PROFST ByEDWtNr.DeiCKE '/-< •i^ Class Book (^^ Jy U CopyrightNi CTDEffilGHT DEFOSai EDWIN F DEICKE CAVIES For Pleasure and Profit The greatest collection of information pertaining to Cavies ever published. An Encyclopaedia of valuable knowledge for the amateur as well as professional breeder of Cavies. BY EDWIN F. DEICKE Illustrated G^ COPYRIGHT 1917 BY EDWIN F. DEICKE ©CI.A453687 CONTENTS PAGE 1 . Introduction 7 2. Characteristics of the Cavy 8 3. The Origin of the Cavy 12 4. The Commercial Use of Cavies 13 5. Why the Cavy is such a wonderful Pet 16 6. Where Cavies thrive best 18 7. Proper Housing for Cavies 21 8. Hutches and how to build them 23 9. How to keep record of your stock 35 10. What Cavies eat and what they should eat 38 1 1 . Correct Breeding Methods 44 12. Line-Breeding, Cross-Breeding and In-Breeding 50 13. Diseases — -Their Prevention and Cure 55 14. The value of buying stock direct from the Breeder 60 1 5 . The Great Demand for Cavies 63 16. Cavies preferable to other Pet Stock, Poultry and Pigeons 65 17. How to Exhibit Cavies and what it means 67 18. How to market Cavies and what prices to expect 72 19. Advertising and Selling 74 20. How to transport Cavies 76 2 1 . How to Start 79 22. The Cavy Breeder's Ten Commandments 81 23. Different Varieties 82 24. Notes of interest regarding the Cavy Industry 94 25. Conclusion . . . .- 97 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT INTRODUCTION Many booklets, circulars, etc., have been written about the useful little cavy, but never in the history of this pleasant and profitable hobby has the cavy received due consideration. No book has ever been written in this country giving all the information and necessary advice pertaining to this splendid source of profit and recreation. The cavy offers unlimited opportunities to any man, woman or child. The cavy industry is just in its infancy and for this reason the writer has taken it upon himself to write a complete book about the cavy and the wonder- ful opportunity it offers. This book is not published with the idea of getting rich through the sale of it, but on the other hand it is published for the sake of promoting this clean sport, as well as creating an even greater demand for the cavy. The field is new; the opportunities are great; the profits are handsome, the expenses are small; therefore is it not the duty of some experienced cavy fancier to get busy and interest people in this new field? The writer feels confident that any person who intends to breed cavies, or is already a breeder of cavies, can not help but derive a whole lot of benefit from the information contained in this book. The cavy, because of its charming features, is liked by everybody who comes in contact with it. Once a person becomes interested in cavies, he usually remains a fancier for the rest of his life. It is this human appeal which the cavy possesses that is largely responsible for the true and enthusiastic fanciers of today. mz 'rif^''^^'" BACK HiNDaw'\RrERS SIDE ^oF BODY HIND FEET Outline of Cavy CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAVY To begin with we will explain very thoroughly what the cavy (commonly known as the guinea pig) is, and what it looks like. The above illustration gives a good idea of the shape and size of the cavy. The cavy is a little animal which when three months old usually weighs from 14 to 20 ounces. Full grown cavies from the age of six months and up usually weigh from 24 to 35 ounces, vary- ing of course according to their condition. Characteristics: Blunt nose; short ears; which should neither stand upright nor hang down, but extend straight away from the head as is shown in the above illustration. Their eyes are very prominent. They have four toes on their forefeet and three on their hind feet. The toes are free from web, their nails being neither long, nor sharp. There are two peculiar things about the cavy, they have no tail, and need no water. The cavy is an animal in a class by itself, but has practically the same characteristics as the rabbit; it thrives on almost the same food and is considered a pet the same as a rabbit, only the cavy is harmless in that it does not scratch nor bite like rabbits, nor does it appear to be half as wild as the rabbit, and therefore makes a splendid pet. It is absolutely the most prolific, healthy, hardy and also the most profitable of all animals in the pet stock CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT industry. This is a very broad and open statement but it is nevertheless a fact and based on the statements and records of successful breeders and fanciers. Because this little animal is contented with a very small supply of food, ( takes up very little room, looks neat and beautiful at all times, and when you consider the constant demand for them you can readily see what the opportunities in this field are. Those who will become interested in this pleasant and profitable work will commence to enjoy the pleasure and profits as soon as the first few dollars are invested in them, and it will be an investment no person will ever regret. By investing a little spare money in cavies, you take absolutely no risk, because there is everything to gain and nothing to lose. The cavy comes in many different colors, such as pure white, black, red, creams, chocolates, blue, brindle, t tortoise, (consisting of red and black parts) and the tortoise and white, (consisting of black, red and white). The tortoise and white cavies are really very pretty, but excellent care must be exercised in breeding them in order to obtain beautiful