# Prolapsed hemipenis



## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

As you can see I don't own a male leopard gecko, but I am currently looking after one. He prolapsed his hemipenis a few days ago now, and yesterday when I went round to the friends it was drying up :c I brought the little guy home with me last night, cleaned it and gave him a sugar water bath. Later I put sugar water on it with a cotton bud. 
This morning he had another bath, and I have just sugar watered it again. He still has some tiny bits of eco earth stuck, but they are slowly coming off. 

He seemed very lethargic and wasn't moving around yesterday. Tonight he has picked up and came over quite happily. He is very good natured about all of this, has eaten a few crickets since being here which is good. I will be very sad to see him leave when he is better. 

What else can I do for little guy?


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

Sorry, I'm not clear, has the hemipenis still not retracted fully? If, after this length of time and in spite of being given sugar water baths, the prolapse is still there, then the only thing you can do is take the littlun to the vet; attempting to treat it yourself could cause more damage. If the tissue was allowed to dry out for any period of time, then the littlun really needs to see a vet as soon as possible, just in case it becomes infected /necrotic. Until you can arrange an appointment, try to keep the prolapsed tissue moist, as this may limit any further damage.


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

I'm not sure exactly how many days it was like it >_< I saw it for the first time day before yesterday, then offered to look after him because he was with girls. 
It isn't fully out, just partly. It's not as swollen as it was when I brought him home yesterday which is good. 
I shall speak to his owner and see what she wants to do. I currently have £10 to my name. So yeah.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

Spider Call said:


> I'm not sure exactly how many days it was like it >_< I saw it for the first time day before yesterday, then offered to look after him because he was with girls.
> It isn't fully out, just partly. It's not as swollen as it was when I brought him home yesterday which is good.
> I shall speak to his owner and see what she wants to do. I currently have £10 to my name. So yeah.


To be honest, if the prolapse has only partially retracted in the 24 hours the littlun's spent with you, I'd definitely try to convince the owner that he needs a trip to the vet, especially if you don't know how long he's been like that. The longer the prolapse is left untreated, the more damage may potentially occur


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

I thought that would be the case. I shall speak to her in the morning and find out what she wants to do. -stares longingly at him- Just hope he gets better and recovers ok. 
I've messaged his old owner to find out if this has happened before.


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## olivine (Feb 5, 2009)

Hopefully, the damage won't be too severe and a vet will be able to get the hemipenis to retract. Even if the tissue has been damaged to the point where it requires amputation, it shouldn't cause the littlun too many problems *fingers crossed* However, the longer it gets left, the more chance that complications will occur, e.g. an infection will set in, so time really is of the essence (also and without wishing to sound mercenary, if complications do set in then the higher the vet bill is likely to be, so it makes financial sense to get it sorted as soon as possible, if you know what I mean). 

Good luck and keep us posted on how the littlun gets on : victory:


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## enchantika (Nov 7, 2010)

I posted a thread about this last week . . my daughters Leo had the same thing happen (to much jiggy apparently!) I took him to the vet and in the end he had to have it amputated as it had got too dry and wasnt going back in. He is fine now - but I have also been advised to keep him away from females - so thats what I have done


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## Laza (Jun 13, 2009)

*prolapse*

I've read a few threads like this one where the hemipene is drying out before able to take to a vet....
Once the prolapse is observed,remove the leo from his enclosure and clean it up as best as you can with warm water. Then put KY jelly all over the hemepene and place leo into a small warm tub with damp kitchen roll.
Then check morning,afternoon and before you go to bed that the kitchen towl is clean and damp(replace regulary) and readminister more KY.
I've never had any luck using the sugar water method. So i go to this routine straight away on the rare occossion a prolapse occurs. 
Last year i had a young SS Bell prolapse, which happened on a Friday evening(typical) vet was closed till Monday. Carried out the above routine and by Sunday the hemepene retracted..:2thumb: This may not always happen, but at least it'll prevent the hemepene drying out so may prevent the vet from having to amputating it.
Hope this info is usefull to you an other readers


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i had to have a hemipene removed from one of my cresties,
i kept mine in a thick sugar syrup overnight and it definatly took a lot of the swelling and reddness down, but the vet still could not get it back in with oodles of lube, so it had to come off.


