# penis plugs



## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

Hi, guys, I'm hoping you can help me with a problem I've been having with the newest boy. I've had him for about 3 months and he has gotten 2 very large penis plugs in that time. The rat, Jenkin, cleans himself often. Everytime he does I watch him to check if he has a plug and I never see one. We've started doing manual checks ourselves, and haven't seen anything. Then today when I pulled him out for playtime he had a large one poking out...had to pull it out myself. It was maybe...maybe the size of a pea? But squashed out in a more pole like shape. maybe even a little bigger than that. Our other buys don't have this problem (we check them too). Could it just be a genetic thing? We're going to up our checks even more so hopefully it won't build up this much again, but I'm wondering if there's anything you guys know of to help prevent them.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Is he an older rat?
http://ratguide.com/health/aging_degenerative_disorders/vesical_proteinaceous_plug.php


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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

nanashi7 said:


> Is he an older rat?
> http://ratguide.com/health/aging_degenerative_disorders/vesical_proteinaceous_plug.php


We got him from someone on CL, so we aren't 100% on his age, but we're pretty certain he's just shy of a year. He doesn't show any signs of having trouble grooming and he drinks as much as the other two. We'll up the penis checking to daily, as that webpage suggests, and try to see if we can't up his hydration as well.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Is he fat, and maybe not the best at reaching down there? Or insanely lazy and might not do it often?

If not, I would worry that there would be an underlying problem down south.


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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

nanashi7 said:


> Is he fat, and maybe not the best at reaching down there? Or insanely lazy and might not do it often?
> 
> If not, I would worry that there would be an underlying problem down south.


He is not fat and I see him clean relatively often. Do you think this could be the side effect of a bladder or other type of infection?


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Whats the diet like? Maybe an inbalance can be the cause. Otherwise I don't think it could be -- I can't find anything on it*. Maybe his hormones are going so crazy he is having this problem?


*"It is important to note that in the majority of cases there is no evidence of stone nidus formation within the plugs and is therefore not considered a precursor to the development of bladder calculi (Mohr, Dungworth & Capen, 1992, p. 262)." Penis plug not indicative of bladder problem.


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## Capistrono (Apr 12, 2010)

nanashi7 said:


> Whats the diet like? Maybe an inbalance can be the cause. Otherwise I don't think it could be -- I can't find anything on it*. Maybe his hormones are going so crazy he is having this problem?
> 
> 
> *"It is important to note that in the majority of cases there is no evidence of stone nidus formation within the plugs and is therefore not considered a precursor to the development of bladder calculi (Mohr, Dungworth & Capen, 1992, p. 262)." Penis plug not indicative of bladder problem.



We feed them harlan tekland mixed with some tri colored or whole wheat pasta, sometimes a bit of multi grain cheerios too. We ran out of the blocks a few days ago, but am gonna order more soon. 
I'm gonna put him alone in the play pen tomorrow with a covering of paper towels, just to double check on what his urine is like. I suppose it could be laziness on his part. Hopefully frequent checks and the buildup won't get so bad again.


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