The Grease Gland

[OliversMommy]

Hello, Everyone! I hope everyone is having an AWESOME day. :)

Ok, so I recently found out that guinea pigs have a grese gland! Who knew?! Not me; I had no idea. Until, I was giving Oliver a bath, I picked him up to dry him off, and noticed some sticky, greasey stuff around his tail area(where a tail would be if guinea pigs had tails). So I did some research, and come to find out, guinea pigs have a grease gland, and you can clean it up with a simple soap and water wash. So that's what I did! Oliver is grease-free now. :) My question is, how often do you think his grease gland will have to be cleaned? Is it different with each piggie? Once a week, once a month, or should I just check it periodically and clean it when needed? Just wondering so it doesn't get all goopy again. Thanks for reading!

I'd like to hear your experiences with the grease gland! haha What did you do when you first found out that your guinea pig had a grease gland? Did you already know? Or did you find out later, like me? How did you clean it up?

Let's hear it!

[Toadies]

One of my little guys gets gunky fast. I don't use soap and water, but I put a little bit of grape seed oil on the spot, massage it into the "gunk" and use a flea comb to comb it out. I then buff the butt with a clean towel. Soap and water can dry their skin and the oil does a real slick (ha ha) job. I just do it when they need it.

[Deenanicole08]

Hm, I have given mine 3 baths now and I've never even noticed it. You learn something new everyday. I'm going to have to go check that out now. She never seems greasy when I hold her. hm.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by Deenanicole08

Hm, I have given mine 3 baths now and I've never even noticed it. You learn something new everyday. I'm going to have to go check that out now. She never seems greasy when I hold her. hm.

That's because sows don't have a grease gland. Only boars.

One drop of Dawn diswashing soap will cut the grease on the grease gland. And since you'd only be washing that one small area and not giving a full bath, a drop of dishwashing soap is ok to use to clean a grease gland. I've also heard mineral oil and coconut oil works too.

[paula.m.moore]

I put a couple drops of grapeseed oil on the area when I'm doing the boys normal bum cleaning. It's kind of a preventative measure, I suppose, but so far (knock on wood) it's not been a big problem for us.

[salana]

No, all pigs have a grease gland. Some are greasier than others. Suzi has a crusty white grease gland, Jackie's grease gland is barely noticeable (next to the stench of his butt!), Cuddles had a fair amount of black grease.

[Ly&Pigs]

Originally Posted by salana

No, all pigs have a grease gland. Some are greasier than others. Suzi has a crusty white grease gland, Jackie's grease gland is barely noticeable (next to the stench of his butt!), Cuddles had a fair amount of black grease.

I didn't know that salana. I've only ever heard grease glands and boars. Even this old lady can still learn new things!

[dra&pigs]

Lol Ly, you still know far more than the rest of us. :). I have a question...what do grease glands that haven't been cleaned out in a while look like (I never knew this-I'll have to check). Is it like human grease, or thicker, more like glueish type stuff?

[Toadies]

I found it to be a little on the dark side and waxy. It shows up on the surface of the skin, just above where the tail would be, if they had one.

[dra&pigs]

Ok, thanks Toadies. I'll go look...