Originally posted by cali
nonono!!! seperating from the mother at 6 weeks is WAY to old, by then he can breed his mom, they must be seperated as soon as they start rumblestrutting(rumbling and wiggling there butt) wich is 3-4 weeks old, once they are rumble strutting they absolutly MUST be seperated no matter how old they are, rumble strtting means they are ready to breed and can and WILL breed to there mom. I have raised several litters of piggies, and know lots of people who have as well.
Me too...six weeks is, according to all cavy literature and my experience, the best age at which to separate. Certainly not before five weeks. Many pups don't even wean before five weeks, so three weeks is definitely too early.
We had one litter (a particularly large one - sextuplets) that did not leave home until they were ten weeks old. They were just not mature enough. I know it differs from litter to litter, depending on the size, but generally, six weeks is best.
None of the sixteen males I have bred in the past have ever impregnated their mother, or any other female in the hutch, even up to the age of ten weeks. They will 'rumble strut' on occasion, this does not necessarily mean they are able to mate successfully. If the matter is particularly concerning then of course the mother could be separated, however, the litter should be together until six weeks of age.

From 'The Pig Shed'-
The age of the guinea pig is also a problem factor. Young guinea pigs that have been taken away from their mother too early may not survive long. This is not because they are dependant on their mother - they are actually born prococial, meaning, they are born fullly furred, with their eyes and ears open, able to run around and eat solid foods. It is because they suckle from their mother until they are at least five weeks old; this milk provides the body with cholostrum, which contains antibodies to help the immune system fight infection and disease.