Testicle questions

[Riana]

Hi, everyone

RB is doing wonderfully! He's such an affectionate rat! Not only is he a kisser, but he's also a dentist and a nose cleaner AND an eyebrow groomer AND an ear inspector. Holy moly, he goes all out!

My question is about his boy-bits, though. About 5 days ago I noticed that his left testicle looked like it was missing. That side of his scrotum was a bit shriveled (ie: not stretched by a testicle weighing it down), and I've felt as thoroughly as he'll let me (I have no shame), and it feels as though the testicle is drawn up into his body, but it felt very soft and squishy, compared to his other testicle.

Any thoughts? I know they can draw up their testicles when stressed or scared, but how long can they keep them up, and can they draw only one up? Can it happen for days? I also heard from one website that when males are elderly, they can draw up their testicles permanently, and are sterile from that point on (I don't know if I believe that), has anyone ever heard of that?

 

[lilspaz68]

Well lets start with how old your boy is? Is it cold where you are?

 

[Riana]

We're not sure, but he's at least two years. He definitely has more of an 'old man' way about him.

It's not cold, no, but you never know if it's considered cold for him.

I groped him a bit more (lol), and his drawn up testicle definitely feels softer and smaller than the other. I didn't notice any difference in his skin (like bruising, irritation, etc.).

We'll check in with the vet next week if it's not dropped.

 

[jorats]

I've seen a couple of rats with one testicle drawn up. It seems to only be with oldies, if he was young, i'd probably think of hernia.

 

[Riana]

Thanks, Jorats. I think we'll take him to the vet, just to be safe, but I wanted to see if anyone else had ever experienced it.