“Is it good to neuter my guinea pig?” A question frequently asked by most guinea pig owners. The answers vary from different perspectives. Talking about the pet’s health, we need to consider how important the procedure, and will it affect the growth and development of the guinea pig. Is the surgery beneficial and safe? Does it contribute to the wellness of the guinea pig? Some of the online communities tackle this topic and their answers vary depending on the respondents.
Pet overpopulation is said to be the reason why there are animals that need to be neutered. Like all other animals, guinea pigs are also subjected to population control. Most of the time, rescue centers operate at full capacity, having many guinea pigs with them. These rescue centers are burdened with dozens of guinea pigs, which fill up quickly, especially when feral guinea pigs are brought in, with many of them pregnant. For this reason, many rescue centers advocate neutering and spaying all guinea pigs.
Health issues are another important concern. Mammary cancer in male guinea pigs does sometimes develop, but there is no evidence to support that neutering will prevent this from occurring. Neutering males have no proven health benefits, although it may have an effect on the animal hygiene. Owners are advised to check the perineal sac occasionally and clean out any debris with Q-tips and mineral oil. Thus neutering makes the sac more likely to collect debris, although this is rare.
Another thing to consider is the behavioral problems that result from an excessive secretion of hormones. The consensus among guinea pig experts is that neutering does not affect territorial herd behavior among males. Instead, it affects the guinea pig’s social dynamics. Thus, some owners observed that guinea pigs are calmer with people after being neutered. Animals with distinct social hierarchies may exhibit aggressive behavior, especially if more than one dominant guinea pig is in the group. Neutering is unlikely to affect this behaviour.
Given proper nutrition, enough space and appropriate companion, the majority of male guinea pigs can live in a cage with another male. In terms of choosing a companion for the neutered guinea pig, a pair of two adult males, is muc better than an adult with a baby male. Adolescents exhibit more hormonal behavior than adults, so therefore two in the same cage is not a good idea.
Don’t consider opposite sex companion when neutering has not taken place. If that happens accidentally, then the only option is to let the guinea pig live alone or get them each a same sex companion. In this case, neutering is not necessary, but it would be beneficial to the pet and the owner. The safety of the procedure depends on the expertise of the veterinarian and the proper post-operative care provided by knowledgeable owner.
In finding good veterinarians, you must first seek recommendations from rescues or online communities for a recommended vet list. Choose the veterinarian who has successfully undergone various surgeries on neutering guinea pigs can that can provide you with two crucial post –operative tools, namely; antibiotics and pain medicine.
Using a skilled veterinarian, there will be a high rate of a success with the surgery. And with appropriate antibiotics and pain medicine, along with a knowledgeable pet owner who can provide proper post-operative care surgical, complications are unlikely to occur. Before taking your guinea pig in for surgery, consider first the post-operation care guide that you can read at online communities. Just search on Google to find these.
In rare cases, severe complications like hernia, infection, adhesions, and bloat may occur. Guinea pig owners should be extremely vigilant when caring for guinea pig that has been neutered. Veterinarians perform either scrotal neuter with two incisions in the scrotal sac or pre-scrotal neuter with single incision above the scrotal sac.
A few rescuers choose veterinarians with the best post-operative care to achieve fewer incidents on male guinea pigs. Some veterinarians will recommend spaying all female guinea pigs for health purposes, but few advocate this as it is safer to neuter males. In the past, guinea pigs owners decided to neuter their pets just for their own convenience. Since there are a lot of factors to be considered, it should be undertaken only after plenty of research has been carried out, and there is no other option.
What To Consider When Making The Decision To Neuter Your Guinea Pigs?
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