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

Completely forgot about updating this!
I continued bathing with sugar water, and then swapped over to honey. My friend was going to ring the vets on a Monday. Monday morning I phoned to tell her it had gone back in. 
I kept hold of him for a few more weeks to keep an eye on him. He is now perfect <3 He can pop it out and back in quite happily and didn't lose it in the end.
The downside is he is a breeding male :c And without it needing to be removed he has now gone back home :c 

Guy however is happy with his ladies <3 and I still go over and give him cuddles.


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## Kerry97 (Oct 19, 2010)

I know this is an old post but i have just searched Prolapsed Hemipenis and found it.

I have just noticed one of my males has a tiny part prolapsed, he is housed on his own and on kitchen roll. His had dried out already he was fine yesterday. I have done the old Sugar bath, I have no KY jelly but will Vaseline do the ame job? 

Only difference is, as i said its dried but it looks like a dry scab or dry blood and when i got him out of his bath I gave it a wipe round with a cotton bud and the sugar water but it did bleed a bit. Is there anything else i can do before i can get him to the vet Monday??


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## hadgo (Jan 1, 2009)

Kerry97 said:


> I know this is an old post but i have just searched Prolapsed Hemipenis and found it.
> 
> I have just noticed one of my males has a tiny part prolapsed, he is housed on his own and on kitchen roll. His had dried out already he was fine yesterday. I have done the old Sugar bath, I have no KY jelly but will Vaseline do the ame job?
> 
> Only difference is, as i said its dried but it looks like a dry scab or dry blood and when i got him out of his bath I gave it a wipe round with a cotton bud and the sugar water but it did bleed a bit. Is there anything else i can do before i can get him to the vet Monday??


I wouldn't use Vaseline as its a Petroleum based lubricant, KY jelly is water based I think. (Going on what I know from stretching my ears) I would keep with the sugar bath and then just go to the vets on monday.


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## Kerry97 (Oct 19, 2010)

yeah will get him in monday just want to keep him comfortable until then really


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i`d keep him on wet kitchen roll till you get him to a vet.
keep it damp to stop if drying out


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## Kerry97 (Oct 19, 2010)

pigglywiggly said:


> i`d keep him on wet kitchen roll till you get him to a vet.
> keep it damp to stop if drying out


Ok will do, thanks


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## Spider Call (Mar 23, 2007)

I hope you manage to get your boy sorted out, this little lad went home but has since come back. He is now unable to breed bless him so is busy having a life of eating, sleeping and surveying his domain.


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## Bonniie (Feb 12, 2014)

*Gecko hemipenes prolapse ?*

I've had my gecko for two years and he's been fine. I don't breed or have him with another gecko he's just my little pet he hasn't got a great diet he refuses to eat crickets so I feed him with meal worms and occasional a wax worm with calcium which is not ideal , I woke up on Monday to find his "bits" where hanging out after researching I found out it is hemipenes prolapse I have no idea what this really is I have read to give him sugar baths which I've done each night for the last two nights and a sugar paste with water which I apply to him, it dries up over night then once washed its back again! I would go to the vets but I'm only a student and at this moment cannot afford 300+ any ideas please help me!!!


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## parker46 (Sep 9, 2013)

He needs to go to the vets now! Keep him on wet kitchen roll and gve him 2-3 sugar baths a day, but seriously you need to go to the vets this is not a fix its just a way to stop it from drying out but by the sounds of it it's too late


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

It won't cost £300. Vets fees differ very much but recently I had a phelsuma grandis with a prolapse and vet treatment cost me £27 including meds. This something that, if you want to save the lizards life - as I'm sure you do, HAS to be done. Try to keep it moist, ask for an emergency appointment (any decent rep vet will see a prolapse as an emergency) and if necessary ask about payment plans.


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