From boar sac

[hayethusiasts]

I am not sure if this photo is allowed, sorry it is not for people who are sensitive. But this was from my boar sac. It's very smelly and like paste. Is this normal? Thank you so much in advance. I hope it's nothing to be concerned about

 

[Claire W]

It looks like smegma which is a build up of gunk and perhaps seman. I’d keep an eye on him but I doubt it’s anything to be concerned about.

Keep an eye out for impaction which is a build up of poo that some boars can get especially as they get older. If this happens, he’ll need his anal sac to be cleaned regularly and for the poo to be manipulated out. A smelly job but it’s why we love boars x

 

[hayethusiasts]

Thank you so much. What should i keep an eye out for if you dont mind me asking please? X

 

[Claire W]

Just that you do not find anything out of the ordinary really but a build up of gunk and smegma is perfectly normal x

 

[weepweeps]

Urgh boars can be so smelly sometimes. I’ve have quite a few boars over the years and have only had one boar that had impaction in his later years.

This just looks like a normal build up. Some piggies are just messier than others. Can I ask what made you clean them out? Has there been any changes in this piggy.

Have a look at Section 2:
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

 

[hayethusiasts]

Urgh boars can be so smelly sometimes. I’ve have quite a few boars over the years and have only had one boar that had impaction in his later years.

This just looks like a normal build up. Some piggies are just messier than others. Can I ask what made you clean them out? Has there been any changes in this piggy.

Have a look at Section 2:
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

I just had the habit of looking when i do my weight checks weekly. I also wanted to ask how deep you are meant to go when you are cleaning their sac? As i dont want to of course overdo it.

 

[hayethusiasts]

Just that you do not find anything out of the ordinary really but a build up of gunk and smegma is perfectly normal x

Thank you so much Claire x this is the first time i saw this so i was just a bit shocked and did not know if this was normal. X

 

[Piggies&buns]

Smegma tends to form in and around the penis rather than the anal sac.

The white paste in the anal sac can be normal - please read the guide below for more information.

You should check their penis and Anal sac but you actually shouldn’t need to do anything in a young piggy.
Impaction tends to after older boars but even then it’s only around 10%, and is caused when the muscles lose strength.
If impaction occurs in a young piggy then a vet check is needed as it can be signifying if other issues.

Boar Problems 'Down Below' (Penis, Impaction, Testicles & Neutering, Mammary Tumours & Grease Gland)

 

[hayethusiasts]

Smegma tends to form in and around the penis rather than the anal sac.

The white paste in the anal sac can be normal - please read the guide below for more information.

You should check their penis and Anal sac but you actually shouldn’t need to do anything in a young piggy.
Impaction tends to after older boars but even then it’s only around 10%, and is caused when the muscles lose strength.
If impaction occurs in a young piggy then a vet check is needed as it can be signifying if other issues.

Boar Problems 'Down Below' (Penis, Impaction, Testicles & Neutering, Mammary Tumours & Grease Gland)

Hi thank you so much for the link and I have read it.

Regarding what you said i shouldn't do anything in a young piggy - my guinea pigs are around 1 year old. Just so i understood correctly - if i see the white paste i should just leave it?

Thank you so much

 

[Piggies&buns]

As the guide explains a white substance is part of the poop process and is normal
If there is a lot or if there any sign of illness, overproduction of the white paste, pain, then do see a vet

(Ive never needed to clear out any of my boars, not even the elderly boys.)

 

[hayethusiasts]

As the guide explains a white substance is part of the poop process and is normal
If there is a lot or if there any sign of illness, overproduction of the white paste, pain, then do see a vet

(Ive never needed to clear out any of my boars, not even the elderly boys.)

Omg i feel so bad now that i've cleaned them out i will leave it alone now. To be honest there was nothing outside and the white stuff was more inside. Oh no i feel like crap now poking around when i shouldn't

 

[hayethusiasts]

As the guide explains a white substance is part of the poop process and is normal
If there is a lot or if there any sign of illness, overproduction of the white paste, pain, then do see a vet

(Ive never needed to clear out any of my boars, not even the elderly boys.)

