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Cwilson

Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
16
Hello,

My chinchilla (chalupa) is a 12 year old male. 2 days ago I had noticed his penis was out of the sheath. I checked for fur rings- did not find any and put it back in. Over the last two days every few hours the penis comes back out and I gently put it back in with no trouble. This has never happened before. My friend is a vet tech and checked his teeth, felt for any abnormalities and did not see any. Checked the bedding and he is urininating so the penis is working. I have taken him out several times and he is alert and peppy as always. I am worried because he is not taking treats though which he generally loves. Why is this happening? Is it something To be concerned about? Chinchilla does not seem to be in any discomfort.

Any advice welcome, please!
 
I would get him looked at by a vet. His penis hanging out could be a sign of pain or illness. Did your friend just look at his front teeth or did they get x-rays does to check the molars and roots? Or use a scope? Without a full dental x-ray you can't rule out a tooth issue, particularly a root issue. Chins roots don't have caps, so if the teeth are not aligned right and/or are over grown the roots grow up into the skull and down into the jaw. Another common less serious issue is tooth spurs if the molars don't wear down perfectly, over time sharp points can form. The spurs can cut the inside of the chin's mouth causing sores and infection.

Especially since he doesn't want treats that to me makes me think maybe chewing hurts. Is he still eating his pellets and hay ok? Is he chewing on his toys? Has he lost weight? Unfortunately chins hide pain and illness well, so by the time it's obvious something is wrong they are in a lot of pain or very sick. You need to watch for other less obvious clues that something is wrong.
 
Thank you for your reply. No X-rays were preformed, my friend just visually checked at my home. He does seem to be eating hay and pellets. Last night I did notice him take the penis out himself and “clean” it.. I have never seen him do this before. After he was done the same small amount of penis was out of the sheath as i have seen previously. I gently and easily put the remainder back in. Now I am suspecting he is taking it out himself instead of it falling out. Does that make any difference for the possible scenarios you have previously posted about?

Once again thank you so much for your advice.
 
I did set up a vet appointment tomorrow evening. Will post results in case anyone out there experiences anything similar in the future.
 
Hello. I figured I would post results from chalupa’s vet visit to help any potential owners with the same issue in the future. The vet did find that chalupas teeth were pointed and potentially causing pain. She described the condition “moderate”. We were given anti inflammatory medication and critical care while waiting for the estimate to be sent and schedule the dental filing. They also found she had ulcers in her eyes and we were given antibiotics. I am a little nervous to put my senior chinchilla under anesthesia for the procedure but I understand it is in his best interest.
 
I'm happy to hear that it's just tooth spurs not root problems. I understand your nervousness about the anesthesia, even young healthy chins don't always handle it well, but it has to be done.

As to the other question you had, males do often clean themselves down there (some more often then others and they seem to find it enjoyable), some are more private about it then others though. The penis should fully retract when they are done though. As I suspected, pain was the reason, and it had nothing to do with his actual penis.
 
Before subjecting to the risks of anesthesia/tooth filing just make sure xrays are done first to make sure the problem isn't the roots of teeth growing into/through bones.Especially with the eye issues too. You have had them done already and I just missed it.
 
Chalupa goes in tomorrow for the teeth filing. Send us you chinchilla prayers! Thank you everyone for your replies and concerns for Chalupa. Will later post how everything went.
 
Just got a call from the vet chalupa is awake and doing well. The back teeth had her tongue trapped in the back and the points made an ulcer in the back of the mouth so it def explains it all.
 
Good to hear he has made it through. :thumbsup:

Poor guy with his tongue trapped though, that had to have been annoying and painful. I'm sure he will be feeling much better now, and even better once the sore heals.
 
I know I feel so terrible that they found that to be the case. I would have most definitely acted sooner if I knew what was going on.. I would really like to thank you for your response causing me to act quickly. They must really hide it well which is sort of unsettling. So happy chalupa will be feeling better.
 
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