what age to take from mommy

Question
I got a free puppy from a neighbor and he is almost a month old is he too young to be taken from his mom? Also, when I got him he was covered in fleas and I also think he has worms. I dont know what to do because I think even if I was to try and give him back it wouldnt be a healthy place for a new pup.

Answer
Puppies should remain with their mother and littermates for at least eight weeks so that they can learn bite inhibition and learn how to "talk dog". A three-week-old puppy should still be nursing from its mother; they don't even eat solid food well at this age. It really would be in this puppy's best interests to return it to its mother for a few more weeks. It also needs to be seen by a vet so that the parasites can be treated.

If you decide to keep this puppy anyway, it needs to be bottle-fed several times a day, including during the night. Solid food can be started in another week or so, by mixing a gruel out of ground-up dog food and milk replacer.