Thank you so much

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please don’t feel bad, you were just caring for them. It’s perfectly fine to have a look and check there is nothing actually stuck in the anal sac, or hair wrapped around the penis or segma built up in the penis, swollen penis etc.

 

[hayethusiasts]

Please don’t feel bad, you were just caring for them. It’s perfectly fine to have a look and check there is nothing actually stuck in the anal sac, or hair wrapped around the penis or segma built up in the penis, swollen penis etc.

Thank you again for your advice and i am glad i went here immediately to ask advice, otherwise i wouldn't have known to leave it alone.

Thank you so much again.

Hopefully there's nothing to worry about. my piggy is his happy self and weight stable. So fingers crossed x

 

[Wiebke]

I am not sure if this photo is allowed, sorry it is not for people who are sensitive. But this was from my boar sac. It's very smelly and like paste. Is this normal? Thank you so much in advance. I hope it's nothing to be concerned about

Hi

This is the normal coating of the sac that should not be removed with cotton buds as it helps with pushing poos past the descended testicles unless it is excessive. Constant removal can trigger overproduction.

The same goes for over-cleaning the grease gland - you can over-stimulate grease production that way.

 

[hayethusiasts]

Hi

This is the normal coating of the sac that should not be removed with cotton buds as it helps with pushing poos past the descended testicles unless it is excessive. Constant removal can trigger overproduction.

The same goes for over-cleaning the grease gland - you can over-stimulate grease production that way.

Thank you so much. I will leave it alone now. I can't stop feeling so bad tho

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much. I will leave it alone now. I can't stop feeling so bad tho

Bad about what?

 

[hayethusiasts]

Bad about what?

Bad that I cleaned it out when i shouldn't. I will leave it alone now for sure. Thank you for your advice x

 

[Wiebke]

Bad that I cleaned it out when i shouldn't. I will leave it alone now for sure. Thank you for your advice x

Please don't feel bad. Pet keeping (like parenting) is a never ending learning curve we are all still - including very much me.

You can never know everything from the start; that is one reason why we are here as a forum. Each of us has started out knowing nothing at all and - please believe me - a lot of our collective knowledge of nearly 20 years of experience is the result of countless mistakes and finding things out the hard way. Including what happens from overzealous cleaning.

As an adult human, it is not about never making any mistakes; it is about learning to deal with them. Taking lessons aboard and moving on. We do not diminish by making mistakes, we grow from making them if we learn to deal with them in a constructive and not in a self-destructive way. If you have a zero tolerance towards putting a foot wrong, you take away your own space to grow into an adult others can look up to and lean on as they grow and climb themselves.

You are always welcome to ask on here if you are not sure but please see it as a chance to learn. We take every question seriously as a desire to learn. There are no silly questions. In fact, the silly ones have very often turned out to be rather thought-provoking.

Learning from only doing things right, you never get past the surface of knowledge but by learning from your mistakes you find out what makes things tick and you learn how they are connected - and from those connections and understanding the inner workings you can built a fundament that over a lifetime can grow into a tower.
Learning to turn mistakes into a positive experience is building trust in yourself and builds self-confidence over time. You can compare yourself to how much you have come on and don't have to rely on the judgment of others. And you can learn how to teach others and judge them - not put them down but to help them on their own journey of lifting themselves up.

Please don't feel bad about yourself but learn to discover the world, enjoy the wonderful feeling of discovery with your piggies and learn from not getting things right so you don't grow into human bonsai but into a proper tree others will look up to and want to learn from.

You may find this link here helpful. A lot fo our collective experience has gone into it: New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

 

[hayethusiasts]

Please don't feel bad. Pet keeping (like parenting) is a never ending learning curve we are all still - including very much me.

You can never know everything from the start; that is one reason why we are here as a forum. Each of us has started out knowing nothing at all and - please believe me - a lot of our collective knowledge of nearly 20 years of experience is the result of countless mistakes and finding things out the hard way. Including what happens from overzealous cleaning.

