Bought a female pig, but is she a he?

[smokysgrammie]

My daughter bought a female pig from a pet store. Smoky is now about a year old. Her butt looks like a giant nut sack and she often has that nasty poopy smell when she purrs. I have not ever seen a penis pop out but I also cannot find images of girl piggies with that "butt" size.

I'd appreciate some feedback to whether we have a female or male?

Thank you.

[3piggles]

Hello and welcome If Smoky isn't a male, she needs some medical help really badly! I'm thinking it's a good thing Smoky is a unisex name Check out this site:
www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

Males have an anal sack that gets full of loose bedding, poo, hay and pretty much everything they move their butts over. It needs to be cleaned regulary, monthly or more often depending on the type of bedding, pigs age, etc. It is a stinky job. This video shows how to do it:


I found as soon as I changed to fleece bedding, and put the hay in a litter box so it wasn't all over the cage, I didn't have to do this very often. My boars were quite happy about that, and so was I Good luck

[bazookagoof]

I've never cleaned an anal sack on any of my pigs- I never realized it needed to be done.

Looks like another huge project coming up soon. (groan)

[Bean]

Yes, they look like testicles to me too, and quite large ones at that!

Baz, not all male pigs need help keeping that area clean. It's worth checking now and again, to make sure they don't have a build up, but you may not need to give any assistance (which your nose will thank you for, it's a smelly job!). I've found neutered boars rarely need help (Cadders used to, but I haven't had to do anything since his snip).

I'm about to have my breakfast so I'm not going to look at that video now...

[jolovespiggies]

Merley has his checked when he has his 8 weekly visit to the vet for claws trimming and teeth checks. The vet did say to keep an eye on his little botty as this may happen, but so far so good, he is pooing normally and doesn't seem to have a build up.

Hugs
Jo xx

[3piggles]

I mentioned the anal sac because of her comments on the smell. It's possible just a change of bedding will help. I didn't need to do it after I changed to fleece. Otherwise, as Bean said, neutering often solves the problem.

[smokysgrammie]

So our little girl is a little boy? They had her caged with another female when she bought her piggie. I always call her little girl when I talk to her, that's going to be a really hard habit to break.

The thing I'm still confused about is I thought boars were larger. Smoky is pretty small and I still can't find a penis. And as far as the sac, do female piggies not have an anal sac? I know, strange questions, I'm a dog person and the only thing I know about these cute little piggies is what I've read online and what I've had the pleasure of observing this past year.

[Bean]

Perhaps the other pig Smokey was with was also a boy? We pig sat some friend's guinea pigs - apparently two little girls, but I could see without even picking them up that they were clearly boys! I think some unscrupulous pet shops and breeders can't tell (in which case they shouldn't be selling them), and others know girls are more popular (because boys have a reputation for being more difficult to pair up) so just lie. I'd definitely fire a letter off letting them know they made a mistake as this kind of thing is half the problem with us having lots of animals in rescues.

When they rumblestrut (the waggling bum & purring thing), both genders do something with their bottoms where it sort of relaxes and contracts to release a scent. I've found with boys it can be pretty whiffy (even with a clean sac!). They often scent mark while they're doing this and sort of wipe their bottom on the floor - this is how bedding can sometimes get wedged in there.

Females do have the same sac (perineal sac - it's where the special poops they eat accumulate ready for reingesting), but it's much smaller so it's rare (but not unheard of) that a female would have problems with impaction.

Did you check the Cavy Spirit link that 3piggles posted - it shows you how to pop out their penis to confirm sex. (Looking at that page always makes me laugh as having re-assigned the gender of another friend's guinea pig, she was dubious so I went to that page on her computer so she could compare bits, but they had child controls on the computer so it wouldn't show the page because it had pictures of penises on!).

The adult size of a guinea pig depends on several things including breed, genetics and diet. I've had boars who have been a few ozs heavier, but I have two of each sex now and they're all pretty similar in size. I usually find that that they reach their adult length at about 12 months but carry on filling out over the next few months to reach their full adult size. So Smokey may just be a smaller pig or may have a bit of growing left to do.

If you're unsure you could take Smokey to a vet and have them confirm the sex. I don't think there's any doubt they're testicles though!

[3piggles]

I second taking Smoky to the vet, just for a well-pig exam, to head off any potential problems. If they clip nails, and she needs hers done, have them do it for you and show you how. I think you need to tell them you want that when you make the appointment.

You want an "exotics" vet who has experience with guinea pigs. It can be a bit daunting to know how to choose one. I ask if all guinea pigs should be spayed or neutered. The answer is NO, as it is potentially life threatening, especially for the females. Any vet who says yes, avoid!

Sadly, unless you live where guinea pigs are a major pet, it can be hard to find a good vet. Most specialize in dogs and cats. So check your local listings for exotics vets, and start with them. Good luck

[jolovespiggies]

Good luck finding a good vet hun and please keep us informed.

Hugs
Jo xx

[smokysgrammie]

I will reply back when we've gotten Smoky checked out at a vet.

And thank you everyone for your replies.

P.S I checked again and still no penis popping out. Lol

[Bean]

You can usually feel the ridge of the penis under the skin (just up from the opening) which tells you where to gently press to pop it out. Although maybe those giant testicles are obscuring it!

Good luck at the vets, hope it all goes smoothly.

[jolovespiggies]

Best of luck love.

Hugs
Jo xx

[3piggles]

Good luck