Neutering?

Question
Hi,

The young pig my kids bought a couple months ago just had a single baby. We're not certain of the gender, but we suspect it is a male.

My kids have already fallen in love with the baby, and want to keep it. We'd rather not have separate cages, and if it is a male we were wondering if neutering him would be a reasonable option.  If so, when should we have it done?

Thanks you so much!

--Dean


Answer
The best thing to do if possible would be to separate them, or place a divider in the cage if it is big enough at 3-4 weeks of age, so the male does not get the mom pregnant. If you want to neuter the male to eventually place him back in with the mom it wouldn't be able to be preformed until the pig was full grown, or mostly grown, so as early as 3-4 months depending on his size, it just depends on the vet though. Do make sure it is a male though, this is a helpful website, www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm . Neutering is an option, but they will have to be separated whether he is neutered or not, due to how fast guinea pigs mature. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Brittany