Neutering |
| | What is neutering? |
 | Neutering is a word to describe an procedure that de-sexes an animal, rendering it infertile. In guinea pigs, it is most frequently the male of the species that is neutered for a male/ female pairing as it is a far simpler and less invasive procedure than spaying a female. Any operation carries a risk and many people want to avoid any non-essential operation. Often people simply keep the piggers in same sex pairs (contrary to many sources, many people have boars living happily in pairs or groups), or separate a male and female with a partition which means there is no need for surgery. However, some people, for a variety of reasons, want a male and female(s) to live together, but do not wish to breed. So they choose to have their pets undergo this operation. They may have a male who won't get along with another male and want to get him/ them a girlfriend, they may prefer to keep their pigs living in mixed groups or perhaps they bought two piggies who they thought were the same sex and it turns out they are a male and female. |
| It's a common myth that neutering causes some change in behaviour making males less aggressive and territorial. Neutering does not have *any* affect on behaviour at all - the only reason to have this operation done on your pet is if you wish them to live with a member of the opposite sex without breeding. If you want to know more about this operation, please go to the Cavy Spirit neutering page for lots of great information about this operation, and how to find a veterinary surgeon who is experienced in this procedure. |
| Why I have had my male piggers neutered |
| For me, the decision to have Patchwork neutered (which was approximately 16 years ago) was because he didn't get along with the other male I had, so both were being housed alone. With hindsight, it was probably because the cage I kept the them in wasn't huge. However much exercise I might have given them during the day, they didn't have enough room to be able to stake out their own little patch of territory which probably contributed greatly to their falling out. The cube cages I now keep them in are much better for allowing each pig to have their own personal space which reduces the tension and conflict that can occur between any two pigs. I had the younger boar neutered and housed him with his mum and sister, and the older boar who was knocking on a bit didn't have the operation for that reason. I can't remember the details from Patchwork's operation, but am pretty sure it went to plan. |
| The second time I chose this operation for my two boys was for my own peace of mind than anything else, although it did come in handy when they later fell out. I was happy for the boys and girls to live separately, but given that I wanted a free range set up and knew that at some stages other people may be looking after them, I wanted to make absolutely sure none of my females ever risked pregnancy, even by accident. This may sound over the top to some people, but I have learnt from experience that if the moon is in the right place, it takes just seconds for them to successfully mate. I just didn't want to take any chances and thought that the best time to do this operation was while they were young, fit and healthy. The boys did fall out a few months after their operations, and after several failed re-introductions I decided to keep them separately from each other, but with female companions. Looking back now, I think was the close proximity of the females which may have contributed to their falling out, as at the time I didn't realise it could cause such problems. Many people have boars and sows in separate cages in the same room and report no problems. However, many people find that the scent of the females, especially if they go in to season, is enough to send them up the wall which makes spats and fights all the more more likely. Purely observational, but I have noticed that boars in a free range environment who are confident with human interaction are more likely to have a problem with having females closeby. I'm sure there are lots of exceptions, it's just what I have picked up from the cases I've heard. |
| The Operations |
| Tefal and Ziggy were six months old when they had their surgery. Usually vets wait until a pig is at least 5-6 months or a minimum weight of 600g before operating. The vets were very experienced and successful with this type of operation and used isoflurane gas which is the safest gas for operating on piggers. Please see the cavy spirit page I listed earlier for an excellent guide on how to find a good vet - as I said before *any* operation is risky but if you find a great vet experienced in thsi procedure the chances of problems or complications are very minimal. Both operations went well, they both came round from the anaesthetic fine and were ready to be collected later that evening. They each had two tiny incisions above their bottom, which were secured with dissolvable stitches, and aside from the fact they don't like travelling so were a bit jumpy, they were completely unphased by it all and soon tucking in to their veggies back home. They were bedded on towels from that evening and for the following couple of weeks, as bedding can stick to the wounds impairing teh healing process. Also hay can poke in to the wounds and make them uncomfortable so it's best to stick to a hay rack for the first few days at least. Neither of the boys were interested in picking at their wounds, thankfully. It's natural for the wound sites to look very slightly red and swollen the next day as the body reacts to the intrusion, which they did. But it was very minor and they healed without a hitch. Four weeks later (many say three weeks is safe but an extra week just gives you even more peace of mind) they were declared safe to dally with the ladies! |
| Ponderings |
 | I'm sure if I had experienced any complications or even lost one of my piggers through this operation, I may have a completely different perspective on it. It must be especially heartbreaking to lose a piggy this way. However, there can be no selfish motivation for having your piggy undergo this operation. With the levels of homeless guinea pigs many countries have, and the fact that piggers do so much better as part of a group, this operation is chosen to prevent more babies who could take homes away from needier pigs, or to make your piggy happier by giving it a companion in the event it doesn't get along with another male. The way I see it, provided you get a good vet, you have far less chance of your piggy experiencing health problems from this operation, than you do from breeding a female, and the motivation for breeding can't be explained as being beneficial for the piggy or the piggy population as a whole. |
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