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Puberty What should I do with baby male guinea pig?

MomoPrincess

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I had 2 guinea pigs (Momo & Princess) but Momo was pregnant and had 2 babies... one of them male (Snow) and other one female (Batman). Snow is 2 weeks & 3 days old and I know I will need to separate him... I was planning to adopt another male guinea pig but I can't handle to have different play timings, putting them in different rooms, etc. I am a student and I can't spend double the time I already do with my guineas... I thought about neutering him but it's around 200~300 dollars just for neutering!!! Why the world is it so expensive I thought it would be around $50~100 dollars. I can't think of any other option other than to give him up for adoption :(

I was just wondering what would y'all do in this situation?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions <3:heart:
 

Soecara

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I often see people assuming the price of having a guinea pig neutered would be lower than it actually is. Often they base this off of the cost of having a dog or cat neutered, this is often wildly off base. It is just more complicated to neuter a guinea pig due to their open inguinal canal, they need a specialised vet, they need a different anaesthesia which is also more expensive and there is the difficulty/expertise in getting that anaesthesia just right as they are such a small animal.

One thing I do love about my guinea pigs is they really don't need me to spend as much one on one time as some other pets. Sure taking them out for play time and lap time is nice, but if they don't get that very often they can still be just as happy given they have an appropriately sized cage. I don't do floor time with all of my guinea pigs, simply because some of them just don't like it, they are either terrified or just want to get back into their cage. However the cost factor should be the biggest thing you should be considering, could you afford vet care for all of your guinea pigs if something were to happen? If taking on more, or keeping one more could mean you have to forgo vet care in a time of crisis then I would advise against it.

I personally would try to privately rehome before surrendering to a rescue.
 

Smileandnod

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What I DID do in your situation, where I adopted 2 females from our Humane Society who ended up being pregnant, was I got the only male baby neutered.

BUT ...before I went through with that decision:

1. I made sure I researched and had a qualified exotics vet who had successfully performed the surgery before

2. I made sure I realistically had the room and equipment (fleece pads, beds, food/water bowls) to expand my cage for all the pigs to have enough room as adults. Don't play around with this. If you don't have plenty of room you are setting yourself and them up for failure when they hit puberty and start squabbling for territory and dominance. Plan for more than the minimum space needed please. Trust me on this. A fight with an injury will definitely cost you more money than a neuter.

3. I had a hospital cage set up for immediately after surgery with just in case supplies which were needed unfortunately due to slight complications with him not wanting to eat & drink for almost the first 6 days after surgery. (Critical care, Pedialyte, syringes, bene-bac probiotic, his favorite veggies)

4. Time off to be available if needed. This ended up being crucial with the few days of feedings

5. A separate cage where he can't get to the females at all for a few weeks to continue to heal and wait until he is completely sterile. You can't just plop him in with the girls after he's neutered until you wait the appropriate time because he can still get them pregnant

I will honestly say keeping him and getting him neutered was a decision I am glad I made, but I made sure I had the means to pay for vet care, supplies and the room for a much bigger cage. Be honest with yourself about these crucial elements for his sake and yours as you make this decision.
 

bpatters

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One thing to consider -- he'll have to be several months old before he can be neutered. So you'll have to provide a separate cage with a lid on the girls's side. He can lift the lid on his own cage, but not on another cage.
 

Smileandnod

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Oh yes...Thank you [MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION]...I forgot to mention that.

My cavy savvy vet would not neuter my male until he was 6 months old and a certain weight.
 
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