Guinea Pig Smell

Question
I have a male abyssinian guinea pig, which I have had for 6 months and he was bought at a young age from a well known pet store. He seems to be healthy and happy, however I have recently noticed an unusual strong smell coming from his lower back. The smell does not seem to come from his anal area or the grease gland, but seems to be around the area of his left ball sack. I have checked for impactation, all seemed ok, and gently cleaned his anal area and bathed him which did remove the stongness of the smell, however it keeps returning. The smell does not smell for want of a better word "poopy". Is this normal for a male and how to I combat it? Thanks :)

Answer
Hi Victoria,

This does sound pretty normal. One of my four pigs is a neutered male Abyssinian and I have discovered that it could be a "defence" behaviour. If you stroke him when he's eating or facing away from you, or if you try to catch him, I've found that this is usually when my boar lets off the smell. It could be partly territorial too.

Limit the amount of gassy foods you feed - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and kale are all gassy and shouldn't be fed more often than once or twice a week.

Other than that, there isn't really anything else to suggest! It's normal and just one of those things some pigs do.

Best Wishes,

- Laura