General How bad do males really smell?

[FurryPets]

I am trying to decide whether or not to get a pair of males or a pair of female guinea pigs. I've checked the local humane society and they do not have any spayed or neutered guinea pigs at the moment. I have decided to not get any from the pet store and I am either going to buy one from someone looking to re-home their guinea pigs or adopt from the humane society. At first I was going to try to find two females but it seems that there are a lot more males looking for home right now then there are females.

I've been reading and watching a lot of videos, I don't mind cleaning the grease gland and anal sack but it seems that everything I read says that males tend to be smelly even when you keep them clean. So, I am wanting some opinions from other on how smelly they are. Is it something that you obviously smell when you walk into the room they are being kept in (they will be staying in my bedroom)? My mom's only condition with me getting guinea pigs is that she does not want stinky smell.


I plan on having a C&C cage or a Midwest cage with possibly a loft for a "kitchen area" then the lower main level would have more open space for running. I also plan to use fleece as bedding. So as you can tell I am still in the planning phase and not ready to get adopt right a way yet.

 

[bpatters]

Boars are generally only a little more stinky than sows, if at all, except when they scent mark. That's called "boar stank" and it can be pretty rank. But it's not constant.

But just so you know, no Midwest cage is large enough for two boars. They don't quite meet the minimum recommendations for two pigs, although two sows can live in them peaceably unless one sow is really aggressive. But boars need more room than sows. I recommend at least a 2x5, or 3x3 C&C or equivalent for them.

 

[jaycriae]

Boars can be smelly but they're not THAT smelly, especially if they're a pair that already gets along and you've made sure their cage is big enough. The males I've had were brothers who'd always been together and they never scent marked that I can remember.


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[bpatters]

Yes, but 99+% of all boars will scent mark at some point. It's very rare to have two boars and no scent ever.

 

[lunarminx]

As adolescents my boars scent marked every cage cleaning time until I learned to leave in one or two dirty items that smelled like them. That really worked well and I learned that here.

 

[jaycriae]

Yes, but 99+% of all boars will scent mark at some point. It's very rare to have two boars and no scent ever.

Oh, you're absolutely right. I phrased my post badly, I more meant that the scent marking wasn't ever often or bad enough to leave an impression.


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[FurryPets]

Ok, thank you all for the input! I will skip the Midwest cage and just go with a c & c cage, probably a 3x3 (or possibly 3x4 depending on space).

So overall males should not be a problem with the family smelling them it sounds like. Just maybe after cage cleaning it might smell for a little bit? Keeping some of the things they already scented is a good idea. I'll keep that in mind!

Also, one more question. (Not sure if I should start a new thread for this). Is it better to get a young pair of boars that are brothers or to get one young and one older or to get 2 adults? I have the option to get 2 7 week old males (pet owners were told by pet shop that her guinea pigs wouldn't breed because the female had already have one litter. The pet owner believed pet ship and ended up with babies) or there are several single adult males at the humane society or from individuals needing to rehome their pet. I haven't been able to find any bonded pair

 

[FurryPets]

As far as "boar stank" goes, how long does that smell last after they scent their space? I know it's probably different for each male but do they tend to only do this when you replace things? Like putting in a new tunnel or cuddle cup or cleaning a previous tunnel/cuddle.

 

[heather81]

I have 2 boars, one was about a year old when I got him and the other was 3 weeks. I got the one year old first and when I contacted the rescue to adopt him I was told that it was easier to find a baby to bond him with. When the younger one was about 5 months out started to be some struggle between them over dominance, but they get along pretty well and have never had any fights, just rumblestrutting, mounting and head raising, once or twice some teeth chattering but nothing that has escalated. When we were at the rescue they were bonding 2 older boars who had both recently lost their buddies and they said that was another situation that usually worked. They've had a few adult males they were able to bond, but in those cases the owner brought their lone pig and they let him pick his buddy by trying him out with different pigs. This is my only experience with boars so I'm not too sure on other combinations.

