Neutering Male piggie

[moonlightbae]

Hi!
I have a pet boarding business and have taken care of numerous piggies in the past and have years of experience, but have never gotten my own. My sister has been looking to adopt, and found a male guinea pig who has been left at a shelter for a long time. We have fallen in love with him and really want to bring him home.
At the shelter, he is currently alone and unneutered. We want to get him a female mate, but I am quite scared to get him neutered. He is 2 years old and healthy. I've heard a lot of horror stories about stories. The lady at shelter told us that he seems to be very happy alone and we dont need to go through the neutering and bonding process, but I don't want to deprive him of the happiness a partner could bring him.
Do you guys think its better to ignore what she is saying and get him neutered and a partner?

Thanks so much!

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have an experienced and competent vet then neutering is a safe procedure.
Of course with any surgery there can be complications.

My boy Micah developed a scrotal abscess after his neutering but it was quickly dealt with.
He had been labelled as having to live alone so after his neutering and the 6 week wait I bonded him with my sows.
He was ecstatic and lived a very happy and fulfilled life.

Piggies are wired to live with companions, not alone.

Pictures welcome

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!
I have a pet boarding business and have taken care of numerous piggies in the past and have years of experience, but have never gotten my own. My sister has been looking to adopt, and found a male guinea pig who has been left at a shelter for a long time. We have fallen in love with him and really want to bring him home.
At the shelter, he is currently alone and unneutered. We want to get him a female mate, but I am quite scared to get him neutered. He is 2 years old and healthy. I've heard a lot of horror stories about stories. The lady at shelter told us that he seems to be very happy alone and we dont need to go through the neutering and bonding process, but I don't want to deprive him of the happiness a partner could bring him.
Do you guys think its better to ignore what she is saying and get him neutered and a partner?

Thanks so much!

Hi and welcome

Boar neutering/de-sexing is much more common in the UK and the preferred method to sow spaying but I am aware that in the USA an ovariectomy from the back is seen as the safer method with a smaller risk of complications and it has become the more common way for creating mixed gender pairs.
The advantage of sow spaying/de-sexing is that they can get together whereas with boar neutering there is always a certain post-op safety wait to ensure that all semen in the tubes (which are left in the body) have died. The little baby in my avatar on the left is the unexpected legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op neutered boar (not one of mine), so we have first-hand proof of that point.

Here is our own information pack: Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

In the end it comes very much down to what your vet is more experienced and confident with because that plays a role in how quickly the operation is performed and how long the piggy is under sedation - the longer, the higher the risk of complications.

I have had several very happy life-long love affairs with 'unbondable' neutered rescue boars and their little wifelets where acceptance is pretty much guaranteed; unlike with adult or older sows where the biological urges are no longer working in your favour.

If you find either way too risk fraught, then there is a third option to find him a new home as a live-alongside companion to a bereaved single of either gender (as long as he cannot climb over or work his way through via loosening the dividing grids in a home that has the space and interest for companionship with a difficult bereaved single of their own. As long as each piggy has their own territory but full interaction via body language, sound and pheromones/scent they can give each the social interaction and stimulation they need but still having their own patch. This works especially for fallen-out boar pairs but can work for any constellation, including a single living next to a sow or mixed group although safety is paramount and you need something on the boar's side over the top to prevent any jumping and climbing in addition to cable-tying the dividing grids to prevent them from being loosened at any of the adjoinging joints.

 

[moonlightbae]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have an experienced and competent vet then neutering is a safe procedure.
Of course with any surgery there can be complications.

My boy Micah developed a scrotal abscess after his neutering but it was quickly dealt with.
He had been labelled as having to live alone so after his neutering and the 6 week wait I bonded him with my sows.
He was ecstatic and lived a very happy and fulfilled life.

Piggies are wired to live with companions, not alone.

Pictures welcome

Hi! Thanks so much for your response!
Yes, I happen to actually volunteer with an amazing exotic vet, so I will definitely talk to her about neutering because I will definitely get him a friend. Aww I am so happy your baby was able to recover from the abscess.
Thanks so much for the insight!

 

[moonlightbae]

Hi and welcome

Boar neutering/de-sexing is much more common in the UK and the preferred method to sow spaying but I am aware that in the USA an ovariectomy from the back is seen as the safer method with a smaller risk of complications and it has become the more common way for creating mixed gender pairs.
The advantage of sow spaying/de-sexing is that they can get together whereas with boar neutering there is always a certain post-op safety wait to ensure that all semen in the tubes (which are left in the body) have died. The little baby in my avatar on the left is the unexpected legacy of a supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op neutered boar (not one of mine), so we have first-hand proof of that point.

Here is our own information pack: Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

In the end it comes very much down to what your vet is more experienced and confident with because that plays a role in how quickly the operation is performed and how long the piggy is under sedation - the longer, the higher the risk of complications.

I have had several very happy life-long love affairs with 'unbondable' neutered rescue boars and their little wifelets where acceptance is pretty much guaranteed; unlike with adult or older sows where the biological urges are no longer working in your favour.

If you find either way too risk fraught, then there is a third option to find him a new home as a live-alongside companion to a bereaved single of either gender (as long as he cannot climb over or work his way through via loosening the dividing grids in a home that has the space and interest for companionship with a difficult bereaved single of their own. As long as each piggy has their own territory but full interaction via body language, sound and pheromones/scent they can give each the social interaction and stimulation they need but still having their own patch. This works especially for fallen-out boar pairs but can work for any constellation, including a single living next to a sow or mixed group although safety is paramount and you need something on the boar's side over the top to prevent any jumping and climbing in addition to cable-tying the dividing grids to prevent them from being loosened at any of the adjoinging joints.

Hi! Thank you so much, this was very informative and helpful!
I really want to get him a friend, and I happen to volunteer with an exotic vet, so I will ask her about neutering.
I am so glad you had those successful bonded pairs, that gives me some more confidence.
I am leaning towards neutering and getting him a female mate, because I do want him to be fully living with a friend completely.
Thanks so much!