Paigefelldownv2
New Born Pup
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Can anyone help me identify what this is? Could it be a scab or simply dirty fur?
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Strange yellow gunk on cavys rear
- Thread starter Paigefelldownv2
- Start date
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- health and illness
Can anyone help me identify what this is? Could it be a scab or simply dirty fur?
Eriathwen
Adult Guinea Pig
Hey! Welcome to the forum 
guinea pigs have a caudal/grease gland which produces secretions for the purposes of scenting and marking. It's perfectly normal dont worry! You can gently clean them by rubbing a little coconut oil onto them, letting it sit for a bit and then wiping it away if it gets built up with waxy grease.
guinea pigs have a caudal/grease gland which produces secretions for the purposes of scenting and marking. It's perfectly normal dont worry! You can gently clean them by rubbing a little coconut oil onto them, letting it sit for a bit and then wiping it away if it gets built up with waxy grease.
It looks like an overactive grease gland to me- guinea pigs have a scent/grease gland there which can sometimes become overactive and cause this. The poster above gave some good ideas how to remove- just keep an eye and clean it if it builds up... it can get red and sore looking sometimes if it gets overly coated with grease.
Claire W
Forum Donator 2025/26
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I agree. It looks like an over active grease gland. Give it a little clean with coconut oil and the grease should come off
PigglePuggle
Senior Guinea Pig
Definitely the grease gland, and I dont think that looks too bad really, but you can clean it as advised above- we clean Piggle's (which gets much crustier than that, and spreads yellow bum grease all round her legs!) by massaging in a little olive oil then giving her a quick bum bath with gorgeous guineas shampoo, we do this about once a month if needed to stop it getting sore. If it does get sore looking or if you are worried its worth a vet check, we've taken Piggle to the vet twice about hers, but both vets reassured us that she just has a greasy bum and she could probably clean it herself if she wanted to, but she probably likes to smell nice and musky!
Hi and welcome!
You are dealing with an overactive grease gland. It is more common in boars but sows can also suffer.
Care advice for grease glands canbe found in these guides here:
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
Please always see a vet if you cannot remove the build-up gently with coconut oil and it seems stuck (it may be a growth in the grease gland) or if the skin below the build-up or around the greas gland is inflamed, dry or irritated.