Neutering - Tips And Advice

[Liz47]

As some of you may know, I lost my boy Bertie last week and he has left behind his brother who is only 2 years old. Arnie has always been a shy and timid boy but is now spending hardly any time outside of his hides, is quiet and leaving some of his veg I have read it is difficult to bond an unneutered boar with another boar, and the best pairing is a neutered boar with a female. So am I right in thinking the best option for him is to get him neutered and adopt a female companion? If so, how long will he take to heal/hormones to die down so he can be bonded? I am worried about taking him for an anaesthetic, but I know a fair few rescues who routinely neuter all males so it can't be too risky? Also he has fitch paper bedding as a substrate, would I need to remove this and just use blankets/vet bed for his recovery to limit chances of infection? I will put hay in a rack too for this. Any other tips/advice?

Thank you in advance

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I routinely neuter all boars that are rehomed, but I have a very skilled and experienced vet, who has done the op many, many times. Before making any decision, I would speak to your vet about how many guinea pig castrates he has done, and ask about how many they have lost and how many have had post op problems. It isn't difficult to bond two boars as long as you get the right mix. It is all about personality rather than gender.

 

[Liz47]

Thank you for your reply. I do trust my vets and they were good when Bertie was so poorly, but will ask about their experiences with neutering piggies in particular. I think I will contact the rescue I plan on adopting from first to ask her opinion on whether she thinks she has a suitable male, I would do piggy dating but the RSPCA's local to me don't take guinea pigs and I don't drive so can't travel to any rescues and there is none close to me so I don't want to take more of a chance with a male and then have to send him all the way back to the rescue if they don't get on.