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Introductions New additions- Surprise Boy!

duvelisa

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Hi guys! I'm brand new here, and could definitely use some advice! I apologize in advice, because this is probably going to get long and I wasn't quite sure what to label this predicament!

About a year ago we adopted two skinny pigs, Betty (mom), and Fiona (baby). Unfortunately this summer Fiona passed away. We're not entirely sure why, but our vet thinks it was a heart condition due to poor breeding/genetics. We considered leaving Betty solo, but recognize the need for a herd and then happened to see that these two fluffy babies needed a home.

Betty is a girl, and we were told that these new piggies were a month old and both girls (stupid us... we didn't check:ashamed:). We got the babies home, named them Tegan and Sara, did quarantine, and then introductions. Things went great, so we naturally put them all in the same cage over this past weekend. We do floor time every day, and will hang out and watch their interactions for a while in their cage, just to make sure everyone is getting along. We've heard a few grumbles (mostly when someone tries to steal an apple or bell pepper slice), but haven't heard any teeth chattering or anything like that.

However, I noticed that Tegan, who is the most confident baby piggie ever, does a ton of rumblestrutting, mostly directed at Betty. I know this isn't uncommon, but also know this is typically a male behavior. It kinda clicked this morning that hey- maybe Tegan isn't actually a girl. So, we did investigating on all three this morning, and sure enough when we looked at Tegan there was a little penis :eek::eek::eek:hmy:!

So here's our predicament... We can absolutely get him neutered (we're attached, and he seems attached to Betty and Sara, so rehoming is not an option). However, I talked to 2 vets this morning who don't recommend surgery until at least 4 months old! That's 3 months away! What do we do until then? Separate them? I would hate for Tegan to be by himself and have to do reintroductions after he's neutered. And what are the odds that someone is already pregnant?! Ahhh!!!

Thanks to anyone who has any words of wisdom. Here are some pictures if I managed to attach them correctly!

IMG_0128.jpgIMG_0129.jpgIMG_0138.jpgIMG_0140.jpgIMG_0144.jpg
 

bpatters

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Definitely separate them NOW! He's plenty old enough to impregnate a female, and Betty is too old for a first pregnancy. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...inea-pig-is-pregnant-And-how-far-along-is-she. Just be aware that there's no way to know for sure she is pregnant until she's 5-6 weeks along. If she is, you'll need a vet visit at some point to see if she's carrying one large pup that may make it difficult/impossible for her to deliver normally.

He'll be unhappy to be separated, but it has to be done. You can put him in an adjacent cage with a lid on the GIRLS' side -- a male can push up the lid on his own cage, but can't lift the lid on another one.
 

Soecara

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If I understand correctly it wouldn't be Betty's first pregnancy, as Fiona was her pup. If that is the case it still wouldn't be good for Betty to be pregnant, but it wouldn't be as bad as it would if she had never given birth before.

I would also be quite concerned for Sarah. If they were a month old when you got them, and then you did a full two week quarantine, that puts her within the age when female guinea pigs are first able to become pregnant, as female guinea pig usually become sexually mature at around 6 weeks old.
 

bpatters

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Good catch, [MENTION=24757]Soecara[/MENTION]. I missed that she'd had at least one pup already.
 

duvelisa

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Thank you both so much! Yes, [MENTION=24757]Soecara[/MENTION], it would be Betty's second pregnancy (at least that we know of since it was before we adopted her). We did some emergency reconfiguration and turned our 4x2 + loft into a 3x2 next to a 2x2. Not ideal, but at least they're separated. About broke my heart seeing Tegan all alone and hearing the trio call out to each other.

Got to talk to my preferred exotics vet who said that he's more concerned with the physical development than the age of the boar when he neuters. So as soon as Tegan's testicles drop and the vet is comfortable, off to surgery he'll go.

We'll keep a close eye on the girls. The little dude was also in with a third sibling and mom (whom were adopted the day before we picked up Tegan and Sara), so he's probably been having all sorts of fun! Thanks for the link [MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION]. Definitely nice to have an idea of what to keep an eye out for. We'll book the girls in at the vet ASAP if we notice anything suspicious.

Again, thanks for your advice!
 

pigmommy89

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Be aware that weight is the main issue for anesthesia. The smaller a pig is, the more difficult it is for them to maintain their body temperature under anesthesia. That's why most vets will want to wait until they're a little older.
 

Dharma1521

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I love their names so much.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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