Male guinea pigs, especially above the age of 3, require regular boar cleaning to remove smegma, reduce smell and avoid complications such as infections, impaction or prolapse. See below for a step-by-step guide of how-to boar clean your guinea pig.
What you’ll need:
- Wipes
- Cotton Tips
- Small cup of water
- Paper towel or puppy pad
- Gloves
- Coconut Oil
Step 1. Remove any hay, fur, bedding, or dirt from the genitals.
First, put on some gloves. It’s about to get smelly! Using a baby wipe, gently wipe the genitals to clear any hay, fur, bedding, etc. from the outer area.
Step 2. Clean the scrotal sack.
Male guinea pigs often get poop, hay, smegma and dirt build up in their scrotal sack, if left, this can cause impaction. To clean the scrotal sack, sit the guinea pig on a paper towel or puppy pad, dip a cotton tip in some water and insert into the sack. After this, gently use the cotton tip to expel any material (poop, smegma, etc.).
Step 3. Clean the penis.
Male guinea pigs easily get smegma (a thick cream-colored secretion) built up around their penis. To clean the penis, you must first pull back the skin to reveal the penis, pushing just above the penis will help with this. After, take a dampened cotton tip and gently wipe away any material (smegma, hay, fur, etc.). After this, gently pull the skin back over the penis (this should be pretty easy!).
Step 4. Wipe the genitals to clean up any dislodged smegma, fur, etc.
Using a baby wipe, wipe down the area to get rid of any dislodged material. You can also apply some coconut oil to remoisturise the area.
Boar cleaning is a tricky and quite frankly, not very enjoyable task. BUT! It is vital maintenance to keep your guinea pig clean, happy, and healthy. Be sure to wear gloves and take regular breaks – practice makes perfect! And after all, if you really hate it, lots of rescues/grooming places offer low-cost boar cleaning. 😊