damaged penis looks awful

[momofsquirrelly]

One of my squirrels has a very injured penis from another sucking on it. It looks like the inside is pulled out and it is red. I believe he's hurting because he's having a very difficult time relaxing and is making aggitated noises. I put vaseline on it so when (hopefully) he pees, it won't sting. Someone please tell me that this heals and he'll be o.k.! He's a little older than 6 weeks old. I fed him and am holding him until he pees so I know he can still pee.

[riley's mom]

It would be wise to keep it well lubricated after every feeding/stimulation because it could scab over and close up the urethra and that is painful to them to peel off so they can pee. If that happens you can submerge the bottom half of the baby in some warm sugar water to help reduce the swelling and make the scab easier to peel off, if it should scab over. Rinse the baby off and reapply lubricant again. If you want to stop the suckling you can always put bottom half of the baby into a infant sock with leg holes cut out to cover the penis. Hope this helps.

[momofsquirrelly]

The sock is a good idea. I wish I would have done that to prevent it. I really think he's in pain. This is awful. This is what I discovered when I came home to feed them after being out buying a large cage that I plan on using for their release. Should I soak him in anything now to help with swelling? It's beyond swelling, though, it looks like the skin has been pushed back to expose the uretha, or it has been sucked out. Is this possible?

[riley's mom]

Their penis' can look distorted and it probably is painful. You can use the triple antibiotic ointment that is petrolium based to keep it lubricated but also has a pain reliever in it. Soaking it in warm sugar water will also help the pain because of swelling and irritation. These things happen quite frequently, thats why is is important to stay on a feeding schedule because the hungrier they are the more likely this is to happen. Sometimes it happens anyway no matter what you do. There is always going to be an aggressive sucker, thats what the sock is for. Sometimes there are even self-suckers. I will pm you my phone number if you need any help. If the swelling gets worse hemorrhoidal cream really good to help reduce the inflammation and not as harsh on genital skin.

[momofsquirrelly]

Thank you for your suggestions and explaining that it can look distorted. The girl is a very aggressive sucker and I have been able to avoid that or stop it quickly until today. She was probably hungry. I've reversed their day and night so they have been sleeping while I was at work and I feed them late at night and wake up in the middle of the night to feed them. I also left monkey chow and rodent block in the cage in case they woke up. This is exhausting! I have no idea how anyone can have a bunch or keep going with this without becoming a zombie. They are sooo incredibly cute, though.
If all goes well, how long does this generally take to heal?
Thank you

[riley's mom]

They are very cute. It could take a couple of days to a week to heal, but he will be okay.

[I Love Lucy]

I recently got a 4 1/2 week old eyes closed baby whose penis was in terrible condition. It was completely scabbed over at the tip. After removing the scab it is crucial that the scab does not reform, they must be able to express their bladder. My guys penis was so bad he had developed a urinary tract infection. I recommend using an antibiotic when the damage is bad enough for a scab. If he is leaking small amounts of urine very frequently and/or there is a strong odor to his urine he may have a UTI. A urethra can prolapse so watch him carefully, because a urethral prolapse can require surgery to correct.

[momofsquirrelly]

he isnt urinating and his belly is full. I soaked him but I dont think he peed.

[psychobird]

oh poor little guy, i hate it when they do that to each other!
i have tried all kinds of things to stop them and the only thing that ever worked for me was putting them in the sacks i get when i order mealworms, lol.
that is unless they were doing to themselves
the are a nice size, lightweight and they can move around and still snuggle with their siblings.
your gonna need to soak his penis in warm water and may need to work that scab off with a cotton ball, it's gonna hurt him but he needs to pee.
when he finally urinates keep him lubed up well with vaseline till he heals up, bag balm is very soothing also, i glob it on pretty good

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

You need to separate the little guy out so he can heal. Once he is feeling better he can go back with his buddies.

To get them to pee, I piddle them like normal and their penis will swell real big with pee backed up trying to come out, then I GENTLY squeeze and that usually makes a big fountain and a little hole in the scab and he pees.

