Hi isis0827,
Thank you for your question.
I'd like to direct your attention to the Important Disclaimer at the
bottom of this page.
"Important Disclaimer: Answers and comments provided on Google Answers
are general information, and are not intended to substitute for
informed professional medical, .... or other professional advice."
I can only offer general information, and encourage you to take the
hamster to a vet. He might have a serious problem.
With that said, I have researched your question and then called a
person I know who has raised hamsters for over 50 years to confirm
whether the research is correct. I'm posting my findings....
Least worst case scenario might be, if he is a Teddy Bear Hamster, he
has chewed off a portion of the fluffy fur on the end of his tail.
What will be visible is the tip of his tail (and the tail without hair
is red). Or he could have gotten his tail caught on something that
pulled the hair off.
The Teddy Bear Hamster male anatomy: the reproduction organ is on the
belly slightly below where a human's navel would be.
If he had a penile erection that wouldn't retract, it would be very
moist with woodchips attached to his penis.
He 'might' have a serious problem, such as described below.
Topic: Gerbils & Hamsters
http://experts.about.com/q/2005/3397699.htm
Expert: Bryan
Date: 2/11/2004
Subject: Hampster
"Question
We recently purchased our daughters first hampster in Oct around Dec
we noticed that he had a constant erection and we did not know if this
was common. last week we noticed he had gotten skinny real fast and
looked wet all the time. he finally died last night . Do you have an
ideas what could have been wrong and what could have prevented this.
Answer
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's hamster. With the symptoms
you described, it sounds like he either had diabetes or a
kidney/bladder infection. The reason why he got skinny real fast was
probably because he had lost appetite and wasn't eating much.
The only way you could have prevented something like this would have
been to take him to the vet. If your hamster had a kidney/bladder
infection, this would have been treated with antibiotics. However, if
your hamster was suffering from diabetes, there wouldnt have been much
you could have done, except to make sure he stayed hydrated and kept
eating."
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There's a very *slight chance* that what he has is called a hair ring,
something chinchillas get.
Topic in alt.chinchilla
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.chinchilla/browse_thread/thread/1e9160ec35fbcac3/924e93a0f5a22533?lnk=st&q=hamsters+penis+erection&rnum=7&hl=en#924e93a0f5a22533
" have noticed that young males do that quite often, they seem to stop
doing it as much when they are around 10 months or so. Unless the
chin seems to be having a problem retracting his penis back to its
normal state, don't worry. However, if it appears that the penis is
hanging outside and not retracting, he probably has a hair ring. This
must be corrected ASAP or your chin might obtain some permanent damage
or get an infection. Either take him to the vet or remove the hair
ring yourself."
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Chinchillas
http://www.cuddlycrittersexotics.com/chinchillas.htm
"Hair Rings in males: Male Chinchillas have a layered external penile
sheath so it somewhat folds back in to itself like a telescope lens
might. Their fur being as dense as it is can easily get wrapped
around the sheath of the penis or head of the penis when they become
erect or when the penis returns to its sheath after an erection. When
erect blood flows to the head of the penis causing swelling in the
entire penile sheath. If a hair ring is present during this process
it can constrict and cut off blood supply to the penis. When the
penis retracts itself it can seal in the hair ring cutting off blood
supply at the base of the penile sheath. It can also constrict to the
point that it cuts off output supply as well and they will not be able
to urinate. This promotes bacterial buildup in the penis itself and
is quite painful to say the least. It can also cause permanent kidney
and urinary problems if not caught immediately. To prevent hair rings
a ?hair ring check? should be performed on male Chinchillas older than
4 months of age at least twice monthly. Breeding age males should be
checked at least twice monthly and preferably weekly especially when
they are caged with a female and erection is eminent. Males will
conduct their own ?hair ring checks? often referred to as the ?self
help program?. They are usually very good at getting hair rings loose
but should be checked anyway. If you notice your male Chinchilla
grooming more often than usual or doing self hair ring checks more
often than usual you should conduct your own hair ring check
immediately. To conduct a hair ring check you should apply a natural
lubricant such as KY Jelly to your finger tips. Gently grab the penis
between your thumb and index finger and guide it outward until it is
fully extended. Be very careful not to pull to hard and injure the
penis in the process. This should be done with the utmost of care.
Once you have the penis fully extended you need to look very closely
for any sign of hair on the penile sheath. If you spot hair whether
it be one strand or many you should gently try to pull it away with
tweezers or roll it away with your fingers, make certain you roll the
hair ring down the penile sheath and never try to pull upwards and
break the hair ring in half, this can cause severe damage to the
penis. Make certain the tweezers have been disinfected by soaking
them in alcohol just in case you should accidentally nick the penile
sheath. Do not force the hair ring off, pull gently in an outward
motion toward you. Pulling to hard or forcing the hair ring loose can
cause further damage or can cause it to break up leaving single
strands behind and often times making it even more constricting.
Often times you can pull the hair ring off with your fingers without
ever using tweezers. If hair ring checks are performed often enough
you should never have a complication. If you find a hair ring that is
particularly stubborn you may have to take your Chinchilla to the
veterinarian where they can sedate him and cut the hair ring off.
Generally they are not fully wrapped and can easily be plucked off but
there is the off chance it will be so constricted it will require
veterinary intervention. Once you are certain the penile sheath is
clear of hair rings you can allow it to retract by itself paying
special attention to clear any hair out of the way during retraction.
I personally do not guide the penis back in as I would rather be able
to keep the hair away. If you do not pay close attention to where
their hair is surrounding the penile sheath during the retraction
process you can actually cause an even worse hair ring. It is
advisable to have another person on hand to assist the first few times
you do this as male chinchillas are particularly squirmy during this
procedure and you don?t want to cause injury by dropping them or
squeezing them to hard around their rib cage. You can sit down and
flip the Chinchilla over in your lap while placing one hand firmly but
gently on their chest to hold them in place if it is more comfortable
for you that way. Eventually you will get so used to it you will be
able to perform the check quickly and easily without the male even
noticing (just kidding). Do not be alarmed if the male finds pleasure
in this and expels some semen during the process. This is perfectly
normal as they are very sexually aware. J Again regular hair ring
checks are the only possible way to prevent serious irreparable damage
to male Chinchillas which could render them sterile, or cause kidney
problems not to mention make things very painful for them. 4 months
is about the age you should start doing these checks but if you notice
a kit younger than 4 months has already enrolled in the ?self help
program? then you may need to start sooner. There have been cases of
hair rings so severe as to cause permanent damage to the penile sheath
making it impossible for the male to ever fully retract his penis
again. Even most ranchers some with near 2000 Chinchillas perform
hair ring checks weekly on breeding age males so it is definitely not
something to take lightly."
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Please take him to a veterinarian who can provide an expert opinion and advice.
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Keyword search:
hamster anatomy
hamster penile erection
hamster penis won't retract
chinchilla hair ring
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Best regards,
tlspiegel |