My younger boy is definitely more smelly than the older one, but it's not something you notice just sitting in the room (well not anymore). I notice it certain times when I walk by the cage but I have to be pretty close and it's only briefly. I also notice it when I'm checking his anal sack and penis. Bedding has a lot to do with the smell as well. When I had them on fleece with towels it stunk horribly in a day. Fleece with Uhaul was better, but they would still smell after a few days. I now am using wood pellets with fleece and change the fleece weekly. We have yet to smell the cage just sitting in the room, as I'm changing out the fleece I can smell it's a little ripe.

 

[jaycriae]

Personally I'd go with the brothers so you don't have to bother with introducing them, introductions, especially with boars, can be very stressful for everyone involved.


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[bpatters]

If you can get brothers that have always been together, I'd take them over introducing two new boars any day.

 

[nikdarg]

If for some reason you can't get brothers, it is better in my experience to get an older piggie to bond with a baby rather than another adult male. My first boar was about six months old when he was introduced to the baby boar and now they get along great. They squabbled a tiny bit when the young one reached maturity, but it has never been anything scary or intense.

 

[ayuazami]

I have 4 boars, 2 cages separated for each pair. And all of them, are in my bedroom. I never say they didn't smell, but for me, the most important is, if you can punctually set schedule for cage cleaning. I'm using fleece bedding, and I put a pee pad under the fleece to prevent their pee wet on my floor. So, you need to change the pad every 2 days, and wash/change the fleece every 4 days. Keep their bowl & hay rack clean. Also, don't forget to pick up every poo on the fleece daily. Give them time to flooring and explore more larger space. Last but not least, give them enough fresh food & water.

 

[lisa325]

@ spydoc.....I didn't know the tragic circumstances of your prior boys, it must have been a really bad time for you, I'm really sorry.

In regard to stinky boys, I can honestly say that I've only ever smelled boar stank twice in the 6 months we have had them, and even then it dissipated quickly.
I am very diligent with keeping the cage clean, picking out poop every time I see it lol. I don't know if my diligence is the reason why, but my boys NEVER smell. I change out their fleece liner every 2 weeks ( and it could really go longer ), and their extra pads in their favorite corners twice a week. I think they're very easy to take care of, I don't take the poop picking etc, as a chore, I enjoy keeping their cage clean and tidy. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. :crazy:

 

[barbaramudge]

My boars are generally only smelly on cage cleaning day. They spend some time marking out the new fleece but the smell disappeared pretty quickly. They will also get stinky if the "ladies" have been in the room. Every once in a while they will get stinky because they themselves need cleaned up. Boar cleaning is quick and easy though. Not sure what triggers the sudden accumulation of gunk in their sacs but it's really only an every other month type thing. I love my boys though

 

[Meganii]

At the moment I have a young single boar and you can't smell his cage at all if I leave my windows open, and as far as his body goes, I can't smell him unless I hold him next to my face and tbh, he doesn't even smell that bad, but I guess it's different for everyone

 

[Sophia_Jewel1]

I am having the same problem as you. I have been researching guinea pigs for 3+ years. I have a rescue to adopt from, a vet etc... I have the space for a 2X4 c and c cage in my room. I also have the responsibility. My mum always says that they will just stink the house out and i told her they won't because i will clean the cage twice a week. My mum still said no, she said that is not true they are just smelly. I hit my head.

Males have equal pros and cons as the females. Females stink less and are easier to bond with other piggies while males smell more but enjoy being around humans. I am planning on getting females (if i ever get guinea pigs) to make my mum happier about the smell but when I move out I will be able to have as many guinea pigs as i wan't.

Does anyone have any ideas on helping me to tell my mum that guinea pigs are not as smelly as they think.

 

[jaycriae]

You could go to the rescue (or even a pet store) and ask to hold one/have an employee hold one so your mom can smell for herself, perhaps? It's also possible she's using the "smell" as an excuse and just doesn't feel like getting them, depending on her personality. I don't know your mom


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[barbaramudge]

@spy9doc Which air purifier do you have? And do you feel like it's loud? I was thinking about getting one for the living room. Does it help with the hay smell? I myself love the smell of fresh hay but I do get comments that it makes it smell like a farm at my house. My sister admits it's not a pee smell, just the hay smell. Don't want to spend the money if it won't really help with that or if it's going to be really loud.

 

[barbaramudge]

Excellent. Thank you for the info. I think I'll add this to my wish list.