|
Post by oliversmommy on Jan 9, 2012 2:35:23 GMT
Recently I have noticed when I do daily health checks on Oliver that wood shavings get stuck in his bum hole, this may sound disgusting but I am worried that they may get lodged too far up and cause blockage....... It's not very fun for either of us to clean it out either..........any suggestions, I've tried using just newspaper in his cage but it soaks so easily it's generally dirty and he eats it which I'm afraid will cause intestinal blockage
|
|
|
Post by twistedsymphony on Jan 9, 2012 7:23:40 GMT
Try switching to carefesh bedding, or newspaper with a thick layer of hay over the top (thats what I use, they love to burrow in it ) I know boy pigs can get something called impaction where they have trouble passing poops , if it has diarrhoea then that can be very serious and deserves an immediate vet visit but my pigs are female so perhaps boys are messier hence getting things stuck, not really sure. Another thing you could try is giving him a sleeping area of fleece if you think he would use it, I guess the most important thing to figure out is how they are getting up there in the first place!
|
|
|
Post by neubunny on Jan 9, 2012 11:20:42 GMT
boys are definitely messier!
|
|
|
Post by oliversmommy on Jan 9, 2012 13:17:16 GMT
I'm pretty sure since his anus and testicles are very low it stuffs itself up there with normal daily activity as for care fresh I've tried it with the same soggier messier results and I tried the hay thing but since he's been eating it all his life, he devoured it in two days which makes me worried about nutrition, his feces are pretty solid and I don't think he's having troubles passingg stool I just don't know how far up the chips could be
|
|
|
Post by oliversmommy on Jan 9, 2012 13:19:25 GMT
Right now I'm cleaning it daily with a gentle cloth or cotton swab, I noticed there is a lot of white sticky goo is that natural or something I should check?
|
|
|
Post by pedrosmom on Jan 9, 2012 15:11:26 GMT
I doubt the wood chips would go up too far but with boys it is usually necessary to bath the bum part and wash all the boy parts periodically. You can actually pop the penis out and clean it. sometimes the white sticky goo is all gummed up in there. Bathing his bum in warm water and a gentle soap is a good idea.
Impaction is when the boar has trouble pushing the poop out. Increasing hay can help but some boars need help to expell the feces. A gentle pressure and kneeding does the trick. This has nothing to do with shavings though.
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by twistedsymphony on Jan 9, 2012 16:58:50 GMT
ah thats good then, glad my girls don't have this trouble! have you considered using fleece?
|
|
|
Post by Kayleigh on Jan 9, 2012 19:09:28 GMT
Im assuming your are using pet store bought shavings?? These are far smaller than the shavings i now use. (Bedmax) i found my boars got shavings stuck around their bottoms but with bedmax i find nothing. As the shavings are bigger.
You say theres a white goo, is there faeces stuck in the area? If so he could be mildly impacted. Its very unusual to need to clean boars bottoms daily.
If you apply pressure to his anal area (really not nice i know) but is there a solid or semi solid mass there? If so you will need to bathe him in warm water until the faecal matter softners and you can remove it.
Kayleigh
|
|
|
Post by oliversmommy on Jan 9, 2012 21:43:12 GMT
No as far as I know he is defacating normally, and I checked a few petstores but since I'm in Canada bed max is not here and I only go across the border a few times a year, I do not think there is a solid mass but the white stuff worried me, it had a very unpleasant odor which to me screamed "not good" I'm just glad that it should not cause much harm, I will watch his feces further though
|
|
|
Post by Orlaith on Jan 10, 2012 14:44:52 GMT
The white stuff is okay, this thread shows you're not the only one to have seen it and that it's really really smelly!
|
|
|
Post by oliversmommy on Jan 12, 2012 22:28:04 GMT
okay just want my baby to be healthy thanks guys
|
|