Russian hamster penis sticking out?

WillowHamHam · 01-07-2020, 01:59 PM

This evening I was checking on my Russian hamster Pip and noticed that he had something bright pink sticking out his back end. It is not noticeable when he is walking around but I saw when he was climbing on the bars of his cage (that is how I check beneath him as he is rather quick!) I immediately panicked as I lost another Russian to a prolapsed rectum last February and it looked quite similar. After getting my mum to have a look as well we think it is more likely his penis.
He is absolutely fine in himself as has been running around his cage and on his wheel all evening, its just this that I am concerned about. There is no blood anywhere that I can see and I have only just noticed it. When Blue had a prolapsed rectum he was very quiet and there was a bit of blood in his nest.

Even if it is just his penis, it doesn’t seem to be going back in (has been around an hour since I noticed). When we took Blue to the vet they mentioned that fur can sometimes become stuck around their penis and prevent it from retracting, so I am wondering if that is what it is. I will be taking him to the vets tomorrow but wondered if any one had experienced anything like this? None of my Syrians have ever had any issues, only the Russians. Checking on it now it looks a little more red than earlier. I have tried to attach a picture for reference.

Thank you, Poppy and Pip

Engel · 01-07-2020, 02:53 PM

I can't see a photo but sounds pretty bad so best get him to the vets :/

WillowHamHam · 01-07-2020, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engel

I can't see a photo but sounds pretty bad so best get him to the vets :/

I can’t seem to attach it as it keeps saying its too big, even after cropping. The vets aren’t open until the morning but I am going to take him then. Thank you for your help

souffle · 01-07-2020, 05:00 PM

A prolapsed penis needs replaced or else it can get dried and damaged. Do you have any gel like KY gel you could use? Use a tiny bit to try and lubricate it and ease it back inside the sheath. If not you can use vaseline but nothing perfumed or irritating See the vet first thing if it does not go back.
I hope it can be replaced and stays in as they should not be hanging out like this.

WillowHamHam · 01-08-2020, 09:43 AM

Thank you so much for the advice. We took him in earlier and it is indeed his penis! They tried pushing it back in but as it is a bit swollen, not all of it would go back. I am applying Betafuse twice a day (a steroid cream to reduce swelling) and if it has not resolved by Saturday I will take him back in as I am working then anyway. He isn’t too impressed but seems to be doing ok and not paying too much attention so hopefully he will let it heal. Fingers crossed he gets better 🤞

souffle · 01-08-2020, 02:14 PM

If it does not resolve you may want to have him checked for crystals as if these partially block the urethra it can cause the swelling with the urine backing up. I hope the gel helps and it resolves quickly.

WillowHamHam · 01-08-2020, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by souffle

If it does not resolve you may want to have him checked for crystals as if these partially block the urethra it can cause the swelling with the urine backing up. I hope the gel helps and it resolves quickly.

That is a good point, something I will ask about if it doesn’t resolve. Hopefully this will do the trick though so he doesn’t have to deal with all of that stress again. My vet didn’t mention anything, but do you think he will struggle to urinate? I obviously don’t want him to end up getting some sort of infection, or just generally uncomfortable. He is a little quieter this evening but has had a very stressful day and was sedated with gas so I’m hoping he’s just resting from that.

souffle · 01-08-2020, 03:32 PM

Have you seen him pee yet? A scan can show if the bladder is full but I expect they checked that during the examination. Poor wee mite. If he is not able to pass urine this is an emergency as the bladder can rupture. Really hoping it eases overnight with the gel on it. He does need to keep drinking though to try and flush things through.

WillowHamHam · 01-09-2020, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by souffle

Have you seen him pee yet? A scan can show if the bladder is full but I expect they checked that during the examination. Poor wee mite. If he is not able to pass urine this is an emergency as the bladder can rupture. Really hoping it eases overnight with the gel on it. He does need to keep drinking though to try and flush things through.

He has definitely been drinking so I hope he is. When we took him to the vets he left a wet streak on the table so I don’t know if that could be urine. It is really difficult to tell as he doesn’t seem to have a particular pee corner.

WillowHamHam · 01-09-2020, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by souffle

Have you seen him pee yet? A scan can show if the bladder is full but I expect they checked that during the examination. Poor wee mite. If he is not able to pass urine this is an emergency as the bladder can rupture. Really hoping it eases overnight with the gel on it. He does need to keep drinking though to try and flush things through.

I double checked with the vet earlier and he said he has no concerns about urinating and if he wasn’t then he would be very poorly by now. So I am very glad about that!