Should You Spay/Neuter Your Guinea Pig(s)?

One question I was asked at the adoption fair was whether or not I have my guinea pigs fixed, or whether it was even possible. Yes, it is possible, but doing so is expensive and risky for these little guys. Guinea pigs do not take well to anesthesia, and it is nearly impossible to give them an IV (it usually has to go into a bone in the leg), so ANY surgery on a guinea pig is difficult to begin with. The only time you would need to spay or neuter is if you plan on keeping a male and female together. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it. You can learn how to tell males and females apart (like I did!) at www.cavyspirit.com; the link is to the left of the blog. As far as explaining to everyone why you're looking at guinea pigs' nether regions on the computer...well, you're on your own! :)