Options for Frazzle

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PopcornPigs

PopcornPigs

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So it turns out that Frazzle has officially become a permanent resident here. Originally he was only here temporarily until my college could have him as they wanted a rough coat/long haired piggy for the animal care unit. But things have occurred which have caused me to keep him instead..

However.. this leaves me with options of what to do with the little monkey. Currently he is living on his own, but in his time here he has become enemies with Terry his neighbour but been a real ladies man tryna get their attention. Therefore I was wondering if people could give me their opinions on whether he would be better suited with being paired up with a male (Frazzle is 8 months old) or being neutered and finding a lady friend. As Annie and Doris are neighbours I'm quite hesitant about getting a male as I would be wary of them falling out, however the idea of anything going wrong during the neutering operation is pretty unbearable as I have really grown to love Frazzle and definately don't want to put him at risk.

Help? I just want him to be happy
xx
 
Umm i would get him a lady friend unless you can find a young boar who is quite laid back but its really hard to judge when they are very young. I'm sure if y ou can find a vet who is very experienced and frazzle is healthy little piggy he'll be ok. I know there are many things that might happen but if you really can't bare that thought would it possible to separate the boys if you got another and they fell out?
 
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If you are concerned about your existing pairs falling out, I would go down the neutering route if you are in a position to offer a female a home. Frazzle is still young so I see no reason why a neutering op wouldn't work although I can see your concerns. Good luck with what ever you decided. There really is no right or wrong answer xx
 
If you are looking for a good vet....

I can recommend Seers Croft in Horsham - a bit of a way to travel...but they have given GA's to my respiratory piggies in the past and all have sailed through. I've not had any of my neuterings done there (wish I had but I didn;t know them at the time)...but they have performed several complicated ops on my piggies over the last year or so and are very experienced exotics vets...

In 2008 when I was temporarily living in Farnham, ..I used Shortheath Vet clinic.... (surgery included a neutering, a spaying, an eye removal and a double op to remove abcesses in the cheek/mouth) ..again no probs with GA and good surgical/post-op technique with no complications....not as cavy savvy as Seers Croft but open minded and did their research if they werent sure.

There's also the vet clinic in Ewell Surrey that is very cavy savvy.....

In all cases make sure it is the experienced vet who will do the surgery and not a locum...put that on the permission form so if the get called away for an emergency then your piggie will wait until they return

HTH
x
 
Pebble said:
If you are looking for a good vet....

I can recommend Seers Croft in Horsham - a bit of a way to travel...but they have given GA's to my respiratory piggies in the past and all have sailed through. I've not had any of my neuterings done there (wish I had but I didn;t know them at the time)...but they have performed several complicated ops on my piggies over the last year or so and are very experienced exotics vets...

In 2008 when I was temporarily living in Farnham, ..I used Shortheath Vet clinic.... (surgery included a neutering, a spaying, an eye removal and a double op to remove abcesses in the cheek/mouth) ..again no probs with GA and good surgical/post-op technique with no complications....not as cavy savvy as Seers Croft but open minded and did their research if they werent sure.

There's also the vet clinic in Ewell Surrey that is very cavy savvy.....

In all cases make sure it is the experienced vet who will do the surgery and not a locum...put that on the permission form so if the get called away for an emergency then your piggie will wait until they return

HTH
x
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Thanks for that :) I've used the vet in Ewell before with Terry and they were really good, although I think the one in Horsham may be closer to me. I think a lady friend is the best option but I'm still gonna be worrying my pants off no matter how savvy the vet is :(
 
Having a successful boar friendship for frazzle would be amazing, my only concern is that females will be in the same room - could this potentially ruin the friendship?
 
Personally, I would have Frazzle neutered if you can get a good vet. The chances of him making it without problems are significantly higher. Cross gender pairings are the most stable proivded that the initial acceptance has happened.

If you prefer to pair up Frazzle with another boar, I would wait a little bit longer until he has reach adulthood and his hormones have settled, or go for a baby - right now, Frazzle is in one of the more hormonal phases and things are more likely not work out on the boar bonding front than they ever will be in his life.
 
