Introducing boars and does.

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jakewc2

Hi, I have rescued a couple of does, that are lovely little girls. I am wanting to introduce them to my two boys, both of which dont get on, so are side by side but seperated by a fence. I was just wondering, before I can introduce the girls I need to get them neutered or at least find a way to stop any pregnancies.

I was just wondering, is surgery the only option, or are there GP equivalents of a Pill or injection? I would rather look for a non invasive option first before surgery.

Thanks

John
 
what a great thing to have rescued a few more piggies! I'm sure they'll truly appreciate it. Great question! I wish I could help....but someone more seasoned in piggies will be along soon to answer i'm sure!
 
It's lovely that you have given a home to guineas in need :)

By does, can I assume you mean sows (you are talking about female guineas here rather than rabbits who are traditionally known as does)?

I only keep boys so am not aware of any non-invasive contraceptive alternative to neutering or spaying, but would heartily recommend doing it before the boys get anywhere near the girls. Being prey animals, nature has kindly imposed easy breeding of the species (to keep them plentiful as a food source in the wild), so they fall pregnant quickly and can fall pregnant again pretty much immediately after birth.

Good luck :)
 
Thank you so much for your replies, I really appreciate it. I wondered as much as far a the alternatives. I have got them separate, and have no intentions of breeding, even though they are such little things, just not enough space.

Would anybody have any ideas then about the cost of the neuter for the males, is it expensive. I do have a vet, which I havent contacted et, was wanting to know if anybody here had any info first.

Sorry, my bad about the names. :(

Thank you.

John.
 
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The best way to pair them up is to have both boars neutered by an experienced vet (ring up your closest rescue and ask which vet they use) in order to avoid complications. There is also a thread about recommended vets at the top of the health/illness section.

You will have to wait for a minimum 4-6 weeks after the operation to make sure there are no accidents.

Cross gender pairings make for very stable relationships; so if you pair up the more dominant boar with the less dominant sow, and vice versa, you should end up with two ecstatic boys and two happy girls (as they keep calling the shots and will be top sow!) Though brace yourself for BIG fireworks when they meet!

Great that you rescued those girls; I wish you a good time with getting to know them and all the best with the operations!

I think neutering a male is generally at about around £40-50? Perhaps you can ask for a discount for doing two at the same time?

The alternative is to keep the two girls together and pair each boy with a baby boar. That way you'll end up with three pairs, though...
 
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That's okay, just checking that we were all discussing the same species!

The cost of neutering can vary greatly and often depends on how keen the vet is on doing it. I know of a vet who my local rescue uses who does loads of neutering and only charges around £30, yet another one local to me apparently charges £85. If it were me, I would probably expect to pay around £40 or so. Make sure you ask your vet some questions as it will help to detemine whether they are guinea savvy or not - http://www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/vets.htm will let you know what to ask and http://www.susieandpigs.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Nuetering.htm has some fab info on being prepared for neutering.
 
Shotzy's ended up costing $300 here in the States, however neutering guinea pigs here is not nearly as common.
 
I agree with what has been said. I would like to say that it would be the boys that you have to get neutered as it is not common practice to spay a female except for medical reasons as the operation is a lot more problematic.

Well done you. I admire you for asking before acting!
 
I paid just over £45 for a boar neutering earlier this year. A piggy-savvy vet is essential, if you have one that neuters regularly for a rescue they'd be my preferred choice :)
 
Thank you so much for all your messages, I really appreciate the help and support. I have a vet, that I have been going to with my other animals for a long time. I know they do Boar neutering. I belong to a rat group with people on there that have GP's as well, and they have mentioned them on quite a few occasions about how good they are with Boar neuters. I just booked them in for next Tuesday, for the ops, and the operations are costing £15 each. Its a long journey, both ways, but I like this vet, they have been really good with all my other animals. So I think I will stick with them. I will let you know how they get on. They have visitor learning days where you can go see them and learn about how they do things, I have seen them neuter rats, they are really good with them.

I also know that things dont end with operation, its also the aftercare that can affect how the animal recovers, that is something that I might be coming here for help with, as I have not had any experience with operations on GP's.

Thank you again, for your messages.

John
 
hello,

i spoke to my vet the other day as i have just got two baby boars. i have used this vet my whole life and trust them 100%. they said neutering is £90 per pig. :)
 
Oh my gosh, my vet is charging £15 per boar. I have been able to find out that he is experienced with Guinea Pigs, so I am hopeful. That is a lot of money to pay for a neuter. More than what I paid for any of my cats, even my female cats spays.

I will keep you posted on how things go after next Tuesday.

Thank you all again for your messages, they have been a big help. :)
 
No advice but I wanted to say good luck and let us know how they do.
 
jakewc2 said:
Oh my gosh, my vet is charging £15 per boar. I have been able to find out that he is experienced with Guinea Pigs, so I am hopeful. That is a lot of money to pay for a neuter. More than what I paid for any of my cats, even my female cats spays.

I will keep you posted on how things go after next Tuesday.

Thank you all again for your messages, they have been a big help. :)
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£15? thats the cheapest ive ever heard! Thought ours was good at £45!
where are you? x
 
I live in London, but have to travel an hour to my vet. He has been a big help for a long time with me and a lot of my animals.

edited.....just called my vet now to make sure. That's the consultation before hand and the operation that day. Not sure how much the meds are going to be on top of that though.
 