marked colors. The subject of correct breeding will be explained thoroughly under the subject of "Correct Breeding Methods." Then we also have the Agoutis' which come in a // golden grey and a silver grey. The silver grey Agoutis have almost the same color as wild rabbits, but are very pretty and many prefer them. The golden grey Agouti in color is similar to that of a squirrel. The Agoutis are winning favor and many comments among the cavy breed- ers and fanciers, because of their beauty and scarcity. Then there are also the Peruvians and Abyssinians. Both of these two varieties should be grouped in a class by themselves, because they differ so much from the English cavy, and are not used for laboratory purposes, etc., because of their scarcity and beauty. The Peruvians are very pretty because of their beauti- ful long silky hair, and when the Peruvians are kept in CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT condition and proper attention is paid to their fur, they are considered the best in cavies. The price of Peruvians is usually a good deal higher than the price of English cavies, because they play so important a part as pets and are well liked by children. They also cause unusual com- ment at exhibitions. The white Peruvians, if kept in nice clean hutches and if their fur gets proper attention, are without a question the most beautiful of all pets. The time will soon be here when the white Peruvians will be considered the best pet animals. The Peruvians also come in other colors, such as solid red, and mixed colors. The Abyssinian is another one of the cavies which should be considered in a class by itself, for they as well as the Peruvian are so different from the English cavy. The Abyssinian does not have long and silky hair like the Peruvian, but on the other hand its fur is divided into rosettes, and the more rosettes (that is beautiful divisions of the fur into the shape of a rose) the prettier the Abys- sinian is considered to be. The Abyssinians come in solid colors, as well as in many broken colors. The Abyssinians like the Peruvians are fast commencing to hold their own among Pet Stock. Among the scarcer class of cavies we also have the Dutch and Himalayan cavies. These also come under iEe class of smooth haired or English cavies and their scarcity is due largely to the difficulty in obtaining the correct markings. The Himalayan cavies like the Him- alayan rabbits are indeed very pretty. The Himalayans when young are pure white and later on their ears, nose, forelegs and hind legs will turn into black; when this correct marking is obtained you have indeed something to be proud of. The Dutch marked cavy consists of black and white and red and white markings. The correct markings of the Dutch marked cavy as well as those of the Himalayan are fully explained under "Different Varieties." Cavies may be kept in the basement during the Winter, or outdoors in the Summer, although good results are 10 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT obtained by keeping them in a good dry ventilated base- ment all year round. The cavy like any other animal or human being, in order to enjoy perfect health, should get all the fresh air possible, of course avoiding a draft, which might result in a cold. Cavies always seem happy and prolific, no matter where you keep them. Some people have the idea that cavies will keep away rats like the ferret; this story how- ever has no foundation and is not true. On the other hand if rats will get into a hutch containing youngsters, they are sure to kill or carry off all they can get hold of. \ THE ORIGIN OF THE CAVY To establish the complete and true origin of the cavy seems to be impossible ; although much research work has been done to establish facts along this line. As far as we are able to learn the cavy was introduced in Europe during the 16th Century, by the Spanish people returning from South America, principally from the Peru and Bolivia Regions, where the Spaniards found the natives using them mostly for food. They were introduced into the United States shortly after being introduced in the Old Country, being brought over by emigrants who settled in the New World. Shortly after the cavy made its appearance in England, it became very popular and soon made its way into the show rooms, and since then it has become so popular that no Pet Stock show is complete without an exhibition of cavies in all varieties. Some of the men in England, who are greatly responsible for the present popularity of the cavy are the following: Mr. C. A. House; Mr. E. Lank- ford, Mr. J. Walker, Mr. A. Garden, Mr. G. Billett, Mr. Alf Outhwaite, Mr. H. H. Brown, Mr. A. Roberts, and many others. These men as well as a number of other true cavy fanciers in England, put forth endless efforts to produce a high-grade cavy, worthy of the show-room, and as a result of their efforts, the cavy has made its appearance in practically every show-room in the world, and creates interest and enthusiasm wherever shown. The great shortage of cavies both for commercial purposes and pets assures the Breeder of a steady market at all times. The demand is always greater than the supply. 