Should we get our guineapigs neutered?

[Rachel J]

We have two lovely boars who are four months old. One of them chases the other almost constantly. It does not become aggressive - mostly rumble strutting all of the time. The less dominant one (who stopped rumble strutting after a week or two when we first had them) appear not to be enjoying being chased and bothered. I know that neutering won't make them magically get along, but would it help Badger to stop bothering quite as much? Thinking of the future, if we were to lose one, we would ideally prefer a sow and so this would make it possible for us to add a friend straight away. In the here and now, it is about making Pickle feel less chased and bothered.

Thanks for any advice - I did look on the site for information. There is probably some, but I couldn't find it. Sorry if I have missed the obvious as I can imagine that this is an over-asked question.

Am trying to be relaxed about the Badger bothering, but must admit that it is really worrying me. Didn't realise that I would fret about having guineapigs so much...just want to get it right. :o)

 

[Merab]

A behaviour specialist will give fuller advice but I do know that neutering doesn’t change a boar’s behaviour or character.
It just prevents him making babies.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Neutering only removes the possibility of pregnancy. It does not change behaviours at all. He will still chase him and display exact same behaviours as he does now.

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

They are now right at the start of their teens with hormone output heading towards a peak at around six months of age but remaining high until 14 months of age (with spikes in those times), so you are going to see high levels of dominance behaviours for quite some time to come. Even as adults, you will still see hormone spikes and periods of more intense dominance. Each spring in particular the dominant of my three year old boar pair goes on a bit of a domination rampage (it happened again last night)!

The behaviour may look distressing to us, but to them it is perfectly normal and it is important you don’t worry about it unless it clearly tips over into bullying and a dysfunctional relationship.
The only thing which is really going to help is a lot of space, open ended hides, enrichment and other things to keep them occupied

Neutering them while they are young, however, can be beneficial for the exact reasons you have identified. Undergoing surgery as a youngster is obviously easier on them and then when one passes, you will have the option of bonding the one left behind with a sow immediately.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[Hollie85]

As I understand it the neuturing will not change a guinea pigs behaviour, it is only needed if your wanting to pair them with sows and not have babies or if it's for a medical reason.
We have recently had our two boys neutured and we're unfortunate enough to lose one two days after the operation.
My advice to you is make sure you pick the right vet, exotics or lots of guinea pig experience,do LOTS of research, take a few days off after the op to monitor them, have a guinea pig first aid kit at the ready, antibiotics, rescue food ect and make sure the vets is a 24 hour one
These are all things I've learnt after and my poor boy potentially could have lived if we'd been more prepared
Wishing you all the best with whatever you choose

 

[Wiebke]

We have two lovely boars who are four months old. One of them chases the other almost constantly. It does not become aggressive - mostly rumble strutting all of the time. The less dominant one (who stopped rumble strutting after a week or two when we first had them) appear not to be enjoying being chased and bothered. I know that neutering won't make them magically get along, but would it help Badger to stop bothering quite as much? Thinking of the future, if we were to lose one, we would ideally prefer a sow and so this would make it possible for us to add a friend straight away. In the here and now, it is about making Pickle feel less chased and bothered.

Thanks for any advice - I did look on the site for information. There is probably some, but I couldn't find it. Sorry if I have missed the obvious as I can imagine that this is an over-asked question.

Am trying to be relaxed about the Badger bothering, but must admit that it is really worrying me. Didn't realise that I would fret about having guineapigs so much...just want to get it right. :o)

Hi!

Neutering won't cut off hormones spikes in many cases; it can at the best mitigate them a little and not instantly at that. My Nye still went through all the classic phases of teenage.
If you want to neuter with a view on rebonding fallen-out boars with a sow each, then that is fine. What is a major no-no is adding sows to a boar pair; that it a sure-fire recipe for big fights.

Here is our general boar (including dos and don'ts), teenage and neutering information. You will find information about what neutering does and does not in the first chapter of the guide.


A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)

I hope that the information links above will help you.

 

[Rachel J]

Neutering only removes the possibility of pregnancy. It does not change behaviours at all. He will still chase him and display exact same behaviours as he does now.

Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

They are now right at the start of their teens with hormone output heading towards a peak at around six months of age but remaining high until 14 months of age (with spikes in those times), so you are going to see high levels of dominance behaviours for quite some time to come. Even as adults, you will still see hormone spikes and periods of more intense dominance. Each spring in particular the dominant of my three year old boar pair goes on a bit of a domination rampage (it happened again last night)!

The behaviour may look distressing to us, but to them it is perfectly normal and it is important you don’t worry about it unless it clearly tips over into bullying and a dysfunctional relationship.
The only thing which is really going to help is a lot of space, open ended hides, enrichment and other things to keep them occupied

Neutering them while they are young, however, can be beneficial for the exact reasons you have identified. Undergoing surgery as a youngster is obviously easier on them and then when one passes, you will have the option of bonding the one left behind with a sow immediately.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

That is really helpful. It is so hard not to be anxious as we haven't experienced this before. They have lots of space and hides (completely spoilt). I try to think about them being occupied but never know that balance between overmoving everything and creating interest. Am still learning. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.

 

[Rachel J]

Hi!

Neutering won't cut off hormones spikes in many cases; it can at the best mitigate them a little and not instantly at that. My Nye still went through all the classic phases of teenage.
If you want to neuter with a view on rebonding fallen-out boars with a sow each, then that is fine. What is a major no-no is adding sows to a boar pair; that it a sure-fire recipe for big fights.

Here is our general boar (including dos and don'ts), teenage and neutering information. You will find information about what neutering does and does not in the first chapter of the guide.


A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
A Closer Look At Pairs (Boars - Sows - Mixed)

I hope that the information links above will help you.

Thank you so much for replying. I will read through everything - appreciated.

 

[Rachel J]

As I understand it the neuturing will not change a guinea pigs behaviour, it is only needed if your wanting to pair them with sows and not have babies or if it's for a medical reason.
We have recently had our two boys neutured and we're unfortunate enough to lose one two days after the operation.
My advice to you is make sure you pick the right vet, exotics or lots of guinea pig experience,do LOTS of research, take a few days off after the op to monitor them, have a guinea pig first aid kit at the ready, antibiotics, rescue food ect and make sure the vets is a 24 hour one
These are all things I've learnt after and my poor boy potentially could have lived if we'd been more prepared
Wishing you all the best with whatever you choose

I am so sorry to hear about that. Good advice - really will make sure that we are prepared if we go down that route. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[Piggies&buns]

That is really helpful. It is so hard not to be anxious as we haven't experienced this before. They have lots of space and hides (completely spoilt). I try to think about them being occupied but never know that balance between overmoving everything and creating interest. Am still learning. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.

This guide will help you Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
The best enrichment is having each other!
Otherwise, the other thing which keeps my boys busy is huge piles of hay loose on the floor. They spend a lot of time inside big piles, foraging through. I dont use food bowls either and instead scatter feed veg and pellets, hide them amongst the big hay piles. It keeps them occupied for along time trying to find their food.

 

[Rachel J]

This guide will help you Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
The best enrichment is having each other!
Otherwise, the other thing which keeps my boys busy is huge piles of hay loose on the floor. They spend a lot of time inside big piles, foraging through. I dont use food bowls either and instead scatter feed veg and pellets, hide them amongst the big hay piles. It keeps them occupied for along time trying to find their food.

Thank you. Great link.