Some of you may know this but male guineapigs (boars) have grease glands near their bottoms that need cleaning frequently.
For those that don't know what I am on about, here is a picture that will help:
The grease gland in a guinea pig is located just above where a tail would be (if cavies had a tail). Some sows and some boars have active grease glands that can be a challenge to clean.
You will know if your guineapig has an active grease gland as it will be quite smelly, greasy and look black.
Owning 3 boars myself, I know how hard it is to keep this area clean. I have tried everything from using washing up liquid to pet shampoo much to my avail.
Recently, I stumbled across a website that told me to use pure coconut oil. Now I know what you're thinking, 'the grease glands are oily so why use oil to treat it'. Well much to my surprise, it works!
I purchased this 'Natures aid Coconut Oil' from Amazon for £3.45 which is a bargain! The tub is 100ml which is more than enough. It arrived very quickly and I have been very impressed by it.
It's not a pure oil as it's name might suggest but more a waxy kind of cream that turns quite wet when you get a little bit on your fingers.
To apply it, I sit my guineapig on a towel and stick my fingers into the pot and get quite a generous layer out. I then literally rub it all over my guineapigs grease gland. As I do this, I can feel the wax becoming loose and wet which is obviously the coconut oil itself. Now you have two options, you can either leave the coconut oil on your guineapig or wipe it off 10-15 minutes later. I've tried both and they work both the same.
Since using this, my guineapigs grease glands have improved and I find myself not having to do this as often as what I was. My guineapigs are also not getting stressed out having baths and their grease glands scrubbed. It's definitely a lot more gentle and calming for your guineapig.
I really would recommend this to all guineapig owners. Not only does it do a good job of cleaning out the grease glands but coconut oil also has anti-fungal properties too.
You can purchase this particular pot here:
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