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Mine were £40 each. It might be worth checking that the price quoted includes the pre-op and post-op checks! also I suggest if you are using a dusty bedding that you seek alternatives as after the op they need to be on non dusty and non hay bedding for a couple of weeks. I have my two done a couple of months ago and bought some cheap fleece throws they only cost me about £2 each!

You will need to keep the hay off the floor also as it can stick in their saw bits. try either hanging a toilet / kitchen roll up with string and filling with hay or using a hay rack!
 
Hi, sorry its taken me so long to get back to you, have been really busy getting the animals all settled as I'm off to Paris for Friday and coming back Saturday.

I called them back, and it is right, they will be getting a pre op checkup, then the operation then post operation stuff. I am pretty certain that I will have the meds on top of that, so I am prepared for a little bit extra.

As far as the bedding is concerned I use fleece, but your idea of the kitchen roll holder is a really good one anyway even without the operation, I like that idea, its been a nightmare trying to keep the c + c cage clean of hay. I dont like the racks, they just let the hay though anyway. I'm always flipping the boys over to check their backends for blockage and making sure they are clean, so after the operation, it wont be any more to remember.

I am just keeping my fingers crossed there wont be any complications.
 
Good luck! with an experienced vet there should be less chance of complications... Just keep telling te boys that it is worth it!

(Which my Llewelyn completely agrees with!) :)):)):))
 
Hi everybody, well I just come back from dropping the boys off at the vets, and I have some good news to tell you. The £15 per boar is correct, they perform the neuters at cost to stop breeding, so anybody who has boars that need neutering, they will do it at that reduced price.

As far as good practice, all the information about the operation I had researched, such as the use of Vycril for stitches, gas for anaesthetic, the non starving, the food after, they already knew that. The only thing that i had to ask for is the pain relief/metacam before hand, they dont normally give it, but if you ask for it they will. I feel a lot better now, after speaking to them.

I have to call back at 330pm to get a time for me to pick them up later this afternoon.

Their pre-op checks were good, their chests were clear, their weights were Badger the Tri colour was 1.16kgs and Porky the black one was 1.13kgs. I was quite pleased with that, the nurse said they looked very healthy.

John
 
I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed for your boy; he looks like is in very good hands on both sides - vet and owner!
 
Hi, sorry, I just noticed the thanks button, I just added one for you Vickyt. Sorry I hadnt noticed it before, or I would have added a few more for other people as well. I do feel a lot more prepared now, and hopefully they will recover ok from the operation with no complications. I took some fresh veggies and Science recovery in and told them that I wanted them to use it if they hadnt eaten after an hour, and they were quite surprised the fact I took that in. Saved me extra money too that did.

I'm just perparing their c + c cage now, putting in some clean fleece and after being told about the kitchen role for the hay, have just got two of them and filling them up with hay, have to find a way to hang them now.
 
I always hand in a little picnic bag with my guinea pigs, and make sure they've had a solid breakfast before an operation.

Be aware that they won't be hungry after the operation. It usually takes at least a day or two for things to settle down and the medication to work its way out of the system. The poo will be small or not working at all, depending on how much they've been eating before the op.
Only be worried if the are very apathetic and won't even nibble at their favourite treat or some hay. I prefer to let mine sleep it off and don't force food down their throats if possible (especially if it stresses them out); they tend to pick up the lost weight as soon as they feel better, although boars after the snip can be a bit slow in doing that.

PS: you can still go and push the "thank you" button anytime! Quite often, people like to read through a thread before replying. It takes a while to work things out (I took me, anyway!).
 
I just thought I would post a couple of pics of the boys and girls. Here are the girls......

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Here are the boys....

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Hope you like. :)

John.
 
They are all gorgeous! x)x)x)

You will have two ecstatic boys in piggy Heaven! :)):)):))
 
Wow they are all so cute. The ladies have such sweet hairstyles. Can't wait to hear how the boys are afterwards. Fingers crossed they are back to full health really soon.
 
Hi, just thought I would drop by and say they are back home, if a little bit subdued. They have eaten, I took their favourite veggie in, which is baby carrots, and they ate those almost immediately plus some broccoli. They are back in a nice clean cage with some fleece in it. They both immediately went to the girls end to check them out and the girls have been saying hello ever since, with the boys rumbling away, a little bit quieter than normal. I didnt bother hanging the rolls of hay, just filled them and put them in the cage, at least it is contained for a while at least.

Those hairstyles are cut and blow dry, the fur was so long it was getting everywhere, lol. ")
 
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So pleased to know they are okay and eating. Sounds good! :)

Are they in with the girls?

Also - you're using kitchen rolls for hay? How's it working out?
 
Hi Lisa, no they wont be added in with the girls for about 5 weeks, just to make sure everything is clear of any bits that make babies. I dont want any of those I am quite happy with the ones I have. Some more good news, they have taken some more veggies which is good, and I think they might have eaten a bit of dry food.

The hay in kitchen role, I am not sure about, they have been playing with it, as the rolls have moved from when they first put in to the cage. I am hoping they have eaten it, but I think it might be too early to tell. They seem to be ok, they were pleased to see the girls, and have both been rumbling and chatting to them most of the afternnon and evening.

I checked their wound sites over and they are really clean and you can barely see the scars, the stitches are sub cut, so they cant actually get to them to pull them out. (supposedly, but you know animals, they can find any stitches)

Thanks for all your messages, I will keep you posted on how they are tomorrow. :)
 
YAY sounds good. It's lovely to know they are doing well and eating nicely.
 
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