Bum sniffing ?

[Guineasoftx]

Hello all.
I have a bonded male and spayed sow. The sow who is approximately 6-8 months has been constantly smelling my boar, who is around 1, bum. Like multiple times in a 10 minute span.

she did just come off of antibiotics for a small URI, however she was on probiotics as well. My boar doesn’t seem aggravated at her for doing it, but I wanted to make sure it shouldn’t be something to worry about?

she’s otherwise okay in everything else, drinks plenty of water, eats like a horse ! And gets vitamin C through pellets and oral supplements

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s entirely normal . Don’t worry.

do note that the diet should be primarily hay. Hay should make up 80% of the daily food intake. they should have 50 grams of vegetables a day including a vitamin c rich veg. Pellets should be strictly limited to just one tablespoon per piggy per day. They should get vitamin c from the hay and a variety of vegetables. They will also get some vitamin c from the pellets but they are the least healthy part of the diet and need to be kept strictly limited.
Pellets should not be the main source of vitamin c nor should pellets feature largely in the diet in any event, and you do not need to give oral vitamin c supplements. They get plenty from a good balanced diet. Continually giving additional vitamin c via supplements, if they get a good diet, can cause problems as if the vit c level drops below which their body has become used to, then that in itself can cause scurvy symptoms. Excessive continuous amounts of vitamin c isn’t good for the body in any event.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

 

[Guineasoftx]

It’s entirely normal . Don’t worry.

do note that the diet should be primarily hay. Hay should make up 80% of the daily food intake. they should have 50 grams of vegetables a day including a vitamin c rich veg. Pellets should be strictly limited to just one tablespoon per piggy per day. They should get vitamin c from the hay and a variety of vegetables. They will also get some vitamin c from the pellets but they are the least healthy part of the diet and need to be kept strictly limited.
Pellets should not be the main source of vitamin c nor should pellets feature largely in the diet in any event, and you do not need to give oral vitamin c supplements. They get plenty from a good balanced diet. Continually giving additional vitamin c via supplements, if they get a good diet, can cause problems as if the vit c level drops ve low which their body has become used to, then that in itself can cause scurvy symptoms. Excessive continuous amounts of vitamin c isn’t good for the body in any event.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

They do only get 1 tablespoon with unlimited hay as well as veggies. I only stated that they do get pellets and vitamin c.

I’vejust noticed thesniffing more and more , but as stated it hasn’t aggravated my boar at all and was unsure why it was happening.

 

[Piggies&buns]

that’s fine. As you are a new member we are entirely unaware of what you do and don’t know so we will always clarify points in posts.

If she is trying to eat his poop then she is possibly just using it to try to settle her tummy. You say she has ’just’ come off antibiotics - the effects of them can last a while after they have finished taking them. Giving probiotics when they are on antibiotics is absolutely fine, but poop soup is better and she may just be trying to get poop to help herself.

 

[Free Ranger]

Might I add - also just check his bum to make sure there's nothing weird happening down there like a big clag of poop. The last time I saw this I also had a sow on antibiotics and I though she was after some healthy piggie poop to help her digestion. But the next day there was a big, smelly 'cork' of impacted poop that my boar had passed in the night! I think was triggered by the stress of her being unwell and not eating normally - so I'm guessing she was getting a whiff of this thing and thinking "What is that?!" and trying to get a look.
Flip him carefully, supporting his back, and check the bum... if it's bulging like he's about to lay an egg, he might be!

 

[Guineasoftx]

Might I add - also just check his bum to make sure there's nothing weird happening down there like a big clag of poop. The last time I saw this I also had a sow on antibiotics and I though she was after some healthy piggie poop to help her digestion. But the next day there was a big, smelly 'cork' of impacted poop that my boar had passed in the night! I think was triggered by the stress of her being unwell and not eating normally - so I'm guessing she was getting a whiff of this thing and thinking "What is that?!" and trying to get a look.
Flip him carefully, supporting his back, and check the bum... if it's bulging like he's about to lay an egg, he might be!

I looked thoroughly at his man bits thinking he may have something going on. But all was normal and clean to my eye. No odd smells or anything obviously in the wrong place.