problem with male

[piranhaking]

I put my pair together for a while the other day hoping they'd breed. Apparently the male got some sand, very large grained sand, (which i now know isnt a very good substrate and will most likely replace) stuck to IT. That apparently caused IT to dry out and some of the sand was stuck to it. To make a long story short, it cant retract. I put him in an empty 2 and a half gallon aquarium with enough water to keep it submerged but still keep his head up for a while, and tried to get the sand off. That helped alot and it did retract some, but still isnt quite right. I also noticed a very very tiny ammount of blood around his vent. Id say more than likely there was a small abrasion from the sand, and the scab came of when the sand did, but i dont know for sure. Anyway, i would like to know if there is anything else i should do, or if i should just keep soaking him in water off and on till things get better.

[mlededee]

soak him in some lukewarm sugar water and keep the hemipenis lubricated with something like petroleum jelly or triple antibiotic cream. if it doesn't right itself after 48 hours or so of soaking and being lubricated you may need to take him to see a vet. most importantly, make sure that the hemipenis doesn't dry out or he may lose it.

[ptunny]

we had a pair of leopards and had the same problem,after a couple of days we took him to the vet and whilst he was examining hin his penis fell off in the vets hand (tweezers). to this the vet told us that he would still live a happy healthy life(big joke i couldnt live happily without mine ha-ha)

[piranhaking]

Thanks for the quick responses. One question, why sugar water? Not doubting it, just curious about what makes it work better.

[joepythons]

Thanks for the quick responses. One question, why sugar water? Not doubting it, just curious about what makes it work better.

I am guessing its because sugar keeps things moist.Think about a cake being moist .

[SatanicIntention]

A sugar solution is hypertonic, meaning it will draw fluids out of tissues when applied. Get some warm water and mix sugar into it until no more dissolves. It should be thick and pasty. Smear a good bit on the gecko's problem area, and it should help the tissues stop swelling and be able to retract back inside. I would take the gecko to the vet just in case he needs antibiotics. Internal abrasions can lead to septicemia. Think about it: feces from the digestive tract constantly irritating that abrasion inside him. Not fun.