12 THE COMMERCIAL USE OF CAVIES The cavy like any other animal has its purpose. There is no other animal anywhere near the size of the cavy that has as many commercial purposes. Considering the little food it consumes, the small room it occupies and the little time it takes to look after them, there is no other animal that can produce like the cavy. The cavy has many com- mercial uses; being used principally for pets, laboratory purposes, fur and food. Now let us go back to the laboratory for a moment. The laboratory as well as hospitals and medical colleges, etc., if nothing else, alone are enough to offer the breeder of cavies a handsome profit. However, owing to the scarcity of cavies at the present time, little stock can be sold to the laboratory because the breeders are able to obtain much higher prices by selling them for breeders and pet stock. Therefore the present breeder of cavies sends only the culls to the laboratory ; that is, such stock which may not have the proper markings in order to ob- tain good prices, or may not be fit for exhibition. The poorly marked ones will serve their purpose in the labora- tory just as well as the fancy and properly marked stock. In the above mentioned institutions they are used principally for testing antitoxins and serums, before they are given to patients suffering from diphtheria and tuber- culosis. All medicines must be very carefully tested before given to patients. The cavy is about the only animal that really serves this purpose satisfactorily, because the animals required for this purpose must be hardy and in the best of health, and there is no other animal which is known to be as hardy, prolific and healthful as the cavy. Many hospitals, laboratories and medical colleges, however, breed their own cavies, because they are unable to obtain all the stock they need from the breeders, that is, they are unable to get them when they want them. These institutions do not raise their own cavies for the sake of the money they save by it, but principally be- cause of the fact that they do not want to take any 13 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT chances on running short of stock. While conferring with the Registrar of one of the large Medical Colleges he made the assertion that there are times when they are unable to obtain healthy young stock at any price, and it is for this reason that many of these institutions breed their own cavies, and they abide by the statement of "safety first." But if a breeder can assure any of the above institu- tions a steady supply of healthy young stock from two to five months old, he will have no trouble whatever in making a contract with some laboratory to furnish a certain amount of stock whenever it is desired by the laboratory at good prices. In pet stock magazines you can always find want ads by such breeders who make a specialty of buying them up for the laboratories with whom they have contracts. These also pay good prices for them. It will take a long time to make up for the great shortage created by the Great European War, where they have been used by the "Wholesale" for testing medicines given to the suffering soldiers. Those who will see the opportunity of this new industry will certainly be assured of a most profitable future. The rich and luxurious fur which the cavy possesses is surely not to be overlooked. Its fur is beautiful and soft as velvet. But the time has not yet come when the cavies fur will be used more generally and the quality of the fur more appreciated. Only but a few cavy breeders ever thought of the possibilities that the fur market in this line will offer when it has been developed to such a point that the Tanneries will make a universal demand and plea for their fur; and this is bound to happen, for the very reason that the wild fur animals are getting scarcer every day, and why can't the cavy serve this purpose as well? Surely the fur of the cavy is of high quality and will to a certain extent take the place of the scarcer varieties of wild fur animals. The cavies' fur is especially well adapted for gloves, caps and many other articles where fur of this nature is essential, and just as soon as the scarcity of the cavy has been overcome and there are sufficient breeders of cavies, then the fur market will be more thor- oughly developed. 14 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT It may also interest the reader to know that the cavy will furnish a most delicious and wholesome meal, fit for any King. Its meat is of a rich flavor, tasting even better than the meat of young rabbits. Ask any expert on food chemistry and see what he has to say about the meat of the cavy and whether or not he would recommend it as food. If he is an honest man in his profession, he will surely tell you that the meat of the cavy is not only delicious, but also wholesome. Cavies can be prepared for the table the same as rabbits or chickens. WHY THE CAVY IS SUCH A WONDERFUL PET Among the pet stock is where the cavy really shines and sparkles. Why shouldn't it? It is by far the best little pet animal now in existence. The cavy unlike most other animals does not scratch nor bite. Is not this one of the most important features in pet stock? Of what other animal is this true? This is the principal reason why it is such a wonderful little pet and that it wins its way into the children's hearts. The cavy because of its smallness in size and its soft fur, and because it is perfectly harmless is in reality a child's pet. Children do love to play with these innocent little creatures, and there is nothing better than pet stock to occupy their minds and time during spare moments. Boys who are going to school can find no better recrea- tion than in cavies. As a rule boys who have a liking and sympathy for pets, seldom commit crime, but on the other hand possess a good deal of character. Cavies are not only a source of recreation but at the same time offer a good deal of profit, if properly managed. The cavy