Thanks for that, I'm gonna ring up the vet tomorrow to arrange to come in and talk about it/get frazzle checked over. Got to take Terry in too sadly so will kill two birds with one stone.
 
I remember seeing a thread about neutering, but can't remember what it was called - any questions I should be asking the vet? I've heard they're competent and were good when I went there before but want to be extra sure everything will be as safe as possible.
 
PP, I use the Ewell vets (now called Goddards) they have done all three of my boys and all three sailed through the op itself, Bumble had some issues after but he has never been the strongest of piggies so we almost expected he would be harder.

JoJo was done by Ann a week ago yesterday and is currently CLIMBING HIS HOUSE bad JoJo, ahem, sorry, let's just say he is fine and dandy now!

If Ann is ever not around for an emergency (though you want her doing the actual op) Sam is another vet there who is pretty good with pigs, when Bumble got an abcess we saw Sam as it was urgent and he soon sorted him out.

I am a regular there and can let you know how much Jo's op was too if you want.

Ann does surgery on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Best move I ever made moving my pigs to their care!
 
Doeylicious said:
PP, I use the Ewell vets (now called Goddards) they have done all three of my boys and all three sailed through the op itself, Bumble had some issues after but he has never been the strongest of piggies so we almost expected he would be harder.

JoJo was done by Ann a week ago yesterday and is currently CLIMBING HIS HOUSE bad JoJo, ahem, sorry, let's just say he is fine and dandy now!

If Ann is ever not around for an emergency (though you want her doing the actual op) Sam is another vet there who is pretty good with pigs, when Bumble got an abcess we saw Sam as it was urgent and he soon sorted him out.

I am a regular there and can let you know how much Jo's op was too if you want.

Ann does surgery on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Best move I ever made moving my pigs to their care!
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Oooh this is good news! This is the vets I was planning to go to..
Frazzle is a very 'get up and go' and get involved with everything nosey little pig so hopefully he'll have a lot of fight in him.
How much does it cost? (not that that will stop me but just so I am prepared!)

Do you know if there's a waiting list? Sounds a bit silly but it would be easiest if I could book him in for half term as I'm at uni on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Thanks :)
 
PopcornPigs said:
Oooh this is good news! This is the vets I was planning to go to..
Frazzle is a very 'get up and go' and get involved with everything nosey little pig so hopefully he'll have a lot of fight in him.
How much does it cost? (not that that will stop me but just so I am prepared!)

Do you know if there's a waiting list? Sounds a bit silly but it would be easiest if I could book him in for half term as I'm at uni on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Dodge and JoJo were like that and they came through it so well. Both were subdued the first couple of days, understandably, but as long as they poop ok you're on the right track!

I can't find the bill now but I know the GA was £50 and the op itself around £20, their prices have gone up since last year, however JoJo looks to have needed more GA than the other two as his was quite a bit higher and Ann did say he was a 'bigger boy'. I'd guesstimate £70.

No waiting list, just as long as Ann is there, she will probably want to see Frazzle first to check him over - she didn't with mine but she had seen them all fairly recently and they are existing patients.

~wonders if you will pass my place on the way home so I can meet Frazzle~ :))
 
Hehe yes was planning on taking him soon to have a check over and discuss it.
May be able to pop in :p he's very lively and friendly so I'm sure he'd love it :p
 
good luck - you have more 'balls' then me - i could never get Lentil neutered incase something happened.
 
Hearing about the successful neuterings she has performed has made me go for it, plus the thought of him being happy for the rest of his days with a lady friend instead of being alone. Getting him and Terry checked over on Tuesday.
 
I'm going to try and pair Lentil again when he is older as I dont know how old he is and Bounty will get paired with another male when he is older. I just wouldn't forgive myself if something happened. Plus I've never had a sow
 
Don't be worried hun, Ann is brilliant and won't do anything you aren't happy with. Mandy the vet nurse is also very piggy savvy, having several of her own.

All three of my boys are doing great, Dodge and Bumble are SO happy with their ladies and I'm hoping JoJo and Honey will get on equally well :)
 
Doeylicious said:
Don't be worried hun, Ann is brilliant and won't do anything you aren't happy with. Mandy the vet nurse is also very piggy savvy, having several of her own.

