Male leo anatomy question.

[xX-PHO3N!X-Xx]

Hello, I'm new here but have been raising leopard geckos for most of my life. I recently acquired a new giant male which had a wound on his hemepene bump below his vent. It started out as a scab so I applied A&D ointment to it and it was healing well until tonight when he shed and now it is an open sore again. My question is what is actually in the hemepene bumps? The hemepenes themselves or something else? The reason I ask is because now that he has torn the skin away there is what I'm thinking is muscle that will push out and then pull back in. I'm hoping its not his manly bits but I don't know the actually anatomy of that area and cant find anything anywhere to help me. On a side note I've had him for about a month and he is eating perfectly, normal feces etc., no problems except this wound. Wasnt sure if I should post this in the health thread as he is healthy in all regular aspects so sorry if I posted this to the wrong sub-forum.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Yes the hemipenes are under the bumps which is what you're probably seeing. If the hemipene has been severely damaged then you're probably seeing the muscle under the hemipene. Leos are super strong and don't show pain easily but a wound there can't feel good. I would take him to a vet ASAP to see if there's anything that can be done for him. In the meantime - what substrate are you keeping him on? I would switch to paper towels (if that's not what you're using) immediately so there's nothing abrasive rubbing his wound or loose that can work its way inside (like sand or coco fiber). Make sure he has a moist hide to make shedding easier for him. I would also move him to a tank by himself if he's not already.

 

[katie_]

I second a vet visit

 

[xX-PHO3N!X-Xx]

I quarantined him and put him on repti carpet once I noticed the wound as it had accumulated a little bit of substrate. I cleaned the wound and applied A&D to it. And what do you think could be done in a situation like this? I assume he cant get stitches so i'm almost wondering if it would be a waste of time and funds to take him to a vet to have them tell me to do what i'm already doing. Unless of course it started showing signs of infection or something but at the moment its just pink and unless he's extremely tolerant to pain he doesn't even bat an eye when I apply the A&D.

 

[katie_]

Reptiles are extremely tolerant of pain. Its how prey animals survive. The ones who show signs of weakness get picked off.

A vet can give you better diagnosis than us, prescription medications, etc.
Its not a waste of time, and even if it turns out to be nothing, better safe than sorry. A prolasped hemipene can require surgery if it dies. Best get that looked at asap