Male Pig Smell

Question
Hello,

I have an 8 month old mini he is neutered but occasionally he has a strange musty smell. When he pees it does not smell but occasionally he gets a strange musty smell. He seems to excrete this smell when annoyed and once when he was sleeping. He does not have this smell everyday but when he does it is pretty potent. If the smell gets on my skin or on fabrics it is very hard to wash off. Have you ever heard of this before?

Answer
That musty smell is one reason intact, unaltered male pigs do not make good house pets. Intact males smell like that all the time! Female pigs find that smell irresistible. Most people do not.

The odor is from a small, butterfly shaped pouch called the preputial diverticulum. It collects urine, seamen, and other fluids. The smell occurs when the pouch empties. Intact males are constantly emptying this pouch. Neutered males do this only occasionally when they are stressed or sleeping (maybe dreaming?).

Removing the preputial diverticulum is tricky surgery that often has complications, so it's not recommended. Your pig is still young and growing, so even though he's neutered the pouch is still "active". He will empty it less and less as he grows. When your pig reaches adulthood, the pouch will actually begin to shrink.