Is it normal for tinys penis to come out everyday?

[TortoiseMamaof03]

Hi guys. Ive always thought my 3 yr old sulcata was a female until bout 2 months ago. I took him to the vet because he had what i thought was a prolapsed penis. But they told me it was normal and that i infact, had a male. They helped guide it back in and told me to follow up with my normal vet the next day. I did just that and they told me the same thing. ! 🤦‍♀️But since then just about every single day, as soon as he comes out from his box and the sun hits him, his penis comes out. He seems to be straining trying to push something out.😟 So everyday once it happens, i soak him in luke warm water and it goes back in. But should this be happening EVERY SINGLE DAY?? He is around another sulcata male. Ive spent over $800 on emergency vet bills and my regular vet just for them to tell me that Tiny is indeed a male. I hate seeing him
strain & every so often it wont go back in until i soak him.
Should i take him in to get xrays?
My other sulcata, tank had the same situation. I spent the money to get xrays done and turns out he had eaten a couple small pebbles & he had passed what i thought was a 2in. bladder stone, but the vet said it was just a clump of urates! 😓
Now this is happening with tiny.. and also her urates has been mostly liquid lately...not as pasty as it normally is. He still poops fine ... 💩
I just dont know what i should do! Please any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated! I just dont want to see anything bad happen if i dont get it taken care of... its been going on for almost a month, every single day. Please HELP! 🐢🐢
( The photo quality kinda sucks)

 

[wellington]

@Tom
Most likely once he gets over the fact he has a penis and can bring it out, he will stop doing it. Most males do this for some time, after they discover it but then they stop. The straining though, and having harder urates can be a sign of dehydration. Does he always have water available? Maybe soak him daily for a while or rig some kind of water hole/pool he can self soak in.
He doesn't live with the other male right?

 

[Wishbone]

Welcome to the teenage years!

 

[TammyJ]

Anything can happen if you have two males living in the same space or even close. And what happens is usually not good. Are they together?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'd have to see better pictures, but at first glance my impression is that it is NOT a penis. Let's ask @zovick

It might very well be that the tortoise is straining to push out something - feces, rocks, bladder stones, etc. Might be a good idea to get x-rays.

 

[Tom]

Hi guys. Ive always thought my 3 yr old sulcata was a female until bout 2 months ago. I took him to the vet because he had what i thought was a prolapsed penis. But they told me it was normal and that i infact, had a male. They helped guide it back in and told me to follow up with my normal vet the next day. I did just that and they told me the same thing. ! 🤦‍♀️But since then just about every single day, as soon as he comes out from his box and the sun hits him, his penis comes out. He seems to be straining trying to push something out.😟 So everyday once it happens, i soak him in luke warm water and it goes back in. But should this be happening EVERY SINGLE DAY?? He is around another sulcata male. Ive spent over $800 on emergency vet bills and my regular vet just for them to tell me that Tiny is indeed a male. I hate seeing him
strain & every so often it wont go back in until i soak him.
Should i take him in to get xrays?
My other sulcata, tank had the same situation. I spent the money to get xrays done and turns out he had eaten a couple small pebbles & he had passed what i thought was a 2in. bladder stone, but the vet said it was just a clump of urates! 😓
Now this is happening with tiny.. and also her urates has been mostly liquid lately...not as pasty as it normally is. He still poops fine ... 💩
I just dont know what i should do! Please any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated! I just dont want to see anything bad happen if i dont get it taken care of... its been going on for almost a month, every single day. Please HELP! 🐢🐢
( The photo quality kinda sucks)

I agree with what Wellington and Yvonne have said here. Penis eversion every day is not the norm and I would be also concerned about that giant bladder stone. The vet is correct that it is urates. That is what "bladder stones" are made of, and those dehydrated balled up urates can kill them eventually in some cases. It is fantastic that he passed those urates, but that and the rock eating need to be addressed.

You have now learned first hand that most vets don't know much about tortoise care, tortoise treatment, or tortoise diagnosis. Some of them are awesome, but most know less than you about tortoises. They should have taken an X-ray when presented with these symptoms.

So let's talk about diet, hydration, and exercise. No, not yours... Your tortoises! What are you feeding this guy? How often are you soaking? What size is the enclosure? You said he is "around another sulcata male". Does that mean they live in the same enclosure? If yes, that needs to change immediately, before you have even worse problems than this. Chula Vista has great tortoise weather most of every year, but is the tortoise in a lush irrigated back yard, or a drier desert-like area? With the answers to these questions, we can make a plan to avoid future issues.