Guinea pig neutering - is it worth the risk?

[LordCavy]

Hello! Recently, I lost my guinea pig, Muffin (4 yrs old). He was in a pair with my other pig, Cookie. Cookie is 2.5 yrs old, he's a thick pig at 1280 grams. He's a very dominant pig, therefore not getting on very well with others (biting, chasing etc). Now he's a single pig, we tried bonding him with another boar. Sent home in less than 24 hours! I feel this is going to be the case for all of his introductions.

With that being said, is it worth neutering this ginger pig and finding him a female? Would he be a bit nicer towards one? I know boar bonding exists but from what I can see, no one does that in my area. Are there high risks regarding Cookie's health if I had him neutered? I'd love to hear some advice from someone who has dealt with something similar! Thank you

PS: Here is a photo of Cookie sitting on Muffin

 

[Piggies&buns]

The best thing is for you to discuss the neutering with your vet - Cookie’s general health and the vets experience come into play - but generally speaking, he is young enough to be under anaesthetic

If he isn’t going to get on with other boars, then neutering, having the six week wait and then finding him a wife would definitely be a good idea. Sow/boar bonding still comes down to character compatibility though but you will have opened the pool of options for him to find a new friend

A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

 

[PigglePuggle]

Sorry for your loss of Muffin, it's great that you are thinking about finding Cookie a companion.
Neutering is usually a very safe operation if performed by an experienced vet. All anaesthesia carries a small risk but boar neutering is such a quick operation he'd only be asleep for less than an hour and its very rare to hear of piggies not surviving the op. There is also a small risk of a post-op infection causing an abscess, but usually this is spotted very fast and dealt with quite easily.
Neutering is well worth the small risks for such a young piggy (not exactly in the first flush of youth, but certainly less than halfway through his probable lifespan- maybe 35ish in human year equivalence) to live the dream of meeting a lovely lady friend in the future!
If you have a good vet its very likely the neutering op will cause no more than 2 or 3 days minor discomfort. Then it is very important to wait a full 6 weeks to allow any left over sperm in his various boar tubes to be ejected before meeting a lady in person!
Best of luck but neutering sounds like a good option here, boar-sow pairs if they are compatible personalities and decide to bond are usually very stable and also very sweet to watch

 

[LordCavy]

@Piggies&buns @PigglePuggle
Thank you very much for your responses! My mother and I are very keen on getting him a compatible friend, if that means that it's a lady pig, then so be it. After travelling 150 miles for his failed bonding, hopefully this next one won't be too far!

PS: Attached is Cookie's herd from last year, unfortunately they've all passed on, they were a lovely bunch!

 

[Jill B]

I have nothing to add in terms of advice but just wanted to say what gorgeous piggies!

 

[LordCavy]

I have nothing to add in terms of advice but just wanted to say what gorgeous piggies!

Thank you so much! They'd appreciate the compliment haha

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! Recently, I lost my guinea pig, Muffin (4 yrs old). He was in a pair with my other pig, Cookie. Cookie is 2.5 yrs old, he's a thick pig at 1280 grams. He's a very dominant pig, therefore not getting on very well with others (biting, chasing etc). Now he's a single pig, we tried bonding him with another boar. Sent home in less than 24 hours! I feel this is going to be the case for all of his introductions.

With that being said, is it worth neutering this ginger pig and finding him a female? Would he be a bit nicer towards one? I know boar bonding exists but from what I can see, no one does that in my area. Are there high risks regarding Cookie's health if I had him neutered? I'd love to hear some advice from someone who has dealt with something similar! Thank you

PS: Here is a photo of Cookie sitting on Muffin

Hi!

He is certainly young enough but I would make sure that he is not overweight for his size (check for the 'heft' around the ribs as prescribed in our weight guide); this is the biggest fatality factor because of the yellow fat around the organs.
I am mentioning this specifically because there are large boars and then there are overweight boars - and they are not the same. My Pioden was bordering on underweight at 1400g; he was really large in his best days.
Here is our weight guide, which you will find very helpful: Weight - Monitoring and Management

The other issue is to find a vet you trust and who has good experience with boar neutering.
Here is our comprehensive neutering guide, which takes you through all aspects in detail to allow you to make as informed a decision as possible: Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

PS: I currently have got 9 'husboars' and have had several more before them. Some of them were neutered at 3 years but I know of successful neutering operations as old as 5 years. Some of them have been 'unbondable' boars who have/have had a very happy second career.

 

[Merab]

I have a husboar, Micah, who was bullied by other boars.
Micah is a runt!
He is now living very happily with his wives and his ideal weight has settled at around 1450g.

As @PigglePuggle mentioned, there is a small risk of a scrotal abscess post neuter. This did happen to Micah but was picked up before it had really developed and was easily dealt with.

Consider all the options and make the decision that you feel is best for Cookie.
He’s very lucky to have an owner who cares so much for his well-being

 

[T-Rex]

Every pig and situation is different. I echo above and all the wonderful advice you have been given.

And my own situation and story is that we had my older boy Jasper neutered last year and we think he was 5 ( not entirely sure on his age- he could have been older potentially)

But the vet checked him out. Had done a lot of guinea pig neuters as used to neuter for a rescue when he was at a different vets. And he had just been put under for a lump removal which was a much longer and complicated surgery so the vet felt confident he could cope with the much shorter and simpler op.

To see him now in his “golden” years enjoying his ladies is a real pleasure. They have really kept him young and it’s been worth the risk.
So hopefully following the better advice above your boy will sail through and enjoy his future lady/ladies