Pre-impaction?

[AlbiePercy]

Hello, not sure if this is the right spot for this....
We think Percy is around 2.5 years old, we're not sure as he was from a free ad on Facebook. In the last month-ish I've removed two small poo like blobs from his bottom. They looked like half the size of a normal poo and were mucus coated and had what looked like hair stuck in them. They came away very easily and I just removed it with a tissue. Once removed, Percy did 3 or 4 normal shaped/consistancy/colour poos each time. He's always getting 'stuff' stuck in there, bits of hay, shavings etc. I'm wondering if this is normal for a boar (he's unneutered if that makes a difference) or whether it might be the start of something. Could this be an indication that he may suffer from impaction a bit later on (How old are boars usually if they show signs of impaction)? Should I be actively cleaning his anal sac, is this something that should be routine care for boars? At the moment I'm just checking that he's keeping it clean and removing any hay or whatever that's there. Thanks

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

Just check him whenever you handle him and do as you have been doing. No need for any extra cleaning.
There is not set age, muscle tone, or lack of, is what defines it. If you have only recently got him, proper nutrition may help. Otherwise, just keep an eye on him and remove any impaction as necessary.

 

[Charlotte01]

Yes, I read somewhere that this can be quite common in boars. You are supposed to remove the blockage but leave it in the cage as they eat it. It contains a lot of key nutrition for Guinea pigs. Good luck

 

[AlbiePercy]

Just check him whenever you handle him and do as you have been doing. No need for any extra cleaning.
There is not set age, muscle tone, or lack of, is what defines it. If you have only recently got him, proper nutrition may help. Otherwise, just keep an eye on him and remove any impaction as necessary.

Thank you

 

[MintyAndGarry (TEAS)]

Yes, I read somewhere that this can be quite common in boars. You are supposed to remove the blockage but leave it in the cage as they eat it. It contains a lot of key nutrition for Guinea pigs. Good luck

If you are cleaning them every day, then maybe, but if it is a build up over a longer period of time, then the caecotrophs will have been hanging around for a while, potentially starting to ferment, which would not do the piggy any favours if they consumed it.