Sexing Just wondering...

[moshimasher]

I'm just wondering what will happen to a male guinea pig that has not been netured. I have a male guinea pig named Snickers, and he is NOT netured. When my mom had cats when she was a kid, hers had kittens. She never had any male cats, but she said male cats will "mark their territory" on walls and things. I have a male cat and we got him netured. I was wondering if it was the same thing with guinea pigs too, or something diffrent, like searching for a mate nonstop. (cats do that) Please reply. Thanks

 

[CavyMama]

Hmmm I'm not sure I understand your question. Nothing will "happen" to an in-tact male. They don't search for mates unless they smell a female nearby. They do sometimes "mark" by rubbing their butt in certain areas of the cage but that's about it.

 

[Petlovr]

Nothing happens to a male pig that is not nuetered. He might masturbate. He should be fine. Most male pigs are not nuetered because the surgery is dangerous. Do not let him near any girl pigs, and there won't be any babies. Cats are different, they don't live in a cage. Sometimes boars will scent mark by rubbing their butts on the bedding.

 

[moshimasher]

Thanks guys for answering my question. I was getting worried because, when I first got my guinea pig, I read a guide, and one part of the guide told me to get a male guinea pig neutered. Thank u again commenters

 

[Buggie_00]

Having a male neutered is only necessary if you're going to have him live in a cage with females. Otherwise if he's on his own or with another male he'll be fine. They do mark their territory by rubbing their rears on things but nothing like a male cat spraying if that's what you worried about. We had our male neutered simply because he was alone and we wanted him to be able to live with our two sows. Before his neuter he would occasionally get frisky with things in his cage but nothing obcessive. Once with the girls he tried to get frisky with them a few times and my proper girls wanted none of that nonsense ha ha ha. But even if he did manage to do anything with them there will be no babies because he's neutered. Neutering is a bit risky but if they are healthy and you have a good vet there is no reason to believe that it won't go well. They need to stay away from any females for at least 3 weeks post neuter and they heal pretty quickly if there aren't any complications.

 

[mufasa]

They do make "boar stank" once in a while, but in my experience it's pretty rare. I think Borat's done it twice since we've had him, and he lives next door to a female so even that doesn't cause it regularly. He loves to rub his butt and scent mark, but that doesn't smell at all that I can tell. Unneutered piggies are more prone to impactions so you do need to watch for that, especially as they get older.

 

[bpatters]

Actually, females are more likely than males to spray pee everywhere. It's how they discourage unwanted advances from other guinea pigs, but it isn't particularly smelly. Not all females do it, and a few males will do it, but boar glue and boar stank are the usual weapons that the boars use.

 

[salana]

A very very very few intact boars are oversexed and will go utterly crazy trying to get to nearby sows. They also make horrible boar stank, and tend to "glue" (ejaculate on) their cagemates or toys. 99.9999999% of boars are reasonably hormonal and will only glue occasionally. Testicle cancer is almost unheard of in guinea pigs.

Neutering has only slight health benefits: the boar is at lower risk for developing impaction problems, which is really minor. Neutering will also protect the boar's friends and toys from the indignity of having glue cut out of their hair. And of course, three weeks after neutering, the boar is sterile.

However, neutering is surgery, and has health risks. Besides the anesthesia risk, hernias are a major risk of neutering. The testicles help block the inguinal ring, and if it's not properly closed during surgery, the intestines can fall into the scrotum. Also, the scrotum area is not very clean, because guinea pigs poop a lot. That can lead to infections. Some guinea pigs are allergic to the most common sutures. Infections or suture reactions can lead to giant abscesses.

When I had Jackie neutered (he was the only oversexed boar I've ever known of, and I was neutering him so he could live with his mom and her friend after his brother Einstein died) I explained to the vet that his mother Suzi had had severe reactions to the sutures. The vet only did abdominal neuters, and he agreed to use a less common suture type, Vicryl. With the abdominal incision, there is the risk of abdominal wall hernia. However, filthy stinky Jackie had no infection or reaction or hernia, and healed perfectly. Then I discovered that the neuter had made him less of a jerk, and he only had the sex drive of an ordinary boar.