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Neutering ? Weighing Up The Options.

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twiams

twiams

Adult Guinea Pig
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I recently adopted a new boar, about 2 years old, called Marmite, he lives alone as i was told he's to aggressive to be with other pigs.

I'd really like to see him with a friend but i wouldn't risk him with another guy, so I'm weighing up the options of neutering. I'd like him to have a friend, but he is okay on his own, he seems perfectly happy.

I just have a few questions.
How long should a guinea pig, be alone after neutering before being put with a female ?
Is there any precautions i need to take ?
Would i need to change his bedding? as he lives on sawdust.
What are the chances of him not even getting on with a female ?
Is it possible to get a neutered girl ?
What are the chances of me getting a neutered girl ?

Theres a few other things i'd like to know, but these are just the main things.
Thanks :)
 
twiams said:
How long should a guinea pig, be alone after neutering before being put with a female ?
Is there any precautions i need to take ?
Would i need to change his bedding? as he lives on sawdust.
What are the chances of him not even getting on with a female ?
Is it possible to get a neutered girl ?
What are the chances of me getting a neutered girl ?
Click to expand...

1. 6 weeks
2. He would need to be kept very clean
3. He couldn't stay on sawdust - you'd have to go to towels or something like that which are changed EVERY day for at least 2 weeks
4. Unlikely he wont get on with a female but you'd have to be sure the female liked him. I had one girl reject a male so far but only 1
5. Spayed females are like gold dust
 
The only rescue that spays sows as a matter of policy is in Rugby. They rehome further afield, provided you pass a home check. You will be put on a waiting list, according to how sows come into rescue and make it through the spaying op, which is generally more invasive than a neuter.
Several forum members have rehomed from them, but it can take quite some time, as they don't neuter over the winter months. http://www.rngp.org/
Otherwise, spayed sows are VERY rare, as most sows that get spayed are in private hands and are operated for medical reasons.

Here is a link to the best neutering info available. You will need to wait for 4-6 weeks - but only 6 weeks is 100% safe; my surprise baby Tegan in my avatar is the daughter of a presumed safe boar over 5 weeks post neutering op! A lot depends on the quality of the operating vet and his team; it certainly cuts down on the risk post op complications. http://www.cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm

If you can, I would consider trying to boar date your boar at a rescue that does it to a high standard as a viable and much quicker alternative, even if he has to travel for quite some distance - it is still not more expensive than an operation (certainly if you have to deal with complications) or paying a donation for a spayed sow!
 
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If for example like you i put him with a female after 5 weeks and she ended up pregnant, would he have to go in and get neutered again ?

I'm just very worried about him as he has been in 3 previous homes i think and now he's come to me with barely any ears left due to his fights, i don't want to risk it or put him under any stress.

If i got a young sow and neutered her and kept her alone how long would she need to stay alone for ? is it hard to find someone that can neuter a sow?
 
If for example like you i put him with a female after 5 weeks and she ended up pregnant, would he have to go in and get neutered again ?

I'm just very worried about him as he has been in 3 previous homes i think and now he's come to me with barely any ears left due to his fights, i don't want to risk it or put him under any stress.

If i got a young sow and neutered her and kept her alone how long would she need to stay alone for ? is it hard to find someone that can neuter a sow?
 
twiams said:
If for example like you i put him with a female after 5 weeks and she ended up pregnant, would he have to go in and get neutered again ?

I'm just very worried about him as he has been in 3 previous homes i think and now he's come to me with barely any ears left due to his fights, i don't want to risk it or put him under any stress.

If i got a young sow and neutered her and kept her alone how long would she need to stay alone for ? is it hard to find someone that can neuter a sow?
Click to expand...

You can neuter only once, as you remove the testicles. But you need to wait until all "tadpoles" (semen) have dried up and gone out of the system; hence the full 6 weeks wait for boars and no shorter, even if you are about 98-99% safe after five weeks!
I would ask Wheak&Squeak for vet recommendations; otherwise Jenny from Crawley GP Rescue has a decent vet with neutering experience.

A girl only needs to wait until she is healed up, but it is a riskier and much more invasive operation than a boy neuter, as her ovaries and womb are removed. The only vet I know who does this routinely is Simon Maddock in Northampton, who neuters guinea pigs of both sexes for RNGP Welfare in Rugby. Spaying sows is also a lot more expensive.

There are some very laid back and submissive boars around, so there is hope even for your boy! A good rescue would not introduce him to any male that was showing any signs of being a dominant character!

You may wonder why I am so cautious about neutering, having had quite a few neutered boars over the years. However, last March I nearly lost Hywel to gut adhesions due to an internal band of swelling a few weeks after I had him neutered through the rescue I rehomed him from. I have also lost enough quinea pigs in and after operations by different sets of vets over the years to urge people to research alternatives first.
 
It is a difficult decision - we always neuter our male guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus because I feel that they are happier with female company. They are nearly always rescues who have been stuck on their own.

I also had two boars do some serious damage to each other when they fell out a few years back so I feel there is a risk keeping two boars together as well.

