Neutering-What Does It Entail And Does My Small Pet Need To Be Neutered or Not?

Okay folks so I’m not going to teach you how to suck eggs but I am going to cover some basics about neutering so that you can feel better informed about what it entails and if it is right or not for your small pet. Once again, I will be focusing this blog on rabbits and guinea pigs that make up the bulk of my pet care work and my passed formal training. I’m keen to help educate and promote better pet care right across the board so please do share this blog with other folk you may know who might need some neutering guidance.

Neutering, also known as spaying and castration is a common procedure carried out at vet clinics to prevent unwanted little ones arriving. Not neutering pets is one of the leading causes of a spiked number of homeless, unwanted pets right across Europe and the number one cause of lengthy waiting lists for surrendering pets to animal charities. But whilst most pet owners will know that neutering will prevent the animal from having offspring, often they are not aware of the other really important health benefits to their pet by being neutered. It’s important to state right now that neutering bunnies is

common practice where as for guinea pigs it is much less common. So I’m going to talk about pro’s and con’s and the general rules of thump for pigs first and then rabbits. It’s also important to say that neutering may not always be an option depending on your small pet species or even helpful to them to have the procedure. If you are breeding from your small pet then neutering would not be an option until such a time that you decided that breeding will cease. And there may yet be individual cases where health issues mean your vets suggest to not neuter due to the risks of the procedure being too high.

Unfortunately all small pets are fragile and while the benefits of neutering usually outweigh the risks, it’s important to remember that the procedure will always require a general aesthetic, which in its self is always a risk. So often I find that folk hear about rabbits being neutered and assume it’s the same for their guinea pigs but actually it’s totally different.

In most cases, only male guinea pigs are neutered. Neutering female guinea pigs can be very risky and should only be taken on by a guinea pig savvy vet if it needs doing for emergency reasons. But the general rule of thumb is that female guinea pigs don’t get neutered in less due to medical reasons that require it such as ovarian cysts or cancer. Folk can still get their female pig neutered if they wish but they need to understand that the procedure is far more complicated for female pigs and therefore carries much higher risk factors so needs to be decided upon on a case by case situation.

Advice can vary but the most common outlook when it comes to male guinea pigs is that neutering is a good idea to avoid unwanted pregnancies. But Unlike rabbits, neutering male guinea pigs doesn’t affect their behaviour and will not reduce fighting between a pair. Therefore it can also be advised to only neuter male guinea pigs if they cannot be paired with a male due to fighting, and need to be paired with a female. Male guinea pigs can be neutered from 3-4 months or as soon as their testicles are visible.

Neutering male pigs is less complicated in terms of procedure but still carries risks. Personally if you have male and female pigs together and you don’t want any little surprises then neutering is a sensible step to avoid that. It’s very important to also know that if you do get your male pig neutered to prevent unwanted babies, that he needs to be kept separate from any female pigs for up to three weeks after

the procedure to ensure no unwanted baby piggles appear.

Con’s for neutering piggies:

-Well firstly the obvious risk factor for any small pet is being put under general anaesthetic. If you have done the leg work and got yourselves a really great knowledgeable exotic vet then this lowers risk but sadly some small pets just do not tolerate anaesthetic well and a vet will not know this until they are put

under so no matter how much you plan and learn, there will always be this risk. Personally we have never had a small pet die from just being under anaesthetic but it can happen.

-Complications from the procedure are not common but still a valid reason to be cautious as infection can occur etc….and so very close monitoring of your small pet post procedure is needed. It can take a number of weeks to heal.

Pro’s for neutering piggies:

- the obvious like getting rid of the risk factor for having offspring born.

-Reduces the risk of cancer-Neutering can help prevent the development of uterine cancer in female guinea pigs and prostate cancer and mammary tumors in male guinea pigs

-Prevents ovarian cysts in female pigs

-Desexing guinea pigs can help ensure a calm temperament

-Neutering can help prevent rectal muscle atrophy in male guinea pigs, which can lead to impaction problems

So to sum up for piggies- males common for neutering, females not very common but like I always say, you need to have a frank conversation with your vet and decide for yourself once you’ve weighed everything up. If you decide not to neuter then you need to be aware off and accept the risk factors of other problems that may occur as a result of not neutering.

Now onto bunnies-Unlike pigs, with rabbits, the general advise is always to neuter your rabbit, doesn’t matter if they are female or male, the advice is always to neuter. Normally a rabbit can be neutered anytime between 4 and 6 months old however some vets may advise waiting till closer to 8 months to ensure full bone growth before having the procedure done. I know I keep saying it but having a good exotic vet is a must in order to get your rabbit the best care. So why should we neuter rabbits?

- Avoids unwanted pregnancies

-Reduces aggression. Neutered rabbits are less likely to display aggressive behaviours, such as mounting and urine spraying. 

 -Improves litter box habits. Neutered rabbits tend to have more reliable litter box habits.

 -Reduces stress. Neutered rabbits are calmer and easier to handle because they aren't experiencing sexual frustration. 

 -Reduces risk of cancer. Neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer in male rabbits and reduces the risk of uterine cancer in female rabbits by more than half.

 -Reduces odour. Neutered rabbits have less smelly urine and faecal pellets. 

 -Allows same-sex pairing. Neutered rabbits can be paired with a rabbit of the opposite sex without the risk of unwanted litters. 

 -Reduces roaming. Neutered rabbits are less likely to roam, which can reduce the risk of injury in fights or auto accidents. 

So to sum up, in less you are breeding from your rabbits then as a responsible bunny owner, neutering your bun is standard practice. Bunnies lead much happier longer life’s when neutered and in less there is a really serious reason as to why your rabbit cannot be neutered then there is no excuse.

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