owing to its beauty and attractiveness and the possibilities connected therewith is a living adver- These Children consider the Cavies as important as the Goat. There is no better pastime and recreation for Children than Pet Animals 16 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT tisement in itself, and as a rule cavy breeders have to do little advertising to dispose of their surplus stock. And if they are raising them on a large scale, and a little attrac- tive literature is gotten out, you will find that orders are received faster than they can be filled. Whenever you have any stock that looks exception- ally good all around, it is of great importance that they be shown at the local as well as large poultry and pet stock exhibitions. The subject of exhibiting will be treated very carefully under the heading of "How to Exhibit Cavies and what it Means." For complete fanciness and pleasure, the White Abyssinian and Peruvian are the most popular and in the greatest demand. These two classes usually cause a lot of comment at the shows, and are very popular with women and children. \7 WHERE CAVIES THRIVE BEST Where do cavies thrive best? This to tell the truth is really a foolish question. Cavies will thrive anywhere, be it in North America or South America. No climate has yet been discovered in which the cavy will not thrive and^show its active spirit. Originally as we all know, the native home of the cavy was in South America, where they were accustomed to a rather warm climate. Since its first appearance in America, the cavy has proven from time to time that it can live and thrive equally well almost anywhere in the world, and especially since we know definitely that the cavy is being bred and raised with great success by fanciers in Europe as well as in America and in other countries also, there is no further question about the climate in which it can live. It is, however, naturally understood that the cavy which is being raised in the extreme cold parts of the country such as Alaska and the northern part of Canada will not do quite as well as the cavy which is bred in any part of the United States. The best way of overcoming the cold weather, and keep- ing raw winds from the cavy is to keep them in the basement during the months when it is extremely cold. The base- ment if dry and "not damp" is an ideal heme for the cavies and here is where they seem to feel at home and thrive best. However, here is where the wom.an folks usually also have their say; if your wife, mother or sister is not interested in cavies, she is liable to close the door on you and tell you that her basement is no place for a stock farm, and that she doesn't want these dirty things in the house. Here we want to encourage you a little, dear reader, and try to help you to overcome this difficulty. First of all it is necessary to clean up one side of the wall in the basement which has one or several windows, then if at all possible put a partition through your basement extending from one end to the other of the basement walls. In the event however, that you do not have four windows in your basement, you want to see that whatever section CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT you may select for your cavies must absolutely have a window, because a cavy will not thrive as well, if it does not get enough fresh air, and it is not advisable to keep them in a dark place. This partition will not cost very much and it is certainly advisable to section off a portion of the basement for the exclusive use of your cavies, if at all possible. By dividing off about one-fourth of your space in the basement you can readily see how much room there is left for other purposes. We recommend the hutches as illustrated in the sub- ject of "Hutches and How to Build Them" for use in the basement, these of course can be taken out doors in the summer time. However, if the women folks object to keeping them in the basement then explain to them the cleanliness of these little animals, and also that you are going to keep things in a sanitary condition, because it is usually for this reason that most women will not permit them to be kept in the basement. I know of many women who would not permit their boys or husbands to keep them in the basement but after they once get interested in the harmless and useful creature, they soon commence to like them, and why shouldn't they? Cavies are much cleaner and more "pet like" and useful than dogs or cats. Try to get your mother or wife to take an interest in them, and you will find that in a short time they will be more interested even than you are. However, if you have a fairly warm barn, that will answer the purpose just as well; but the basement is preferable for the reason that you don't have to step out of the house to feed them in the winter. When kept in a fairly warm place during the winter months, they will do just as well as during the summer months. It is really important that you keep your cavies in a nice clean place with pleasant and sanitary surroundings, not only for the sake of making an impression on visitors, but also to get them in good condition for the Fall and Winter Pet Stock Shows, which are held all over the country. If you expect to do any exhibiting at the local 19 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT or large shows held in metropolitan cities, you should be especially careful to see that each animal you expect to enter, is kept in a perfectly clean hutch with a lot of hay in it at least a month before you will send them away to the show. It is however most