Enlarged/enflamed testes

[SquirrelDad95]

Help. My round-tailed ground squirrels testicles have suddenly become very enlarged and he's dragging/walking on them. He won't let me examine him as he is usually ok with me handling him. Is it just mating season or is there a way to alleviate the swelling? They look sort of bruised under the fur (normally pinkish white skin has shown purplish now). I have not seen this in any of my other squirrels and we have had them just as long as him.

[CritterMom]

How old is he? Is he a 2021 baby?

Squirrels have enormous testes compared to their size. If humans were like this, men would have to push wheelbarrows around... To deal with this, they are sucked up into the body cavity to the point where they nearly disappear unless it is mating season. When the time to mate nears, they descend, the fur covering them becomes more sparse and the skin covering them becomes purplish black. I have eastern gray squirrels here and I call them their "giant purple porn balls." My mother lives in Tucson and when air travel is less a case of taking your life in your hands, I travel out there every spring to see her and get out of New England winter for a bit. There are tons of round tails there and I recall seeing lots of boys with massive dangly purple black balls running (tripping) all over the place, which makes sense; spring being when most animals are procreating.

I am thinking that is this is a young boy, this may be the first time you have seen this. If that is the case, in a couple months they will recede again. When my gray squirrel isn't sporting his ridiculous equipment, he looks like he has a teeny little beer belly - but it is technically not a beer belly, it is a "ball belly!"

[SquirrelDad95]

Yes. He is a 2021 baby. And I did end up seeing an exotic pet vet on call with the wildlife foundation. She examined him and determined that since we arnt planning on releasing this one back since he's had massive social and separation anxiety that we should neuter him anyhow. But she also determined that his testes were in fact enlarged and internally bruised to the point where he was vibrating in pain and unwilling to move because of it. So. Goodbye balls. I just wish it wasn't almost 500 bucks lol. But they're my furry little potatoes and deserve the best care. I do thank you for responding as I do have 2 younger ones. One male one female. And will be looking out for any mating season signs. If you ever get the chance to fly out here you're more thank welcome to visit our furry potatoes. Thank you soo much again. This board has helped us out soo much.

[CritterMom]

I am somewhat obsessed with these little guys. They look like Japanese anime figures! I was so depressed when the Tucson Airport got their full body x-ray machines because my dream of smuggling a baby home in my bra came to an abrupt end. Not that I would steal a baby but I may not have spent too much time trying to reunite if ya get my drift. Alas, I never stumbled over one.

Are you a rescue/rehab of sorts? We get people here not too infrequently with questions and pretty much everyone here only has experience with tree squirrels. Being able to steer them to someone with some experience would be great.

Even basic info online is all over the place. Do they do a true hibernation? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is it more of a torpor? Maybe yes, maybe no...

May I ask what you feed them?