Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yesterday I noticed my adult male spotted turtle's penis was extruded. Today it is still out. Is this a cause for concern? I've never seen this happen in any of my turtles.

my male used to do the same thing, I believe it is normal for a little while. not sure about longer, mine only did it about 5 mins at a time.
wayne

If it's prolapsed and he can't get it back in then yes that's a problem that requires a vet's treatment.
If he cannot get it back in then the tissue can eventually die which is extremely serious- a life threatening condition.
When my male turtles do this usually it's for only a few short minutes.
Watch him & if it doesn't go back for hours & hours, call the vet.
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PHRatz

Please tell how this turns out. I know it can't stay out and has to be manipulated back in if it won't go without help. I would put him in a clean bare tank with water and no females (or males) so no one bites it. Hopefully there is no actual injury. Don't let him dry it out.

This happened to my male last year. Due to the timing, my vet was closed for the day by the time it happened, and the turtle's business was out for about 24 hours before I got him to the vet. Took an hour or two for the vet to get him back to normal, with me keeping the turtles front half in the shell the the back half would be a little more accessible. I believe he lubed the organ with KY or something similar, then used a thermometer to slowly work it back it. Given the amount of time involved, the vet bill was very reasonable, too--I think it was about $15 (obviously, mileage may vary).
Hope everything works out okay.

Well, it didn't go back inside by itself. I called around to several vets and finally found one who sounded as if he might know something about reptiles. Of course, it happened at the beginning of a weekend and I couldn't go in until Monday morning. The vet didn't seem as knowledgeable in person as he seemed on the phone, but he was all I had. I didn't notice until I put the turtle in a tupperware box with a damp paper towel in the bottom that he was bleeding. Anyway the vet manipulated it back inside with sedation and lubrication and put a circular stitch in to keep the penis inside. The stitch is due to come out in a couple days. I was unable to get much antibiotic in him without stressing him out too much, but he seems to be doing okay. His tail seems a little stiff. He seemed sort of sluggish and I was worried for a while because he didn't jump at the worms I gave him, but he gobbled up all the fairy shrimp I put in the tank. Hopefully he can breed when his female gets a little larger. It cost me about a hundred bucks- plus mileage.