advisable to keep them in good condition at all times whether you expect to par- ticipate in the shows or not. In the Summer time the open out-door is the most suitable place for the cavy, because it gives them all the fresh air they want, and besides nearly everybody has more room outside than inside. It is very important however, that they be kept out of strong winds and they must not get wet by rain. The wind is apt to give them the snuffles and rain is apt to spoil their fur as well as make them sick. The hutches if possible should be placed on the south side of the barn or house; by doing so you avoid the wind a good deal and at the same time you are able to offer your cavies the bright sunlight most of the day. The sun as we all know is the best that nature can offer to any man or beast, and it certainly applies to the cavy as well as to any other animal, and as long as it doesn't cost a bit more, why not give them all the sunshine they want during the summer months. It is very important of course that you keep your hutches securely locked, so no dog or cat or any other animal can get at them, since the cavy is not a fighter, but rather peaceful and will not offer resistance to its enemies. 20 PROPER HOUSING FOR CAVIES Correct housing is one of the important functions in successful cavy raising. If you are interested enough in cavies to pay from $3.00 to $10.00 a pair for them, you certainly would want to put them in the kind of a hutch where they will feel comfortable and thrive best. The hutches recommended in the following chapter are not only by far the best, but also inexpensive, if built in accord- ance with directions given. On a visit to a large number of cavy breeders and fanciers, it was found that cavies are housed in a hundred different ways. One breeder perhaps uses a soap box, while another seems to properly care for his in a dog hut or small chicken coup. At any rate it is safe to say that if the cavy is properly fed and looked after it is content with almost any kind of a home. While there may be a thousand different ways of housing cavies, the question is, which is the best, most sanitary and most appropriate as well as most inexpensive method of housing cavies? This is the question we wish to discuss as thoroughly and intelligently as possible. While it may seem a whole lot easier to take care of a large number of cavies all in one group, at the same time it is not always advisable to keep a large number of them together in one hutch or pen. It is under no cir- cumstances advisable to put more than six or eight sows at the most together with one boar in one hutch. Neither should there be at any time more than one boar in a hutch with sows, since two boars if kept together in one hutch will fight and sometimes kill each other, besides annoying the sows, who are with them in the same pen. When four sows and a boar are kept together, the sows should be separated and put into hutches by them- selves as soon as they are in profit. If this is done the young litter usually arrives in much better condition and are better developed, besides when the sow with her young CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT is in a hutch by herself, she usually takes better care of them, and the clanger of other sows trampling all over the young ones is avoided. Some large breeders keep their sows in a hutch by themselves all the time, and after the young ones have been weaned, a boar is put in her hutch and again removed after about 10 days. This system is not quite satisfac- tory, because it requires more room, and more boars, whereas if four or five are kept in one pen it offers them more room in which to run around and also saves space for the owner. After the young have been weaned the sow can be put back in the hutch with the boar until she is again in profit. By separating the sows about three weeks before they mature, the danger of premature birth is almost entirely avoided, and the result is a higher grade of young stock. The hutches should be cleaned at least once a week, or twice a week if possible. After they have been thoroughly cleaned, they should be properly disinfected, with some reliable disinfectant. This not only prevents disease, but also keeps out lice, etc., and the result will be healthy cavies. No high grade caviary even thinks of putting their cavies back into the hutch after it has been cleaned without thoroughly disinfecting it. The kind of disin- fectants to use are those which have an agreeable odor and create a pleasant healthful atmosphere. After the hutch has been thoroughly cleaned and dis- infected, bran should be put on the floor of the hutch. This makes the floor nice and dry, and the cavies like to eat it as well. Some breeders use sawdust to put on the floor, but experience teaches us that the cavies will eat this sawdust, and as a result it will throw them out of condition, whereas bran is good food for them, and in- cidentally serves a double purpose. HUTCHES AND HOW TO BUILD THEM While many different kinds of hutches will do for housing the cavy, we will describe only these hutches in this chapter which are most suitable and can be easily put up by any person without having the skill of an ex- perienced carpenter. The hutches described in this article are not very expensive and are recommended by high class breeders of cavies throughout the country, and if at all possible any one of the hutches outlined in this chapter should be used in preference to dilapidated boxes, etc. If a person expects to make cavies his hobby, he will soon realize that better