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General Looking after males? cleaning out sacs etc.

madelineelaine

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Hi, in about a week I will be getting a male guinea pig. If my adoption request gets accepted he will be already neutered(and he will have a partner). I've read a lot about males, but I still feel unprepared.
I know how to extend the penis, but how do you clean it? I've read on guinea lynx that you just use mineral oil.
and then there's cleaning the sac and the anus.
I don't want to do it wrong!
can anyone explain what to do? or give me some tips.
and is there any special treatment or care for females?
 

ChristieB

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you have to clean it? I guess I have a lot to learn. Need to follow this thread
 

madelineelaine

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and there's a grease gland that needs to be cleaned! oh gosh, I'm glad I'm finding this out before getting pigs.
 

jacqueline

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i have 4 males, two of whom are older. one has chronic impaction problems. i've been told with younger pigs, you don't have to worry about cleaning their anal sacs, but i do it for all 4 as part of the weekly grooming. i watched a video on youtube, sorry i can't remember which, but i'm sure you can find it with a simple search. yes, i use mineral oil, and q-tips. it takes all of a minute or so. it's messy and smelly. the pigs don't seem to mind. basically you're cleaning out the cave like sac where the poo comes out. sometimes hay, or bedding can get stuck in there along with boar glue and poo. so, it's like doing a really good job of wiping out their butts weekly. i hold mine with their back against me, their butts on my leg, holding them around their front legs, shoulders, so they're sort of sitting. i try to squeeze gently around their anus, and pull back the skin so the hole/sac kind of goes inside out. i take the q-tip with mineral oil on it and gently wipe/swab out the sac. it's hard to describe in words. i'd suggest you watch the video. it's not so hard, it's over in a minute, and the pigs don't mind it.
 

madelineelaine

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how often should they be bathed? I need to devise a schedule. Bath on this day, nail clipping this day, check anal sac and penis this day etc! :p
 

madelineelaine

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I read about impaction, I just don't understand how to clean it. Okay so the sac turns inside out almost?
 

Petlovr

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Actually, I weigh them, and check the grease gland while they're on the scale. It's right above where the tail would be if they had one. If it's dirty, I wash with Dawn dish detergent, dry with a paper towel, and apply mineral oil or coconut oil-just a thin smear. Then I clip toenails, I also check feet while I'm clipping nails to make sure their feet are in good shape. If they are dry, I'll rub mineral oil or I like coconut oil better, over their feet. Flip them over, and clean out the sac, extrude the penis and wipe that down (smegma can build up on the penis-it's dried or drying sperm), & wipe off the external area. Flip the pig upright, apologize, feed a small carrot as a reward, and put them in the cage for dinner. 10 minutes, tops. Bathing isn't necessary unless they are smelly, or dirty. They groom themselves quite well for the most part. I like to get it all over with at one time so that I'm done for the week.
 

Petlovr

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I read about impaction, I just don't understand how to clean it. Okay so the sac turns inside out almost?
It's a pouch-it pretty much flips inside out, and I dip q-tips in oil and swab it out. I use about 4-6 q-tips each time. It's not very deep, so you can see right in there.
See the link (broken link removed) posted.
 

madelineelaine

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@Petlovr so you clean it out and clip toenails once a week? my pig will be about a year old, do I still need to clean it out once a week? I'm using fleece bedding too so he wont get wood chips stuck or anything. Just hair and hay :p
 

Petlovr

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When I got the boys (long story) they had been poorly cared for. I actually clip toenails maybe every 2-4 weeks, but I do check their bums every week. I don't like little pieces of hay or hair stuck in there. I think it can cause irritation. I also check penises because one had a crack on his penis from smegma build up. I use a q-tip dipped in oil, extrude the penis, and swab it down to remove build-up. It's really no big deal, and I don't find any poo up there, just smegma, hair, and hay bits. The boys are on fleece, too.
 

ChristieB

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so does this still need to be done on boars who are fixed?
 

madelineelaine

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alright thanks, I will put it into my weekly schedule :) glad I found this out before I got them.
 

foggycreekcavy

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Check the sac when you do your weekly health check, but you really don't need to clean it unless the pig is actually impacted.

As for cleaning the penis, you don't need to do it unless the pig has something wound around it (hair or hay) or has a medical problem with retracting it.
 

madelineelaine

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okay thanks guys ! and a big thanks for the video, that helps clarify what to do :) I don't want to hurt the poor piggie.
 
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