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smelly boar - grease gland

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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my boar chesney really stinks bless him! i have ordered some just for boars shampoo from gorgeous guineas and have contacted someone experienced with guinea pigs to come and assist me as i haven't bathed a guinea pig before!

he has only been here since thursday so i don't want to stress him out with a bath but the little thing really does smell!

i've been reading about grease glands and this is probably why he smells because he has a clean cage everyday so it's not that.

how do i clean the grease gland and does it have to be done before bathing or can it be done other times and if so, how do you rinse it properly after-just with water and then dry it? can i use fairy liquid to clean it?

he also needs his nails trimming aswell so the lady coming round is going to help me with this aswell for the first time. but is this ok to do at the same time as the bath?

thanks.
 
Some people use washing up liquid, I use swarfega, (you can get it at wilko's) Massage a dollop onto his grease gland wait 5mins or so & then wash off (i wash it with shampoo) rinse & dry him. If he's an outdoor piggy you must make sure he's fully dry before he goes outside.

You can clean this whist he has a full bath or just wash his grease gland; commonly known as a "bum bath." :)

Nails can be clipped whenever needed, my piggies nails are clipped on average every month

Boars do emit a musky smell naturally, if his grease gland is dirty you will see it - it's just above the rump & will be dark & feel sticky
 
well i keep noticing his rump so i guess there's something there! lol...

so if i get a cotton wool pad, put a bit of fairy liquid on it and wipe the gland, and then use another to rinse it and then another to dry it would this be ok?

he's an indoor piggie so he will be warm after.
 
sorry, you mean wipe wipe with shampoo aswell after the fairy liquid and then rinse?
 
biscandmatt said:
well i keep noticing his rump so i guess there's something there! lol...

so if i get a cotton wool pad, put a bit of fairy liquid on it and wipe the gland, and then use another to rinse it and then another to dry it would this be ok?

he's an indoor piggie so he will be warm after.
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You will need to massage it into his grease gland. I massage swarfega on with my fingers (no cotton wool pad), leave it for 5 mins then i rinse with water but tease the area with my fingertips as i'm rinsing & then i do a final "wash" with shampoo to get rid of any swarfega/grease then i rinse again, making sure it's all clean, if not i repeat the process & then dry :)
 
Trim the hair around the grease gland, this will lessen the chance of a build-up.
Are you sure it is the grease gland that smells?
 
Grease glands smell kind of sweet, it's an odd smell. If he smells generally then he might just need an all-over bath, bless him. Do both, and his nails, and then he's all sorted for a bit!

Sophie
x
 
it definitely isn't a sweet smell! lol... i'll bath him and clean the gland anyway and trim his nails and then he should be all squeaky clean for a bit! :)
 
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