Neutering is definately a better option than leaving a male guinea pig alone for the rest of his life. You only have to see the reaction of sheer joy you get when you put them in with a sow for the first time. :)

That's the first time I've heard of a neutered boar getting a girl pregnant so long after the op. I used to have a copy of a research study that found 2 weeks was enough, and usually do 4. But I think I'll go back to 6 in future.

Paula
 
How long should a guinea pig, be alone after neutering before being put with a female ?

Six weeks. However if there are post op complications you will need to wait longer. Percy-Roo had to wait ten before being introduced to a sow due to a reaction to the internal stitches, the sow will also need to be quarantined for two weeks before being introduced too or if from a rescue a week to settle in.

Is there any precautions i need to take ?

*Questions, questions, questions! Ring up as many vets as you can in your area. Phone up local rescues, RSPCA find out who they'd recomend. If you like you can also go in for a chat and get any questions answered.

[*]Questions to ask the vets:[/*]

*how many neutering operations they have performed on guinea pigs and what there success rate is?
*How many have they neutered in the past six months? (very important question, one vets i phoned up had a fantastic success rate but hadn't operated on piggies in the past two years and since then had changed vets!)
*What complications have they experienced?
* Do they require the guinea pig to go without food prior to surgery? guinea pigs are unable to vomit, so food won't need to be withheld before surgery.
*Ask what anaesthesia they use.
*Ask your vet about pain relief after surgery.
*You will also need to ask if your vet routinely prescribes a small course of antibiotic after surgery to hopefully prevent any infection.
*Ask if you need to restrict your boars movements after surgery. Percy was allowed some light exercise four weeks after surgery.

Do NOT make a hasty decision when on the phone to the receptionists no matter how knowledgeable they sound - you will need to go away and weigh up the other possible vets, and make a good informed decision.

Make sure you're prepared for after the operation.
* You'll need a indoor cage, without a second level or anything he can jump onto this stops any damage to the stitching.
*The hay will need to go in a hay rack, and the bedding will need to be changed to vetbed/fleece/towels and the bedding will need changing once/twice a day for two weeks after the op, this keeps everything clean.
* Critical Care, syringes, vitamin c and probiotics (optional) will need to be bought prior to the operation so you are prepared for anything going non smoothly.
*He'll need to be checked twice daily for the first week after his op, and once a day after the first week (I'd also suggest to keeping checking him for three months after too)
* Out of hours vet number to go on your fridge just in case.

A good website to read:
http://cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm

What are the chances of him not even getting on with a female ?

Slim, but like people they all have different personalities and characters. If you go to a rescue they'll be able to find the right sow(s) for him and be able to bond them together for a successful companionship. Younger sows are oftern easier to bond with.

If you do go to a breeder find out which is more quite/ less dominant/ not the head boss and see how they react to one another through the bars.

Remember they will need to be bonded in a neutral area.

Is it possible to get a neutered girl ?
It is but very rare, you could phone around rescues I know my local RSPCA spay all there sows that they get in so its worth a phone.


Good Suppliers Websites/ Information/ threads:
http://www.vetuk.co.uk/
http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/neutering.html
http://cavyspirit.com/neutering.htm

Complications:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67370&highlight=post-neuter

My thread on Percy-Roos op, with lots of stories, information and advice:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=69518

I wish you and your little one all the best, if you have any more questions please dont hesitate to ask or pm me I'll be more than happy to help.

Laura x
 
Oh and another question to ask the vets:

Whats included in the price? He'll need a health check before the operation, another two days after the op, another eight days and then one a month later (or that what was included in Percys op)
:)
 
Oh and another question to ask the vets:

Whats included in the price? He'll need a health check before the operation, another two days after the op, another eight days and then one a month later (or that what was included in Percys op)
:)
 
hi laura, what size cage would you recommend for the boar to recover in?
one of my boars is due to be neutered next month as he wont get on with any of his sons so putting him with one of the mums is the only option as we have 13 piggies and dont have the space for any more cages, currently we have 2 120 3 storied both split into 3 levels each, and dad is on his own in a seperate 120 cage
 
sarahw said:
hi laura, what size cage would you recommend for the boar to recover in?
one of my boars is due to be neutered next month as he wont get on with any of his sons so putting him with one of the mums is the only option as we have 13 piggies and dont have the space for any more cages, currently we have 2 120 3 storied both split into 3 levels each, and dad is on his own in a seperate 120 cage
Click to expand...

I used my ferplast 120, as its a good wee cage. But you can go a little smaller (ferplast 100) as its only temp, and its only the piggles by himself :)

Do you have a spare cage at all? :)
 
yeah hes on his own in a 120 at the moment anyway, we also have a 80cm ferplast which was given to us when we took in a lionhead rabbit!, will keep for a hospital cage
just wondered if he is ok to stay in size cage he is
 
I collected my 2 spayed sows from Tracy at rugby last Thursday - I had been on the waiting list since August / Sept and got the phone call that they were ready just before Christmas - my two girls came into the rescue in July/ August - so I am assuming that the rescue has to wait to get the funds together to pay for the spaying - as spaying costs £180 from what I remember Tracy saying - they then have to have several weeks recovery time after the op - a home check needs to be carried out (mine took one week to sort out - and I was inspected by a lady who lives in France ! ) - but my girlies are lovely and I am so glad they are here and I waited :))
 
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