seperating babies

Question
i was just wandering at what age should we seperate babies from mother,,as they are about 5 weeks old now there are three babies not sure of there sexes yet thank you.


Answer
You should separate the males and females by the time they are 4 weeks old.  

You can sex the males by very gently pushing just in front of the vent (private parts) and if a penis begins to protrude you have a male.  You need to be very careful with this as pushing too hard can harm the guinea pigs.  Another way to tell is to gently open the vent area.  A vent that looks like it is all one piece (sort of like a Y) is a female, while a vent that has an obvious separation (looks sort of like an "i"), is a male.  The first way I mention is more definitive.  There are a lot of mistakes made using the second method.  

You could also have a vet or near-by cavy breeder check them.  Look for a national cavy organization to find a breeder near you.  In the US it would be the American Rabbit Breeders Association at arba.net.  They no longer list breeder online, but will refer you to one if you call or email.

I hope this helps.  If you have any other concerns or questions just let me know.

Annie