[momofsquirrelly]

There isn't a scab, this happened this afternoon and I've been keeping it lubricated. His penis is longer than usual and there seems to be a little tip coming out the top - kinda like the syringes we use to feed these guys. It's time to feed again. He's hungry and I gave him some rodent block. He nibbled a little. I'm going to give him some avocado and then give him esbilac.
Yes, I'm keeping the 3 of them apart. I know others have shared this has happened to some of theirs, but has damage to this extent occurred to others with squirrels? I need some reassurance.
I'm so glad this forum exists.
Thank you

[I Love Lucy]

If you put a wee-wee pad on the bottom of his cage/box you'll be able to tell if he is going on his own. If there is no scab look closer and make sure there is no skin flap covering the hole. If there is a skin flap covering the hole you'll have to soak it and gently peel it away. If he is not able to urinate he is at risk for a bladder or kidney infection so I would put him on an antibiotic and maybe even metacam if he is in pain (would also help with the swelling).

If you suspect that he has a prolapsed urethra do not squeeze, stimulate or manipulate his penis at all. If his urethra is prolapsed and he is not able to urinate he must see a vet.

When my dog had a urethral prolapse last year he was still able to urinate but there was a lot of blood. He required surgery to repair it.

[muffinsquirrel]

Don't know if this will help you or not. Last year I got in 3 flying squirrel babies - eyes closed, just beginning to fur up. They had been without food for nearly 3 days, and were in terrible condition. One little girl had no legs on the right side of her body - appeared to have been born that way. She made it about 4 days, and then died. The other girl was, and still is, very small. The boy is also very small. He had been sucked on so much that I called the head rehabber and told her he had two penises! Was finally able to tell that they had sucked on his penis as well as the sack for his testicles. Both were VERY red, VERY swollen, and VERY long. After many vet visits, and tons of good info from on here, his penis was still exposed - I think the skin had been removed or something. Well, he's over a year old now, and his penis is still exposed, and bright red. It does not seem to bother him at all. He pees without assistance, and is a happy, active, normal flyer. He does have testicles, although is not as 'well endowed' as the other male flyers seem to be. I have no idea whether or not he can breed. Due to their very small size, I have not released either of them. She is too small to give birth to pups, and he is too small to defend himself.

I kept it moist and used triple antibiotic ointment/vaseline/anything I could think of or any one suggested. I also carried him around with me constantly. When the swelling finally went down, he was 'exposed', but otherwise healthy.

Good luck with him. PM if I can be of any help.

muffinsquirrel

[momofsquirrelly]

My little guy must be doing o.k.. Although, he only shoots out one stream of pee when I stimulate him, he has a very good apetite and is moving around a lot. His belly goes down, as well, so he must be peeing on his own. Still following through with all I need to so he heals.

[I Love Lucy]

That's great news. I'm glad he is improving. It may take a 1 to 1 1/2 weeks for it to completely heal.

[JLM27]

I offer these pictures just to show that you are not alone. They are from the web, not from my camera.

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[NutsAboutSquirrels1976]

I am having the same problem with one of my squirrels. I had put two together but noticed the younger one was sucking on the older ones penis and quickly separated them but it was too late. A scab formed on the older squirrels penis and I check him every 2 hours or so to wash it to remove the scab and to apply ointment. I woke up this morning to find his penis REALLY swollen (almost as big around as my pinky) and his entire abdomen swollen and hard. I quickly put him in a warm bath from his waist down and removed the scab. When I tried to massage on the area to encourage him to pee, he gave a loud squeal and started biting the wash cloth I had him in. He did pee a little but I am scared that he may have already started to get an infection. As soon as I put him in the warm water, the swelling went down and his abdomen area was no longer hard and when I touched the area again, he didn't squeal. The older squirrel suffered brain damage and is a non-releasable and I am currently trying to get into classes in order to keep him. Is there something that I can give him in case an infection has started? I have Sulfa Trim on hand but not sure if it is used for this kind of thing. ANY help would be greatly appreciated.