Castration for my girls

[KnedloVeproZelo]

Hello!
When i grew up, my mum never castrated her guinea pigs (females) as a precaution of ovarian cysts. But now that i own my own guinea pigs, i am thinking about it. I have a young female almost year old, 3 year old and then a senior, 5 years. Would you recommend the procedure for them still? Propably not the oldest one, but maybe the two younger ones?
I am visiting vet, because i am a bit scared my oldest one may be developing a cyst, she has perfectly nice fur and apetite and weight and behavior, but in certain positions i think one side is a tiny bit bigger. So when i get her checked i am thinking about asking the vet to castrate my younger girls as well.
Ofc, i will take them to a specialist in rodents.
Thank you so much for any answers!

 

[Pantalaimon]

Spaying (neutering a female animal) is not usually done as a routine procedure as it is a very invasive operation so is much higher risk than neutering a boar (which is a relatively non-invasive surgery). There is also a risk of complications afterwards during recovery, and as with the surgery, it depends on the individual guinea pig.

That being said, if you have a very experienced vet and you are comfortable with this then it is entirely up to you.
It is worth noting that a vet qualified to treat guinea pigs is not necessarily experienced with them. A general vet with decades of guinea pig experience would be a better option than a rodent vet who has very little experience with guinea pigs.

If you think your guinea pig has ovarian cysts you should get her checked for them by an experienced vet. I was told by two different vets that my sow had no signs of ovarian cysts despite her behaviour having strongly indicated them from a young age. The first time my current vet checked her, he was immediately able to say she had two very large cysts.

Also, a guinea pig is not supposed to be symmetrical. The digestive system does not sit centrally in the abdominal cavity and there are different organs on each side. Sometimes you may notice that one side looks bulgier than the other, this is most likely caused by the stage that a load of food is in the digestive process. If you (gently) prod this protrusion, it should feel like a bubble of air.

 

[Pantalaimon]

Here is an idea of the internal organ layout.

Your girls are very cute by the way, I especially like the brown agouti with the little white head streak!

 

[KnedloVeproZelo]

Here is an idea of the internal organ layout.

Your girls are very cute by the way, I especially like the brown agouti with the little white head streak!

Thank you!♡ and yes, she is the sweetest (she loves me when i clean the cage the most)
I hope it is nothing, but i never noticed it before, so the change is what alarmes me. I like my current vet, so hopefully he will tell me if there is anything wrong
As for the spaying i heard mixed opinions as yes, you should definitely do that, it is a must to no, never, it is too invasive. I'll propably just study the topic more for now
Thank you again and have a nice day!

 

[KnedloVeproZelo]

Hi♡
So I visited my vet and asked for details and in 14 days they are due for their spay appointment (the vet is amazing btw, it is quite far, but she is the best roddent wise)
I'll update you after the procedure!

 

[Bill & Ted]

Hope everything goes well. have a look in our guides for post operative care and be prepared to step in syringe feeding if needed x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[Pantalaimon]

Wishing you and your pigs luck with the operations!
You’ve got an excellent opportunity that people often don’t get with invasive surgeries (as they are often done with short notice due to an issue that has arisen) to prepare everything and do some reading well in advance so you are excellently prepared.