General Would I have to clean my boars' urinating areas?

[RockieGuineaPig]

I read somewhere that I have to clean their "area" once in awhile to avoid infections and things like that. Is is true? And if so, how and when? Let me know.

 

[Vetmedizon]

Yes, you need to clean it in a daily basis, you can clean the overall cage at least, once or twice a week. This avoids respiratory symptoms, because their urine has bad compounds like calcium, which is bad for their health.

 

[RockieGuineaPig]

Yes, you need to clean it in a daily basis, you can clean the overall cage at least, once or twice a week. This avoids respiratory symptoms, because their urine has bad compounds like calcium, which is bad for their health.

Ah okay! So do I just dab a gauze in warm water or something similar to that matter?

 

[HappyPiggies14]

I think @RockieGuineaPig is asking if you need to clean their glands...I have girls but I do believe you need to clean them...I remember reading to clean that area (which is, I believe, on their very lower back) with a toothbrush (very gently) and coconut oil...now, please make sure that is accurate before doing anything...I am not a guinea pig expert...I'm basing that on research I did before I got my piggies...

 

[CritterSlave]

I'm pretty sure she means anal sacs and penis cleaning. If you do a search of the forum and use the term boar cleanings you should be able to find a few videos.

 

[MLT2007]

Yes, there is a very good video somewhere here of someone doing the anal sac cleaning. If I am not mistaken she uses a Q-tip.

 

[Princess_Piggie]

Go in to the medical section, it's the first pinned thread called "Awesome video on how to clean the anal sac". In boars you need to clean the penis, anal sac, and grease gland. This site recommends using cold pressed virgin coconut oil for all three. It's much safer and more natural than mineral oil. (And yes, it is Q tips that are used)

How often you do these things depends on your pigs. Older boars tend to require more frequent cleanings, for example. I would start off monthly in a younger boar, then if you're finding a lot of dirt, to every 2 weeks etc etc. If you use disposable bedding you may also need to do more frequent cleanings as they'll likely collect quite a bit of the bedding in their anal sac too.

 

[bpatters]

Do look at that sticky thread in the Medical Forum. But you do NOT have to clean them daily. You should check once a week, and clean as needed. If they're on loose bedding, or if you pile hay in the middle of the cage for them to run through, you'll probably have to clean more often than if they're bedded on fleece and the hay is in a hay rack. It also partially depends on how often your males flip their sacs open -- that seems to cause a lot of stuff to accumulate inside the sacs.