Hair ring/swollen?

[Ayako]

I got my male chin just over a week ago, and I've been paranoid about making sure that he's healthy. So I've been debating whether or not to do the first hair ring check cuz he's still adjusting and I don't want him to stress too much.

But anyways, today I was trying to get a peek under there..and make sure everything was okay.. but it seemed his penis is sticking out farther than it's supposed to. So, when I tried for about an hour to get him on his back to do the check and that failed cuz I didn't want to hurt him. Finally when he was drinking his water bottle, I was able to check it out better BUT it just wouldn't come out... I tried everything to push the (sheath??) back but nothing was happening... It extends pretty far, and when he sits on the edge of a shelf I can see it poking out...

How quickly can hair rings effect them??

I'm not sure if I should have his previous owner or a vet help me, or if that's what it's supposed to look like. Also, as I've been searching through these forums I saw that some people have much better luck, holding them at the base of their tail? I'll definitely give it a try.

(By the way, I'm quite certain that it is male... but I'll try and attempt a better look next time.)

 

[Ayako]

Okay, I'm 100% certain that he's male, there is deffinilty a wide space between the two areas.

I still had no luck with getting "it" out though.. and holding it by the base of the tail he didn't even seemed to notice and squirmed around as usual. I held it rather loosely cuz I heard their tails could fall off as a defense >_<

 

[Jazicat]

I am new here too but I bet if you could post pictures it would be a lot easier for people to judge if his naughty bits are normal. Even with pictures it can be hard so if you are really worried I am one for either going to back to the breeder if you think they have good experience or go to the vet.

Also welcome to the board!

 

[Ayako]

Okay, I took a picture... but I think it's kind of miss-leading. From the picture it looks like it's poking out of the sheath but really that's just the tip, and it's still hidden in there. But the sheath is what's poking out... Is it normal?

 

[saphire]

Can you get someone to hold him while you take a clear and obvious of the area.
It is a little difficult to read this one.

tks

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Really need a better picture However from the picture you posted 'he' looks like a 'she' Again it might be just the picture. As stated try getting someone to hold the chin and take a picture with the chin on its back

 

[Whimsy]

I still had no luck with getting "it" out though.. and holding it by the base of the tail he didn't even seemed to notice and squirmed around as usual. I held it rather loosely cuz I heard their tails could fall off as a defense >_<

Uh, no. The tail will not fall off as a defense. That is a lizzard, not a chinchilla. :laughitup:

 

[CJR]

I held it rather loosely cuz I heard their tails could fall off as a defense >_<

Nope, their tails do not fall off. Just make sure you hold him by the base of the tail, holding him by the tip of his tail... is a bad idea. The tip can break off and then you will have a very upset chin.

A good way to get a picture of his junk is to have him sitting on a flat surface and then grab his tail and lift him up just until you can see his stuff. He might fight a little, but you have him by the tail, so he's not going anywhere!

 

[Chinmama]

Here is a link from www.spoiledchins.net to pictures of male and female chins, and how to tell the difference: http://www.spoiledchins.net/sexing.htm.

This link (from the same site) also shows how to do a hair ring check: http://www.spoiledchins.net/hairring.htm. There is a video at the bottom of the page.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

That looks like the cone, both males and females have them. It is unclear from the photo whether you have a male or female, however, it sort of looks like there may be testicles back there...hard to tell. If you can get a better shot that would be great or check out the links that were provided.

 

[Ayako]

I finally managed to get the hair ring check done while my sister was visiting to help me. So we know it's definitely a boy.

Quick question though. When we checked, there was only 1 tiny strand of hair, is that a big deal? He was a bit stressed since it was his first check ever (I think) so I didn't bother to remove it. Should I have?

 

[Brittney]

Usually when I do the checks biweekly, if there is something there, I generally remove it. Whether it be a tiny strand, a large strand, or a ring; if it's there, I take it off. No since in checking and not taking anything off if there is something.

I don't think it's a big deal, though. He should be able to remove it himself with cleaning, but I would check again in a couple of weeks to make sure he got it.

But generally, for me, if it's there, take it off.