Turtles penis is out and wont go back in

Question
QUESTION: Hello
ive two turtles and one decided to start "fanning" the other and was bitten and now bleeding. ive put him in warm clean water but the bleeding hasnt stopped. do i leave him out of the water? i read that i cant do this because of his intestines hanging out will dry up. i will take him to the vet tomorrow but ive no idea what to do till then..

ANSWER: Hi Peter,

By "fanning" do you mean "flashing"?  That is, did he have his penis out and that's what was bitten?  If that's the case (and it seems to be fairly common!), his penis is probably prolapsed (unable to go back in) due to swelling.  It needs to be kept clean and moist until you can get to the vet.  I would put him in a container with moist paper towels for now.  The bleeding should stop eventually, but it might ooze a bit.  Change the paper towels if they get dirty with feces.  The vet will stitch the prolapse in and may give him a course of antibiotics.  A prolapsed penis has nothing to do with the turtle's intestines, so you won't be harming his internal organs.  You do need to get him to the vet as soon as you can.

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QUESTION: Hey

his penis was prolapsed due to the swelling from the injury like you said.I brought him to the vet this morning and alls well. Thank you for your advice. It was most helpful and i will come back for any other future problems.


ANSWER: Hi Peter,

I'm glad to hear you were able to get him to the vet and he's doing well now.  I'm not sure if the vet told you, but keep an eye out in case he prolapses again, and you should also watch your other turtle for any more signs of aggression.  I know of one case where the male was bitten, healed, and then bitten again and the penis had to be amputated.  This isn't as bad as it sounds, and is actually not an uncommon procedure, but of course you want to avoid it if possible.  So if you see any continuing aggression, you may want to consider separating them.  Good luck, and I'm happy all is OK!

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QUESTION: Hello again.

the same guy i had some trouble with earlier has started fanning and his penis wong go back in and hes not eating. any suggestions?

thanks

Answer
Sorry, Peter, I answered this last night but I guess I forgot to hit "send."  Unfortunately you're going to have to take him to the vet again if it hasn't gone back in by now.  I'm not sure if the prolapse was stitched in last time, but that's usually the first thing tried before amputation.  I would also talk to the vet about underlying causes--it might be worthwhile doing an x-ray to see if there are any bladder stones, etc.  Let me know what happens, please!