need advice: cage environment after neutering - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**new2piggies** · #1 05-30-07, 10:57 am

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?

**Alusdra** · #2 05-30-07, 11:35 am

Don't know about the antibiotics, but the laser is not for the castration, but the incision (I'm assuming) which just means that instead of a blade he'll be cutting with the laser vs. a scalpel. This reduces bleeding, pain, etc s it instantly cauterizes the incision. Here's an ok website I googled real quick on it. As for removing stuff from the cage, consult your vet, but I don't know that anything but the litterbox need to be taken out. maybe the toys, to restrict movement. The litterbox concern would be that he has to jump in and the litter might get in the incision site and/or keep him in close proximity to urine/feces. Probably that need only be for a couple days, but again, check with your vet to be sure.

And when your vet says that antibiotics are 'toxic' perhaps he means that they can kill gut flora needed in digestion? That can lead to gut stasis, malnutrition, etc. For a routine neuter there really isn't a reason he would need antibiotics that I can think of. It's a sterile prep and all. If you trust your rescue, then I would stick with the vet. He does enough of these things to at the very least know what to do about common complications (it sounds like).

One thing- though, can your male touch your females? Animals can (and do) mate through fences, so be careful with that.

**PiggyPaws** · #3 05-30-07, 11:47 am

About antibiotics being toxic, he was most likely refering to pecillin-based antibiotics which IS toxic to guinea pigs.

Guinea Lynx has a useful page on the subject that may help:
Guinea Lynx :: Dangerous Medications

**cavyinhawaii** · #4 05-30-07, 12:09 pm

Our Flash needed a while to recover. I gave him a blocked off loft section. Just fleece and a hidey house. He was very content sleeping in the hidey house and we just changed the fleece a few times a day. I kept him separate for the amount of time the vet suggested I think about a week. We had no problems. I was given pain meds but no laser was used. Wish I could be more help.

**Jennicat** · #5 05-30-07, 12:10 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alusdra

And when your vet says that antibiotics are 'toxic' perhaps he means that they can kill gut flora needed in digestion? That can lead to gut stasis, malnutrition, etc. For a routine neuter there really isn't a reason he would need antibiotics that I can think of. It's a sterile prep and all. If you trust your rescue, then I would stick with the vet. He does enough of these things to at the very least know what to do about common complications (it sounds like).

Depending on the vet, antibiotic courses may be standard operating procedure for pigs. All of our rescue's neuters are put on preventative antibiotics and that has helped control post surgical abscesses a great deal (and guinea pigs are basically an abscess waiting to happen).

**Ly&Pigs** · #6 05-30-07, 02:28 pm

He will need separated in a small space to limit movement for a few days after surgery until the wound heals and it would probably be better away from the girls in case they go into heat. Neutering only affects the ability to reproduce and doesn't take away the ability to get aroused.

He will need to be kept separated from the girls for at least 3 weeks while the remaining sperm die off.

I would watch for signs after surgery of him being in pain. He may need more than just one post surgery dose of meloxicam (metacam).

**new2piggies** · #7 05-30-07, 03:37 pm

[quote=Ly&Pigs;299035]He will need separated in a small space to limit movement for a few days after surgery until the wound heals and it would probably be better away from the girls in case they go into heat. Neutering only affects the ability to reproduce and doesn't take away the ability to get aroused.

He will need to be kept separated from the girls for at least 3 weeks while the remaining sperm die off.
quote]

Are you saying that if they go into heat and he gets aroused that it will be painful for him, or just that there could still be risk of pregnancy? We do have a small space for him that is separated within the large cage. When he was alone (his whole life, until this week), he hid all the time and ran from us. Now that he is near the girls, he is more social with us and spends much of his time out and talking to the girls. He seems so much happier. I think this would be a benefit to his recovery, unless it poses the possibility of causing him pain.

**Alusdra** · #8 05-30-07, 03:53 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennicat

Depending on the vet, antibiotic courses may be standard operating procedure for pigs. All of our rescue's neuters are put on preventative antibiotics and that has helped control post surgical abscesses a great deal (and guinea pigs are basically an abscess waiting to happen).

Oh, fun! The more I read about these poor piggies the more I wonder how they ever survived domestication!

I think she means just for pregnancy prevention purposes you should keep him separate (hence 'wait for the sperm to die off').