Calling All Boar Owners! Any Advice?

[MomoMura]

Hello everyone! I'm a new owner of two lovely boars and I was just looking for some advice and answers to a few questions I have. Although I've done lots of research, like most information about guinea pigs there's a lot of conflicting info between sites.. So I thought it'd be nice to hear from individuals with experience and see what their routines are like

My questions:

1) How often do you clean the ears, and how?

2) When do you clean the grease gland, and with what substance?

3) Do you give your boars baths? How often? (There are some sites that say monthly, and others that say never, so I'm a bit confused)

4) when did your boar start getting impactions? What's your method of dealing with it?

5) Is there anything else you've encountered that's pariticular to raising boars? Any advice you can give to a newbie in terms of keeping a boar healthy?

Any answers to these questions would be grealty appreciated!

 

[Kerrie74]

Erm I have 7 boars.

1. I don't clean their ears, if they were dirty I think I'd let a vet do them as I wouldn't want to hurt them or cause damage.

2. You clean it when it's greasy really, people use Swarfega, but my son tends to clean it with warm water and a cotton wool pad.


3. Bath not very often at all unless they have long fur and need a bum bath or smell of pee/poo.

4. The only one of our boars that got impaction was Sheamus who sadly passed away, he got it from time to time but got it quite badly when he had bladder stones.

Some info here - Questions About Cleaning A Boar's More Private Areas!

5. Nope not really, just humping and dominance behaviour.

Others will probably have had different experiences and may do things differently with their boars, I just do what works for mine

 

[MomoMura]

Th

Erm I have 7 boars.

1. I don't clean their ears, if they were dirty I think I'd let a vet do them as I wouldn't want to hurt them or cause damage.

2. You clean it when it's greasy really, people use Swarfega, but my son tends to clean it with warm water and a cotton wool pad.


3. Bath not very often at all unless they have long fur and need a bum bath or smell of pee/poo.

4. The only one of our boars that got impaction was Sheamus who sadly passed away, he got it from time to time but got it quite badly when he had bladder stones.

Some info here - Questions About Cleaning A Boar's More Private Areas!

5. Nope not really, just humping and dominance behaviour.

Others will probably have had different experiences and may do things differently with their boars, I just do what works for mine

thanks that was all really helpful! Especially with the impaction one, I was under the impression that all boars got them at some point.. Lol

 

[Kerrie74]

Nah not really. It depends on their bits I think.

 

[Courtneyyyleex]

I have two boars and have had one before and you don't really need to bath them unless they're peritcuarlly dirty. If they're short hair then you may never have to bathe them. Long haired need grooming often to maintane their coat but short hairs tend not to. Although I had to bathe my short hair today because he rolled in quail poo

 

[Elwickcavies]

I agree with all of the above. The only other thing you may come acroos with two boys is the dreaded "boar glue" (ejaculate). Some boys are fine and never produce any, but others regularly gum up each other's fur with it. If you get to it quickly, it's fairly easy to remove, but if it's had a chance to harden...I've sometimes had to use scissors to get it out. It can often be seen on noses (don't ask) and confused with something more sinister. Hopefully your boys will be glue free! Enjoy your boars! xx

 

[Galaxy&nibbles]

I don't clean my piggies ears, but do regularly check them.
I clean my boys bums with swarfega, though roddy who has an awful one I find it doesn't actually do much so tend to gently rub/pick it off often.
I regularly clean out my boys bum with a cotton bud, 1 is fine and hardly has anything but what I get out of the other 3... Woah!
And regards to bathing, I was told every 3 months, so that's what I do!

 

[MomoMura]

Thanks a lot everyone the advice has been really helpful