Showing

Although guinea pigs were traditionally known by many as a children's pet, they make lovely companions for adults too. People of any age can show their cavies and the fancy welcomes and supports newcomers.


The first thing you need to know about showing, is that there are pet and pedigree classes. You can only show pedigree guinea pigs in the breed classes. These are typically bought from a registered breeder and come with a piece of paper detailing the cavies lineage. All other cavies can be shown in the pet or novelty classes. Some clubs even have fun days and training days where members can learn more about showing cavies.

It is quite acceptable to enter cavies that you have bought not bred. You don't need to have a registered stud name if you are showing pedigree cavies, you only need one if you wish to breed them.

The cavy fancy in Australia is governed by the Australian National Cavy Council (ANCC). They organise the National Cavy Show held annually in Narrandera, co-ordinate the registering of stud names and also produce the Book of Standards for the Exhibition Cavy. Each state has an affiliated council. The state councils/clubs take it in turns to host the National Cavy Show as well as running local shows for their members.
 
For those who are in Queensland like me, you will be pleased to know, there are seven clubs affiliated with the QCC in Queensland. The Cavy Owners and Breeders Society of Qld, Brisbane Cavy Fanciers and Bayside Cavy Club all in the South East corner of the State. The Capricornia Cavy Club is in Rockhampton and the North Queensland Cavy Club is based in Townsville. There is also a Cairns Cavy Club  and an Atherton Cavy Club.

There are also cavy sections at some Agricultural Shows in Queensland. Typically, these are usually run by one of the local clubs.

Your guide for cavy showing, is the book of Standards for the Exhibition Cavy. It lists each breed in its group and describes what the cavy should look like (type, coat, eyes, ears, etc.), the faults, the disqualifications and what points each item is worth. It can be downloaded (printed off) the Australian National Cavy Council’s website.

For information on preparing your cavy to show check out my page specially dedicated to the topic.

Purpose built carry cages to transport your cavies to a show are stackable, easy to lead and carry but you can also use a 'picnic basket' type bought from your local cheap shop.

It is a good idea to use a paper-based litter such as Breeders Choice, Ekwizorb or Back2Nature as they are less messy than wood-shavings and more absorbent. A cloth or corflute "kicker"  around the edges along the bottom helps keep any mess inside the cages and not on the floor. Small plastic water bottles are good and of cause some food. If the weather is  hot take a towel that can be soaked in water and put over the cages keeps them cool.

You should also use a sheet of plastic, table cloth or tarp to cover the table under your cages as it will make cleaning up after the show much quicker and easier.

You will also need a showboard or 30 x 30 cm carpet square per cavy entered.  The cavy is placed atop it during showing, to keep them off the tablecloth and also to help prevent catching any parasites. Showboards are made of plywood and have a small block at each corner. They are then covered in an elastic edged material of your choice and colour. Plain colours are typically seen in pedigree classes but some people like to use quite bright or patterened designs in the pet sections.

Check with your club whether you need to bring a folding chair and table, or whether they will be provided. Don't forget to bring a grooming kit, with brushes, smoothing mitts (a mitten made of velvet or similar material to smooth the cavies coat,) nail-clippers and gloves

Your entry forms should be sent in prior to the show. On arrival you go to the show secretary's table and pay your entry fees (unless they have been paid in advance). You will be given a sheet with your cavies' details and their class number. You will also get a strip of circular sticky-backed labels with the cavies class numbers on them. When your cavy is on the table, they should have the relevant label attached to their left ear.

 When your cavies class is called you present them on the judging table, atop their show board. They should be positioned front-on to the judge with their coat groomed to their breed standard in order to show off their head, shoulders and body type. There is no talking during this time except by the judge. Who will pick up each cavy and examine them for problems such as fur faults, lice or mites, bare belly, lack of satinisation, ear folds. incorrect pigment, defects or conditions such as fatty eye. They will also assess their type, size, head, ears, eyes, coat, depth of colour, condition and conformation to the breed standards.

Sometimes the judge will crouch down low in his assessment to look at the cavies, or even pull some out from the rest on their boards/carpets and turn them sideways to compare them for closely. Listen carefully to any comments the judge may make during this time. Cards will then be placed down awarding the first three or more cavies in the class. These will be noted down by the show steward. If your cavy wins their class, they will also be up against the winners of the other classes to compete for best of group.

Clubs also have club champion and point score systems, with points accumulating throughout the year. The results of these are usually announced at a special event or end of year party.

If you would like to breed as well as show, you will need a stud name which will become the prefix to all of your cavies names when you breed them. If you purchase a cavy from another breeder they retain their own stud prefix. So each cavies stud prefix is theirs for life.

Most clubs provide a stud application form as part of their membership kit. It is also available on the  ANCC website. Choose your first three preferences, read through the register to ensure they are not similar to an existing stud prefix and then send the paperwork with the appropriate fee to the Australian National Cavy Council. If your first choice is already in use or deemed too similar to one already registered then you will get your next preference.

There is more information about breeding on my specially dedicated breeding page. There are also other tips relating to showing on my newcomer tips page. If you have any other questions call your local cavy club and I am sure they will be only too happy to help.


Checklist for Showing

Brushes, cotton buds, fresh food, garbage bags, good sportsmanship, grooming mitt, hair dryer, hand towel, highlighter, lint-roller, nail clippers, newspaper, paper towel, pen, pins, rubber bands, show board/s, show cages, snuggle beds, spare bedding, spare round sticky dots, spare wrappers, sticky tape, table cloth, tweezers, water bottle, water bottles, water soluble eucalyptus oil, wipes/wet ones.

1 comment:

  1. I do guinea pig shows and this has some really good imformation for beginner as it clearly explains e.g their are pet sections and also pedigree/pure bred sections.

    ReplyDelete