Items Needed for First Aid Kit, Starting Out/Neutering (NOT Emergency

[skittyginny]

First: I take all my animals to the vet. If someone gets sick, they see the vet. Even if they aren't sick, every few months they go in for a teeth clipping and general look over.

I'm talking about preventative care and a first aid kit. What are good preventives and general home care? What shampoos are best for pigs and how often is bathing them healthy? Also, I plan on getting a male as a companion for my female. What are some things I should know about neutering pigs, what have you experienced?

Thank you!

[Mastershroom]

Teeth clipping really shouldn't be necessary for a guinea pig, unless they have malocclusion or some other condition that prevents their teeth from wearing down normally. A good supply of grass hay should be all they need to keep their teeth in shape.

As for bathing, pigs rarely need it. Our older pig, Quee, just had her first bath a month ago, at 4 years old. We used Squeaky Clean small animal shampoo, which you can find at Petsmart or Petco or whatever pet store you have. I've read that kitten shampoo is also acceptable, but don't use puppy or human baby shampoo, as those are too harsh. Bathing too frequently is not good, as it will dry out your pigs' skin.

When it comes to neutering, pigs do not usually have any sort of difference in behavior before and after neutering, unlike other animals. But if you want to have a male-female pair, then obviously the male has to be neutered. You might also want to consider a female-female pair.

[skittyginny]

No clipping sounds nice. This is my first pig experience, I'm adopting sometime in the next few days.

I'll be sure to remember that.

The girl I'm adopting has had problems with other female pigs. So bad it caused her previous owner to abandon her. I've had two potentially fatal incidents with other small animals fighting with the same sex. Both times it was gender related. I'm tired of emergency vet visits. From what I understand about many small animals, female and male relationships don't involve the same dynamics of rivalry. You see my point? I've probably just had bad luck but it's forever changed me. My heart rat nearly died. :/

Thank you for your help!

[Mastershroom]

I've read that hamsters tend to fight, but guinea pigs are much more social and do well in groups. Obviously not every pig is the same, though, and some are very antisocial. lol I have no idea if a neutered male would get along better. For what it's worth, my two females get along great.

Sorry to hear about your rat. At least "almost died" is better than "died"... :x