As an adult human, it is not about never making any mistakes; it is about learning to deal with them. Taking lessons aboard and moving on. We do not diminish by making mistakes, we grow from making them if we learn to deal with them in a constructive and not in a self-destructive way. If you have a zero tolerance towards putting a foot wrong, you take away your own space to grow into an adult others can look up to and lean on as they grow and climb themselves.

You are always welcome to ask on here if you are not sure but please see it as a chance to learn. We take every question seriously as a desire to learn. There are no silly questions. In fact, the silly ones have very often turned out to be rather thought-provoking.

Learning from only doing things right, you never get past the surface of knowledge but by learning from your mistakes you find out what makes things tick and you learn how they are connected - and from those connections and understanding the inner workings you can built a fundament that over a lifetime can grow into a tower.
Learning to turn mistakes into a positive experience is building trust in yourself and builds self-confidence over time. You can compare yourself to how much you have come on and don't have to rely on the judgment of others. And you can learn how to teach others and judge them - not put them down but to help them on their own journey of lifting themselves up.

Please don't feel bad about yourself but learn to discover the world, enjoy the wonderful feeling of discovery with your piggies and learn from not getting things right so you don't grow into human bonsai but into a proper tree others will look up to and want to learn from.

You may find this link here helpful. A lot fo our collective experience has gone into it: New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection

Thank you so so so much. I would literally be lost without this forum.

They are my first piggies and they are rescues as well (i first saw them kept in a small pet store cage) and even though I already had in mind what I would've wanted in guinea pigs, the moment I saw them I knew I couldn't leave the sanctuary and not take them home with me.

They have given me so much and sometimes I wonder how I was able to live all these years without them.

I want to give them the best life in the best of my abilities. Still learning - last week I saw what I am 100% certain boar glue stuck on Kreacher's chin. Went straight here to look for an article regarding that and read that it will just fall off eventually. Eventually it did fall off. What I am trying to say is I can't say this enough but, thank you to this forum. You guys are amazing.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so so so much. I would literally be lost without this forum.

They are my first piggies and they are rescues as well (i first saw them kept in a small pet store cage) and even though I already had in mind what I would've wanted in guinea pigs, the moment I saw them I knew I couldn't leave the sanctuary and not take them home with me.

They have given me so much and sometimes I wonder how I was able to live all these years without them.

I want to give them the best life in the best of my abilities. Still learning - last week I saw what I am 100% certain boar glue stuck on Kreacher's chin. Went straight here to look for an article regarding that and read that it will just fall off eventually. Eventually it did fall off. What I am trying to say is I can't say this enough but, thank you to this forum. You guys are amazing.

I am glad that we can help you. Never stop asking questions and never stop learning.

But please try to stop beating yourself up for things you quite simply cannot know or which you are not sure about - whatever it is. The world is made of imperfect people and not little know-it-all stuck up pocket godlets.

We have got the currently most extensive information resource on this forum about guinea pig care but it cannot and will never cover every single little detail. Our collective forum knowledge keeps on growing but welfare, like knowledge, is not a static process - it also keeps on moving forward.
And then you are still stuck with constantly finding your personal comprise between ideal and practicality - especially in the current situation with insane vet surgeries price hikes (not the working and vets' and nurses' fault, I hasten to say; they can no longer afford to own their clinics).

Thankfully, our pets are surprisingly forgiving. As long as you give them a happy, loving home with decent care, you are giving them what they want from life. Guinea pigs don't have a concept for an average life expectancy or the current welfare recommendations but they know a loving home when they see it and they themselves measure a good life in happy todays.

It is our human trip-up that we have to be perfect and that we have to toe the average line.
Whereas we are not supposed to know everything, just to keep on learning and growing all our life for as long as we can; especially our self-belief and our confidence in ourselves.

I know a lot but I don't know it all by a long stretch. And I have no problems to say so when I don't know something. Others will trust me more when they know I am actually honest about my own limitations.