Male Guinea Pigs

Question
I have recently taken in some unwanted piggies & have a questions about the males. I believe I read somewhere that a boar's rear needs to be cleaned because of their grease gland (I think that's what it was called). I have noticed on the three new males I took in have an oily feeling spot on their bottoms.Now how exactly do I do this? And is there anything I should do different on the one who is a long hair? Thank you in advance for your time.

Answer
Boars have different needs than the sows and yes, they have this grease gland that is right on their backside and exudes this black, greasy substance that hangs on like tar. We're not really sure what this gland does but the presumption is that it attracts sows in some way. They don't seem to show and evidence of it until they're seniors, but it's quite a mess and can all but ruin a good show coat.

On a hairless boar you can see a small dimple where this gland is and it looks much like the pilonidal gland on humans, which for the most part is useless as well. Some say that's where a tail should have been. I'm not a fan of that theory but cannot prove it otherwise.

One of the best ways to get it off is with Goo Gone which is made for removing grease. Put a little on the greasy area and let it set for awhile. Then wash with Dawn liquid dish soap. For some reason Dawn works better than others.

You can trim the hair on the backside of the long haired pig, unless you're grooming him for show. If the grease on the shorter pigs is loosened by the Goo Gone but not completely gone you can take a comb through it and try to remove the rest. I've had to pull it out in small bits before and naturally this isn't real popular with the pig.

It doesn't show as much on the darker coats but on a light colored coat it's like a black stamp that seems to want to stay. Although it's a nusiance and not attractive on the show table it doesn't cause the animal any harm. It's just there to drive the owners crazy.