Pros/cons of neutering?

[Emmaclay95]

>>> >>> >>> so mad i just typed all of this then clicked off of it before i posted it!

Here we go again! To cut a long story short, i have two male guinea pigs, 6 months old, who no longer get on with eachother and have to live separately side by side. This Sunday i am having a 6x8 foot shed built in the garden which will be their new home, split down the middle with run of the floor space. With them having SUCH a long life ahead of them i really do not want them to live it alone, however i would feel incredibly nervous introducing another boar to either of them incase it all went wrong again. I was just wondering if it would be worth the risks associated with neutering to get them both a girlfriend each, as i love them so much i would not want anything to happen to them. If anybody could give me any advice what you would do in my position it would be much appreciated.

On another note, if anybody could tell me the nearest piggie rescue and cavvy savvy vet to me that would be great, as i am currently taking my boys to the vet in pets at home and cant help but think they couldnt give a monkeys about my piggies. my postcode is BD19, thanks in advance! xx

 

[lauralucy]

hi at 6 months old they will be hormonal rolleyes if you can wait until they are just over a year you may find they will go back together (they may not)

only you can make the decision to neuter and i have 2 boys one was already neutered when i rescued him the other i chose to have neutered they both live with girls. any op involving a genreal anaesthetic(sp) poses a risk they may not come round. the op itself is straightforward. its the after care to that may cause problems.

to they get on ok side by side?

i dont know about vets but here is the piggy bank approved rescues in the uk hopefully there is one near you

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=209994852075231951564.0004b8fd9391b4257d8eb&msa=0

 

[Emmaclay95]

Thanks for the map of rescues! The nearest one to me is around 45 minutes away when the traffic is good so I don't suppose it's a million miles away.
I know their hormones calm down around 14 months (correct me if I'm wrong there) but the way in which they drew blood from eachother leads me to believe it would be hopeless trying to bond them again!
When next to eachother with mesh inbetween them they rumble and do dominance displays to eachother however they also chase eachother round and popcorn like crazy, they love been next to eachother but can't be with eachother!
Thanks for the reply!

 

[lauralucy]

thats ok glad it helped
around about 14 months. i didnt know how badly they had fallen out. silly piggies. i would maybe contact the nearest rescue and see if they do boar dating
good luck x

 

[The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue]

All anaesthetics carry a risk but in the hands of a competent small animal vet the risks should be low.
Choose a vet with a very good reputation and do your homework on post op care. We tend to mostly neuter age 6 to 12 month boars as we don't get many singles in and this age group can be difficult to bond with a similar age. Thats just my experience after pairing lots of Guinea Pigs,i always assess behaviour and boar interaction and only neuter if necessary.
I have had over 20 boars successfully neutered and lost 3 to complications, which is very hard but to give a Guinea Pig the chance of lifelong companionship its a decision I have to make sometimes.