[Gpdd] Rescue (spca adoption)

[alicia rogers]

Hey to all the gp lovin' slaves from a relatively new slave.
 
Today we adopted a gp from a shelter.  We drove an hour and a half to pick her up - hoping for a suitable cage-mate for our gp Coco Puff.  We petted and talked to her, she was so docile and sweet we knew right away she would fit right in.  (Besides, she was being kept in the kitty room in a small wire bottomed cage and eating rabbit pellets - we could not leave her there)
 
The problem now is "she" very definitely is a "he".  I cannot believe I didn't think to check, but "she" was listed on their web site as a female.  But what a sweetie he is.  He's relaxed enough not to jump too much when we have to put our hands in the cage.  I'm going to give him a week to settle in and have a vet appointment already for a check up and to see about neutering - hoping to keep them together eventually since I made a C&C cage plenty large enough for two (thanks to gpdd.)  I have also been reading about a couple of little male rascals in this digest and want to avoid a paternity issue.
 
Question #1 - can a female and a neutered male live happily ever after in the same cage?
 
#2 - How hard is the surgery on a gp?  I'm apprehensive about having it done - what can I expect his recovery to be like?
 
#3 - Is taking care of a male gp a lot more difficult than a female?  I've read in almost every gp book about impaction and what a chore it is to keep them clean.  I never intended to have a male for that reason.
 
Hoping for some advice --- thanks from Alicia, Coco Puff and the newly renamed Trix