Ugh So Angry

PiggyPoppa

PiggyPoppa

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
Florida
While this post was supposed to be an introduction for Snickers(pic attached) I now need some advice. We got this piggy a week ago from Tampa Humane society( don’t go there btw I’ll post about their shortcomings another time) and just had our first check up with the vet where they informed us Snickers was a girl. We were told by the Humane Society that she was male and were hoping to bond him with our other piggy who has been a single piggy most of his life. Since our other piggy was never Neutered we can’t have a female. The vet told us to consider having our other piggy fixed but I think he’s too old for that. We don’t know his exact age but we think around 3-4 years old. Is this too old to get him fixed in everyone’s opinion? Also female piggy’s can’t be fixed correct? Any help is appreciated, thanks
 

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Females can be spayed, yes. As for your other piggy, I don't think it's too old at all, but I'd want to be 100% confident in my vet's ability to neuter any of my pigs before I signed the paperwork - and that's something only you can decide.
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

Spaying a sow is a big, invasive operation and usually only done for medical need, not usually just for bonding purposes. Neutering the male is more normal to be done for bonding purposes.
He isn’t too old but the success of a neutering comes down to the experience and knowledge of the vet.
It would be best to have your vet check your boar for the status of his general health and whether the vet considers he is a suitable candidate for anaesthetic.
If your vet is knowledgeable and experienced and your boar is in good health, then the decision becomes yours as to whether to go ahead with it or not.
If you do neuter him, then he will still need to stay away from her for six weeks after surgery as he will still be fertile during that time.
 
Congrats on Snickers. :love:
Do you want to post a pick of his/her's rear end just in case the vet made a mistake?
As the others have said, females can be spayed but this would be very invasive and I'd only do it in a health emergency.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this.

Spaying a sow is a big, invasive operation and usually only done for medical need, not usually just for bonding purposes. Neutering the male is more normal to be done for bonding purposes.
He isn’t too old but the success of a neutering comes down to the experience and knowledge of the vet.
It would be best to have your vet check your boar for the status of his general health and whether the vet considers he is a suitable candidate for anaesthetic.
If your vet is knowledgeable and experienced and your boar is in good health, then the decision becomes yours as to whether to go ahead with it or not.
If you do neuter him, then he will still need to stay away from her for six weeks after surgery as he will still be fertile during that time.
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Yeah I don’t know if we
Lorcan said:
Females can be spayed, yes. As for your other piggy, I don't think it's too old at all, but I'd want to be 100% confident in my vet's ability to neuter any of my pigs before I signed the paperwork - and that's something only you can decide.
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Yeah we’re debating having our male fixed but I’m just worried cuz he’s older. Do you know if it changes their temperament or they get depressed after having it done?
 
PiggyPoppa said:
Yeah I don’t know if we

Yeah we’re debating having our male fixed but I’m just worried cuz he’s older. Do you know if it changes their temperament or they get depressed after having it done?
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Neutering doesn’t change anything. All it does is stop pregnancies occurring.
 
Piggies&buns said:
I’m sorry to hear this.

Spaying a sow is a big, invasive operation and usually only done for medical need, not usually just for bonding purposes. Neutering the male is more normal to be done for bonding purposes.
He isn’t too old but the success of a neutering comes down to the experience and knowledge of the vet.
It would be best to have your vet check your boar for the status of his general health and whether the vet considers he is a suitable candidate for anaesthetic.
If your vet is knowledgeable and experienced and your boar is in good health, then the decision becomes yours as to whether to go ahead with it or not.
If you do neuter him, then he will still need to stay away from her for six weeks after surgery as he will still be fertile during that time.
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Ok thanks for the advice, I don't think we'll get her spayed just to bond as it seems like this is risky. I'm just worried about having our male fixed as he's on the older side and I know some vets don't do the procedure on older piggies
 
ScrufflesRules said:
Congrats on Snickers. :love:
Do you want to post a pick of his/her's rear end just in case the vet made a mistake?
As the others have said, females can be spayed but this would be very invasive and I'd only do it in a health emergency.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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Yeah I'll post a pic in a bit she's very skittish right now and don't want to frighten her even more
 
PiggyPoppa said:
Ok thanks for the advice, I don't think we'll get her spayed just to bond as it seems like this is risky. I'm just worried about having our male fixed as he's on the older side and I know some vets don't do the procedure on older piggies
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I know there have been piggies on the forum neutered who are older than your boy is but all you can do is discuss with your vet
 
If he's in good general health then I don't feel 3-4 years old is too old, if your vet is confident.

Be specific when talking to them: ask how many guinea pigs they have neutered? How often do they have complications? What's their best advice for post-op care? As others say, it's all about the vet's experience and you want to be sure they're not just talking a good game but actually have the experience and knowledge needed.

I would also ask them which method they favour for neutering guinea pigs? Not because one or the other is necessarily better (the best option is whichever the vet prefers and is most experienced with), but because a vet who knows enough to neuter a guinea pig should be aware of the two possible methods and be able to confidently explain the pros and cons of each. If you feel like they're not aware that there are two methods, or they're defensive or dismissive, or you feel like they're trying to bullshit you, then I would look for a different vet to do it. But if they can confidently explain which method they use and why, that's a good sign that they really know their stuff.
 
ScrufflesRules said:
Congrats on Snickers. :love:
Do you want to post a pick of his/her's rear end just in case the vet made a mistake?
As the others have said, females can be spayed but this would be very invasive and I'd only do it in a health emergency.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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This was the best pic we could get will try again tonight
 

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Cheekypigs said:
If he's in good general health then I don't feel 3-4 years old is too old, if your vet is confident.

Be specific when talking to them: ask how many guinea pigs they have neutered? How often do they have complications? What's their best advice for post-op care? As others say, it's all about the vet's experience and you want to be sure they're not just talking a good game but actually have the experience and knowledge needed.

I would also ask them which method they favour for neutering guinea pigs? Not because one or the other is necessarily better (the best option is whichever the vet prefers and is most experienced with), but because a vet who knows enough to neuter a guinea pig should be aware of the two possible methods and be able to confidently explain the pros and cons of each. If you feel like they're not aware that there are two methods, or they're defensive or dismissive, or you feel like they're trying to bullshit you, then I would look for a different vet to do it. But if they can confidently explain which method they use and why, that's a good sign that they really know their stuff.
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Thanks for the great info, he’s a little chunky and not the most active Piggy but idk if that matters for surgery. A lot of good questions for the vet thank you. We are going to a new vet that has really good reviews, only problem is the wait since it’s one of the few exotics around. So earliest a procedure would take place would be mid July then six to eight weeks later could possibly introduce if he’s not fertile anymore
 
PiggyPoppa said:
Thanks for the great info, he’s a little chunky and not the most active Piggy but idk if that matters for surgery. A lot of good questions for the vet thank you. We are going to a new vet that has really good reviews, only problem is the wait since it’s one of the few exotics around. So earliest a procedure would take place would be mid July then six to eight weeks later could possibly introduce if he’s not fertile anymore
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The wait time is six weeks - he won’t be fertile at that point.
 
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