General Possibly Adopting. Need advice!

[kitgal421]

I currently have two male guinea pigs and am possibly thinking of adopting a third. I volunteer at a local animal shelter and there is currently one guinea pig there.

Here are my problems:
1) The guinea pig is a girl so she would need to be spayed considering I have two boys. I know this is a pretty invasive/risky procedure for gp's. Does anyone have stories for or against spaying? Would an un-neutered boar be able to get along with a spayed sow?

2) My boys are housed separately each in a 2x4 C/C cage. They simply could not get along together in one cage. They fought way too much. If I adopted this girl, the plan would be (have her spayed) and match her with one of my boys.

3) Space. I live in a studio apartment so clearly my two 2x4 cages already take up a ton of space. That is the main reason I would want to match her with one of my boys and hopefully save some cage space. Would a 2x4 work for a spayed sow and boar?

Hah, I know i'm failing at this whole "volunteer" thing. And even if I adopt this girl, other guinea pigs will come in. What then? Ah, I just want to adopt them all! Really, everything logical is telling me this isn't the best idea. However, my heart cant help but want to take her home. I suppose I just need to talk it through with people.

 

[jm_1234]

If your boys really don't get along then getting them each a female is not a bad idea. That way they each have a companion. It is way easier to neuter a male and a lot less risky, have you thought about neutering your boys instead? You still have to keep them seperated from female for 4-5 weeks I believe. Your males would not be able to go back together because they will continue to fight over the female.

 

[PiggiPower]

I agree with jm_1234, getting one girl for each dude would be good.

 

[Petlovr]

Can't you just spend extra time with the female when you volunteer? Go in early and handle her so she's friendly and has a better chance of being adopted? Can you post her here? I think if you have enough with 2 boars, getting another pig just because you feel sorry for her isn't a good idea. I should talk, though, seeing all the animals I have...

 

[sdpiggylvr]

1) The guinea pig is a girl so she would need to be spayed considering I have two boys. I know this is a pretty invasive/risky procedure for gp's. Does anyone have stories for or against spaying? Would an un-neutered boar be able to get along with a spayed sow?

An un-neutered boar would be able to get along with a spayed sow. But as with all guinea pigs, it is a matter of personalities working out or not. Even if you spayed her, there's no guarantee they would get along together. It's a bit of a risk, but since you have two boys you have two different options for her.

My main consideration is how often do you get homeless guinea pigs at your shelter? Also, have you looked into other avenues for adopting a guinea pig (i.e. another shelter/rescue, Craigslist, etc.)? If you rarely get guinea pigs into your shelter and you have no other options as far as adopting, then I would say to adopt this girl and see about getting her spayed with an experienced vet. Be very careful and make an informed decision about the vet you choose.

3) Space. I live in a studio apartment so clearly my two 2x4 cages already take up a ton of space. That is the main reason I would want to match her with one of my boys and hopefully save some cage space. Would a 2x4 work for a spayed sow and boar?

Yes, a 2x4 is a good size for a pair. Floor time is also still highly encouraged despite the adequate cage size.

Above all, it's up to you to decide if you want to spend the money and risk the chance that she doesn't make it through the surgery or that there are complications. I would say go for it if adoptable guinea pigs are rare in your area.

Best of luck!