ManxMargie
New Member
Cavy Gazer
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2023
- Posts
- 2
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2023
- Messages
- 2
Today my Guinea Pig, Samwise, had a ultrasound to examine gender and is now a confirmed hermaphrodite.
2 years ago I took in 2 foster pigs. They were "males" and had been found in a box in a park. The two were the most terrified and traumatized piggies I have ever seen. Aside from the abandonment, I suspect neglect and mishandling. After they settled in and relaxed I gave them my at home piggie health check. One seemed a completely normal boar and the other did not have testes. I thought it very unlikely that someone that would pay to neuter their piggie would just abandoned them in a park. (around here neutering is $400) The vet suggested undescended testes.
Then came behavioral observations. The two "males" got along with absolutely zero dominance displays. I also have two girls and I started by experimenting with things like putting items from the girls cage in with the "boys." Smelling and sniffing but no dominance. I got the other male, Frodo, neutered. I then placed the cages of the the two pairs near each other, so they could see and smell each other. After a few months a tried putting all four together in the outdoor pen, with some outdoor time. Samwise did not display any male behaviors. I moved their cages directly adjacent. My two "boys" still had zero dominance displays. Seven months after Frodo's neutering, I did a group bonding which went great. Much to my surprise, Samwise became the alpha pig and all others excepted their leadership.
All four have been very happy together for 14 months. Samwise, Frodo and my female Bea are best buddies and I call them my '3 Pigateers'. The female, Cookie, is a loner. When the girls go into heat, Frodo chases them about and mounts them. Samwise just ignores them all.
Samwise had an ultrasound. Absolutely no evidence of testes and the penis is "very underdeveloped". The ultrasound did show a "thin tubular structure" where a uterus would be and 1.3 cm L structure" where the right ovary would be. (quotations here come from the vet's report) Vet declared Samwise to be a hermaphrodite.
2 years ago I took in 2 foster pigs. They were "males" and had been found in a box in a park. The two were the most terrified and traumatized piggies I have ever seen. Aside from the abandonment, I suspect neglect and mishandling. After they settled in and relaxed I gave them my at home piggie health check. One seemed a completely normal boar and the other did not have testes. I thought it very unlikely that someone that would pay to neuter their piggie would just abandoned them in a park. (around here neutering is $400) The vet suggested undescended testes.
Then came behavioral observations. The two "males" got along with absolutely zero dominance displays. I also have two girls and I started by experimenting with things like putting items from the girls cage in with the "boys." Smelling and sniffing but no dominance. I got the other male, Frodo, neutered. I then placed the cages of the the two pairs near each other, so they could see and smell each other. After a few months a tried putting all four together in the outdoor pen, with some outdoor time. Samwise did not display any male behaviors. I moved their cages directly adjacent. My two "boys" still had zero dominance displays. Seven months after Frodo's neutering, I did a group bonding which went great. Much to my surprise, Samwise became the alpha pig and all others excepted their leadership.
All four have been very happy together for 14 months. Samwise, Frodo and my female Bea are best buddies and I call them my '3 Pigateers'. The female, Cookie, is a loner. When the girls go into heat, Frodo chases them about and mounts them. Samwise just ignores them all.
Samwise had an ultrasound. Absolutely no evidence of testes and the penis is "very underdeveloped". The ultrasound did show a "thin tubular structure" where a uterus would be and 1.3 cm L structure" where the right ovary would be. (quotations here come from the vet's report) Vet declared Samwise to be a hermaphrodite.
