is long. I initially thought it became longer because he was suckling so much on it as well as his sister was also. It was normal when I got him, seemed to get longer everyday he suckled. I have increased feeding amounts and I believe it is helping with the suckling problem.

I posted a thread with pics on it of him.

I recieved a PM just now that stated the person thinks they know what the problem is and that it is detrimental that he see a vet right away!!! She heard all of this from someone else who was working and can not talk to me directly until late this evening.

Since the suckling has significantly decreased, he is no longer red or irritated and the skin is back to normal color, there is no swelling any longer. Nothing seems to bother him, he walks, crawls, jumps from tree branches (my bf owns a tree business and we set up a little jungle gym with branches and logs for the 2 I have), it does not seem to drag on anything. He really seems fine except for the fact that his penis is long!

Here is the thread if you would take a minute to read and look at what has been posted already:

Baby Squirrel Questions...Few more questions....

NOW, I am scared to death that there is really something wrong?!! It is going to drive me crazy waiting all night to find out what this other person knows.

Does anyone know anything about this condition and what may be causing it?

He eats fine, increasing in weight everyday, there really does not seem like there is anything wrong. The 2 of them are growing well! They are about 6 ounces and eating about 12cc every 6 hours during the day (8am, 1pm, 6pm,11pm), not at night, about 7 1/2 weeks old.

I cannot find a vet in my area at all who is willing to see him, I have tried regular vets, exotic vets, they all want a certificate or something from me, which I wont have until after I take the exam, either this Nov or in the spring.

If you have any ideas or suggestion, please let me know!

Heather *now VERY worried*

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

Ok call a vet outside your area? Is their someone who you could call even in another state?
Does anyone here have a vet they have a close relationship that they would be willing to call the vet for this lady?
Dont panic! Untill you know for sure the person may not be right?
Are they a specialist? I would call my vet right now for you but they are already gone for the day.:grouphug

[YamahaGirl]

I dont have a clue who to call, everyone I contacted in my area wants nothing to do with it. Aparently its illegal to have squirrels in NY? I refused to give my name to one vet because they were going to report me!

2 others asked for some kind of certificates, licenses.

These 2 are my first squirrels.

[Critter_Queen]

Ok, don't panic...he's doing fine right now, so I think he's ok for the time being. What did the PM person say it was? Did they give you contact information for the person who knows what is wrong?

If I can get a hold of her, I will call my wildlife vet tonight and see what she thinks. I don't think she has internet access, but I think I can do a fairly good job describing him to her.

If I DO reach her, I will PM you tonight and let you know what she says. You can be the one to determine if you would like it posted here...

I always worry a little about someone who will PM something very important that all of us would want to know about (since we're all trying to figure out how to help) but chose not to post it for everyone to see and comment on... just my .02.

Anyway, I'll be in touch if I can reach my vet tonight. But don't hold your breath....many of my calls go unanswered for a day or two, so....

Hang in there...

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I could give you the name of my vet and # if you want as a last resort you can call them. I am in NE Pa.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

My vet also has a squirrel of his own, and it is illegal in Pa. He tells me mums the word. I agree with Critter! Dont worry hes pooing & peeing eating & drinking!
If you are upset the squirrel will know it, and feel upset.
Sounds like you have a lot of people who are willing to help.

[YamahaGirl]

I could give you the name of my vet and # if you want as a last resort you can call them. I am in NE Pa.

Thank you so much, I appreciate it. What town are you near so I might look up how far it would take me to get there if need be. I bet it would be quite the haul, I know it takes me over 8 hours to get to NYC from where I am, you would probably be at least that plus some south....it may be worth it!

:thankyou
Heather

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I am about 2 hrs from nyc zip 18635
you can look it up on mapquest
I pm'd you my name & the Dr # you can tell them I refered you there. Maybe they can get you a name of a Dr closer to you!!

[squirrelfriend]

My male squirrel has this problem from time to time. I think the size is normal. It is kind of freakishly long for an animal that size. I find what the problem is with mine is that he gets excited (he is getting to that age) and then it gets dry and can't get it back in the foreskin. Mine doesn't get any swelling but I think the swelling that you are describing could be from irritation of the dryness. also check his teeth. I read that if the teeth are jagged they can irritate it when he is trying to clean himself.

[dmgualtieri]

Is sounds like a priapism maybe. I have a male now who was getting one from littermates sucking on him. What happens is basically a prolonged swollen erection. The penis is swollen and the foreskin is swollen and is sort of rolled up on itself like a condom and the penis cannot be retracted due to all the swelling. If it is, u have to be careful to make sure the penis stays moist and doesn't dry up. Basically to fix it is easy usuallly.......by soaking or squirting 50% dextrose solution on it usually has an immediate reaction, decreasing the swelling so you can kind of gently roll the foreskin back down over the penis. Make sure he is still urinating normally also. They can also get uti's from siblings sucking on them too....as the other male in this litter that I have ended up with! I had to separate the males from the females because of it.

Good luck, if you need anything let me know. If you have a fax I can send you some info on it from some rehab books I have.

[SQUIRRELMOM]

I've had the same problem with a little guy with a big problem..lol it will scab up and heel don't worry.. seems bad but it will get better

[khasty1]

]Hi, I am sure there are other rehabbers that would love to rehab what sounds like a fox squirrel . I live in North Carolina but if you could get someoneto meet halfway I know rehabbers that would be willing to go with me to pick him up. I would at least put him indoors until you get him to someone who cares. Let us know khasty1 and others:grouphug [/S

[Gabe]

Hi
I agree with everyone else.
I had a problem with penis sucking this spring also. The penis was very long, the squirrel was fine. He was not scabbed over, not rolled up, just long. If that is all you are seeing he will probably be fine also. Mine has been released.
Gabe

[Stray123]

Hi,
I would not panic if he is doing everything normally. If you can't find a vet PM me I'll see if I can arrange something for you as I work in an animal hospital.
I had this problem with the 3 little boys I raised this season. When they were weaned the genitals went back to normal size. They are being released this weekend in a nesting box. Please join me in wishing them a happy & full squirrel life.

[susanw]

Hi,
I would not panic if he is doing everything normally. If you can't find a vet PM me I'll see if I can arrange something for you as I work in an animal hospital.
I had this problem with the 3 little boys I raised this season. When they were weaned the genitals went back to normal size. They are being released this weekend in a nesting box. Please join me in wishing them a happy & full squirrel life.


Lots of luck guys!:thumbsup

[nutz4squirls]

If your squirrel is urinating without a problem, their's no scab, he's eating and acting normally than I wouldn't worry about him. His penis will go back to normal size eventually. their is nothing that a vet would do for him if he has no problem such as infection, no reddness. Your getting very worried over nothing at this point. He sounds fine to me. If he does get inflamed, red, scabs, than you need to do something, but even for that you should be able to care for him yourself without dealing with stressing him by taking him to the vet. Nutz

[Plumqik]

Hope all is well with your male~as others have stated if any conditions develop that need attention please get him to the vet or any rehabber with experience. Look at it this way-maybe the dear Lord just over blessed this lil fella with some extraordinary equipment! He will not lack for any girlfriends in the wild at least!:rotfl