We have had Mango for a short time. As soon as his quarantine was up, we gave him a separated section of the main cage so that he could get to know the girls (Coconut and Mango below, Papaya refused to be photographed). He is being neutered in a couple of days so that he can live with the girls. I would like to know if our plan for his recovery is appropriate.
1) We intend on returning him to his section of the main cage after surgery, but I have noticed other threads on the forum mention to place them in quarantine. Does he really need to go back to seclusion, or is it OK to put him back where he is now? We put him near the girls because he seemed so lonely and don't want him to go back to that.
2) I intend on removing his (see pix below) litter box/kitchen, the brick in the corner he likes to lay on, the wood chewing toy, the ball - everything except the fleece tunnel (he loves it and has it instead of a hidey house for now to save space in his small quarteres). How long do these things need to be out? He will of course keep his food bowl, water bottle, and hay. Do I need to move the hay down so he doesn't need to stretch to reach it?
3) The cage is lined in fleece, but we will add white towels to be changed a few times a day while his incision heals.
4) I asked the vet if Mango will come home with antibiotics and pain meds. He said that he uses a laser incision, so neither should be necessary, but he will receive a shot of Meloxicam for the surgery. The info on cavyspirit does not include laser neutering. Does anyone here know more about it? The vet also said that antibiotics are toxic to guinea pigs! I know from the info on this forum, cavyspirit, and guinea lynx that that is not true. This made me worry if this is not the right vet, but he came very highly recommended by a local rescue for which he has done nuetering and other sensitive surgeries for
gps and bunnies. Should I insist on antibiotics?
Thanks to everyone in advance. I know you will all help me get him through this. Can you tell I am a little nervous?