English Self Cavy Club

If you plan to show your cavies, good feeding and general care are the basic requirements. Cavies should be housed in a light, well ventilated shed or building. They should be kept on clean, dry bedding and given a plentiful supply of good quality hay, fresh vegetables or green food, and grain.

If a cavy is to have any chance of an award at a top show, it must be fit, in perfect coat and clean. Fitness comes with correct feeding and management. The cavy should have a good covering of flesh, especially over the shoulders. Some will not put weight on unless housed alone, while others eat better if kept with an agreeable companion. It is a good plan to feed favourite tit-bits during the fortnight before an important show. Those extra ounces may just give a pig the edge over its fellow competitors. Many pigs lose weight and firmness travelling to a show, especially in hot weather. They may also lose condition if they get a lot of handling by stewards and Judges - all good reasons to try and attain maximum weight and fitness beforehand.

A healthy cavy should have a good and complete coat. If there is any missing top coat, thin scurfy patches, the cavy has lice, or continual scratching is taking place, these problems should be investigated and treated. Only when the coat and skin are in good order should a cavy be considered for entry at a show. Any stains on the coat which will not wash off will need removing, by plucking out the damaged hair. The sooner this is done the sooner new hair will replace it. The cavy cannot be shown until it does.

Rather than just write my own views of coat preparation, I decided to do a little research. So, at the last Bradford Championship Show I talked to ten successful Self breeders, covering all the colours, some several times.

As the show standard says ‘Coat short and silky’, it is necessary to remove the guard hairs by grooming, usually with the finger and thumb. Opinions vary as to when grooming should take place, between three weeks before and four days before a show. Some fanciers did it in two sessions, one early to remove the majority of guard hair and one nearer the show to finish off. Some preferred to groom a little every day or every other day. This continuous method is quite a good plan, it keeps the new coat coming through which means that the colour should be kept at its best. Also heavy moulting can usually be avoided.

Grooming from tail working towards head seems most popular, only the odd one did it the opposite way. One fancier groomed her pigs on a board using two hands. Another sprayed his with a misting spray, finding it easier to work with a damp coat. Wearing a rubber glove may be helpful in grooming a thick or difficult coat, but care must be taken not to over groom. Both rubber and bristle brushes were used in the grooming process. Adult pigs may need their nails cut and this can easily be done with a pair of ordinary nail scissors.

Everyone I spoke to was in favour of bathing their self s prior to a show, and most gave boars two baths. Sometimes they get quite greasy, especially around the tail area, and a little liquid soap or Swarfega rubbed in before bathing will help. Golden, Cream, Beige, Red and Chocolate breeders preferred to bath well before the show, a week, ten days or even two weeks, whilst most Black and White Breeders bathed their cavies about four days before. One couple bath their whites as late as possible the night before a show, but added that this is not a good idea unless the cavy is really fit. Another successful White exhibitor wanted me to believe that he ran a bath of warm water the night before a show and put in the cavy for a swim. He reckoned that the swimming developed their muscles and put them in good fettle to win.

When bathing your cavy try to be calm and gentle, make it feel safe. If it takes fright, stroke and settle it before carrying on. Use a bowl half filled with lukewarm water. Lift the cavy in and wet the coat thoroughly, then lift it out to stand on a towel. Rub the shampoo well in all over, return to the bowl and rinse. If necessary repeat the process making sure to remove all traces of soap and grime at the final rinse. I find a small mixer spray ideal for this purpose.

With regard to shampoos, everyone I spoke to used a different one, ranging from dog and cat shampoos, Black Out and Bright White to human makes including Old Spice and medicated ones for dandruff. Just a matter of personal choice it seems. Only two people were in favour of using conditioner.

Methods of drying provided my next question; and most used towels followed by a hair dryer. One lady recommended an especially quiet one which did not alarm the cavies. Not many allowed natural drying in a warm room. If this method is used, the coat should be combed through while still damp if it is to lie evenly when dry. Make sure that the animal is properly dry before returning it to an outside pen, especially in cold weather.

Once the cavy has had its final bath, particular attention should be paid to cleanliness of its surroundings. The pen should be kept clean and any soiled bedding replaced daily. If the cavy is allowed to lie on damp hay this could result in fur loss underneath. Where light coloured pigs are concerned travelling boxes should be dusted out before use and it is as well to wipe out the pen at the show. Even the boxes on the judging table are often dusty. Any highly coloured foods should be avoided, as there could leave a stain around the mouth.

Some cavies need to be trained to sit still. This can be started when the cavy is quite young if it is expected to have a show career. Set him up on a box or table and each time he moves put him back in position. Doing this for a short time daily usually gives good results in the end. It is advantageous for a cavy to sit still and show itself off on the judging table.

On the morning of the show, or the evening before if you are setting off early, check your exhibit over thoroughly. This should be done in daylight if possible. Look for any stains or soiling which say have been picked up since bathing. You may find the feet and nails need re-washing. A White may need its whole underside doing again or around the mouth. All this can be done without wetting the body coat. Check for static lice, which can appear overnight and could lead to the judge sending the cavy back to its pen uncarded. Static lice or hay mite look like dust in the coat, usually appearing around the rump. Nuvan Top Spray may help loosen them followed by brushing with a rubber brush. In the long term, a human head lice shampoo is the remedy. Finally, add the finishing touch by stroking the coat with a cloth till a nice shine appears. Cotton Velvet, Silk, a piece of towel and bristle brush were all recommended for this purpose.

Take your preparation equipment to the show with you so a last comb and polish can be given before judging. A towel, comb, wet wipes and talcum powder are all useful items to have with you. A cavy may not be shown with talc in its coat, but it is useful to help dry up one which has wet itself travelling. Make sure it is all brushed out before penning.

I hope that newcomers to the fancy have found this article helpful and not too confusing. I would advise practising your grooming at first on cavies which are not going to be shown, until you master the technique. Trial bathing could also be tried to see how many days it takes for the coat to come back to its best. Different hair textures take different lengths of time.

If you breed a good cavy and intend to show it, it is up to you to provide good husbandry and show preparation to give it the chance to win what it deserves to on the show table.