Male/female pair - neuter? spay? Both?

kukupecpec

kukupecpec

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I am brand spanking new to guinea pigs!
I've had rabbits my whole life and all my rabbit buddies love guinea pigs too. When I laid eyes on "Pig" while visiting the vet with another pet I simply could not resist!

Now I'm venturing in to the fun new world of guinea pigs!
From what I've found, it sounds like Pig needs a buddy. I have a color/coat wishlist and it seems most of the piggies I've come across in the pretty salt and pepper fur pattern I like are female - and Pig is male. I definitely do NOT want baby pigs (Pig himself is still very young, certainly under 6 mo).

When does Pig need to get neutered? I've already scheduled a first time visit for him at our regular exotic vet and confirmed they can do the procedure.
Would a new girlfriend for him need to be spayed? Should she be spayed?
All our bunnies are spayed and neutered but I'm finding the more I dig into guinea pig info the less they are like rabbits, so I'm not sure what is best.

Would it be better to get another young guinea pig? Or is a mature female ok too?

TIA!
 

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Welcome to our friendly forum and the wonderful world of Guinea Pigs!

If you are going to get another male piggy then your new piggy won't need to be neutered. Neutering does not change a piggy in any way just the ability to stop making babies. Spaying in girlies is only carried out if absolutely necessary. Guinea pigs are wired to live in groups and it is always best to find a friend for your piggy. He shouldn't be in the same hutch as rabbits as their diet is totally different, rabbits can also pass on diseases to piggies and as your piggy can't speak "rabbit" he will be lonely. I have linked in a few guides for you to have a read of.


Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths And Facts
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.

Whereabouts are you? We have members from all over the world so please add your State/Town and Country to your profile (click on your name at the top of the page and add it in there) this then appears with every post you make so that we can tailor any advice to where you are.
 
Female pigs don’t need spaying in the same way as rabbits as the are not at risk of uterine cancers in the same way as rabbits are. Neutering a boy is a much simpler procedure but it takes about 6 weeks for all their little swimmers to be reliably gone so it isn’t a quick fix but definitely a better option than spaying a girl.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Excellent advise above, you certainly would only need to neuter the boy.
 
Awesome! That exactly the info I needed! I remember getting into bunnies as an adult and finding out just how vital to rabbits health the spay was and I certainly don't want to make those kind of mistakes with a new piggy. Pig has a vet appt so I'll get his neuter on the books.

Should I wait to start girlfriend shopping until 6 or more weeks after his neuter? Or would that be cruel to keep him so alone all that time? He does get lots of attention from the humans but I understand it's not the same. However it's important to me not to have any accidental pregnancies.
 
@Betsy

I'm on the mobile version and haven't quite figured out how to add info to my profile.
I'm in Tucson AZ
 
You would only need to get your boy neutered if you plan to adopt a girl. I know lots of people here have had their boys successfully neutered, but my boy unfortunately passed away due to post-op neutering complications. My advice is try adopting a boy first. I don't want you to have the possibility of going what I went through with my Nickel.
 
Neutering is far less invasive than a spay and as long as one of the piggies can't reproduce you will be ok. You would need to speak to a vet about when it would be safe to do the operation. In the UK its usual to wait until the male is 6 months old first but I know in some european countries they desex them as babies. A good, knowledgeable vet is a must to minimise the risk of complications but you also need to ensure you have funds to go straight back to the vet if there does seem to be a problem.

The age of a female is not as important as compatible personality though some sows can get very picky as they get older and not always accept a new cagemate (of either sex). If you wanted to get a female prior to the 6 week safety window ending then you could do so long as you are able to keep both piggies side by side in separate cages where the male absolutely cannot get in to the female (boars can be extremely determined when they smell a sow). This would allow them to spend time getting to know each other through the bars which could make the bonding process easier
 
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