All three of my boys are doing great, Dodge and Bumble are SO happy with their ladies and I'm hoping JoJo and Honey will get on equally well :)
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This is what I want to hear :))
So did only one have complications after the operation? And what were they - an abcess?
 
Bumble had some problems, we think his rather large weight didn't help (he's been on a diet since!)

After the op he was fine that night (Wednesday), but the next day stopped pooping which is a big worry. I took him back and he had a gut acceleration jab and I was syringe feeding him every few hours to get the gut moving. He went back again the next day for another jab and I continued the syringe feeding over the weekend til he was eating on his own again. I was counting poops all the time to make sure he was doing enough!

We think it may have actually been an issue with the metacam as when he was prescribed that for his abcess he went listless and off his food too, so I don't give him much if any.

The abcess was, hmm, 4 or 5 weeks later? We went to clean him out and WHEW what a pong, I turned him over and got a nice load of ming on my hand! Rushed him down there, Ann wasn't in but we saw Sam who ended up with the whole thing exploding all over him, I felt a bit bad! He flushed it and gave Bumbs antibiotics and me some hibiscrub. Took him back two days later and he was doing well, I kept flushing etc, then about a week later I though 'hmm there's still a bit of a lump there' gave it a poke and got the last of it out...I have an odd thing about spots and abcesses and pus, I quite enjoy squeezing...

He is absolutely fine now. Both times if I had left it, he wouldn't be, the best thing about them is they will fit you in if it's urgent no matter how much shuffling is needed.

Dodge was completely text book and so far JoJo is too.
 
That's good, hoping everything will be alright :)
Frazzle will have to have his beautiful hair shaved off - poor boy!
Do you keep them on fleece after the operation as it's easier to manage?
 
None of mine were shaved even Bumble with the hairy bum! I said to Ann feel free to get off what you need to but she didn't take anything off!

I keep them on towels and newspaper after reading it on here. What I do is use my indoor cage, put newspaper sheets on the bottom, then a white towel (easier to see any blood or pus, £1.50 from Primark, I remember going in and buying 10 and the shop assistant asking if I was planning a big wash...what a comedian...) up the sleepy end, then they get their wooden log arch thing put in as they all have one to sleep in and it allows them some privacy. Food bowl and hay in a corner - you are not meant to put it where they can lie on it but with racks they have to stretch up and I was always worried about stitches popping open!
 
That's strange :{ would have thought they'd shave it for sterile reasons!
eww stitches popping open - nasty! Might get a bird suet feeder and put the hay in there and then put that on the floor, so he doesn't have to stretch but can't lye in it at the same time.
And wow.. primark sales assistant sounds reaaally funny! Should have told them you were really dirty ;)
 
I dunno, I didn't mind if they were shaved or not, I am a mean mummy and give them haircuts all the time anyway - Dodge is a coronet and I am NOT having all that hair waving about the place, guinea pigs were not meant to have tails!

Damn didn't think of that one to the Primark guy...tho this was Croydon so he may have taken that as a come on...eek...
 
Mm yes Croydon is a funny place.
Ha I agree they weren't meant to have tails, I cut Terry's off. I haven't had the guts to do Frazzle's ratty tail though as he moves too much - bit of a hazard with scissors.
I'm worried he's going to embarrass me at the vets! :p He's such a frisky naughty boy - it's like having a naughty child! Love him though.
 
Don't worry JoJo nearly jumped off the table, and Whiskey bit my old vet.

I remember when I took Bumble in, Ann had never seen a Swiss before so he got paraded around the practice, as did Pixie...beware this may happen with Frazzle, from what I remember he is Swiss-ish!

His tail will be harder to cut. I trim Bumble and Pixie like privet hedges, a Swiss breeder taught me how to do it lol.
 
Ha do I need to crack the hedge cutters out?
I know he'll probably bite her! He nibbles me all the time.. although I'm hoping the new environment being *scary* will calm him... we'll see!
Feeling a bit more postive about the op now and haven't even seen the vet yet!
 
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