results are obtained by using the hutches recommended in this chapter. The following are the hutches which we will fully describe and the prices of lumber may vary somewhat according to the section of the country where it is pur- chased. The prices quoted on lumber in this chapter, are those receiveci by lumber dealers in Chicago. Government Hutch Sectional Hutch Utility Hutch Breeding Hutch Two Story Hutch Compartm.ent Hutch The Sliding Drawer Hutch THE GOVERNMENT HUTCH This is the hutch used by the United States Govern- ment for housing cavies, and is also endorsed by many breeders all over the country. This hutch will accommo- date about four sows and one boar and also their young until they have been weaned, but as stated in a previous chapter, sows should be put in a separate hutch at least several weeks before they mature, if the best results are desired. The following material is necessary for the Government Hutch. 4 Pieces of I'W, 14 feet long $1 .00 1 Piece of l"x4", 14 feet long 18 Wire nails, hinges and door button.. . .25 Total Cost $1.43 23 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT If new lumber can not be had, box boards or any other wood of the proper length may be used, if this is done the only expense then would be the hinges and wire. Almost any kind of wire can be used, just so that it is close enough to prevent the young ones from running through it. However, mosquito netting and rabbit wire Government Hutch 18 inches high, 3 K feet deep, 20 inches wide are most suitable. If cavies are kept in the basement it is advisable to use mosquito screening for the reason that it will prevent the hay and dirt to come through the wire and fall on the floor. By using this screening, floors can be kept very clean indeed. If used outside, this screening also has its advantages in that it protects the cavies from the wind to a certain extent, because the fine netting will break the wind considerably, as well as keep out mice Rear view of Government Hutch, showing the plan of ventilation U CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT and insects. Now I presume the reader will ask, Doesn't this fine, close screening make the cavies in the hutch invisible? No, it does not. They can be seen just as well through this screening as through rabbit wire. Further- more when you show your stock to visitors, you are naturally going to open the doors anyway, in order for Group of Government Hutches stacked on top of each other them to obtain a good view. Screening is also used in the back of this hutch for ventilation purposes. The great disadvantage in this hutch, is the cleaning part of it. Owing to its depth, it makes it rather hard and unpleasant to clean. UTILITY HUTCH This hutch is not very generally used owing to its inconveniences, but it makes a splendid hutch in emergen- Utility Hutch 25 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT cies when a hutch is wanted quick. This hutch is made out of boxes entirely and is very simple to make. The only work required in making this hutch is to nail a piece of wire in front of the opening of the box and take off a piece of board from the top of the box, which will serve as the opening of the hutch. Any kind of a box obtainable will answer the purpose for this hutch. TWO STORY HUTCH The two story hutch is very attractive and can be easily made out of large boxes. The only work necessary in the building of this hutch, is to lay a floor in the center of a big box, then put a door on the right end of the hutch, which will open both the upper and the lower story with one operation. These hutches can be made in differ- Attractive two story hutch. Size of each floor measures 12 inches High, 20 inches Deep, 3t> inches Wide ent sizes, just according to the kind of boxes obtainable, and about the only expense in connection with the build- ing of this hutch is a pair of hinges and some wire, which will not amount to very much. The hutch shown above is large enough to accommodate three sows and onej^boar on each floor. 26 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT SECTIONAL HUTCHES The sectional hutches are similar to the compartment hutch and the breeding hutch, the only difference being that the sectional hutch is made out of uniform boxes, while the compartment hutch and the breeding hutch are made out of dressed and matched lumber. These sectional hutches are very desirable where the breeder expects to move them back and forth everv now and then. These 5 Sectional Hutches laid on top of each other. Inside measurements of each section is as follows: 32 inches Wide, 12 inches High, 18 inches Deep 4 Sectional Hutches made into a unique 4 Story Hutch 27 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT hutches can be put one on top of the other and will not occupy any more room than the hutches made out of selected lumber. The sectional hutches are used mostly by those breeders who are able to buy boxes of uniform size. When uniform boxes about the size shown in the above illustration can be procured, then the cost of the hutch will be only the nails and the wire. The hutch should have a partition in the center if used for brood sows, or boars, but if it is desired to use this for a breeding pen it should have no partition, and then it will accommodate about three sows and one boar. These hutches should never be permitted to rest on the floor, but should always be at least six inches from the floor or ground, so that rats and mice can not house underneath them. Sectional Hutch made out of Boxes, showing one "Solid" Door and one "Wire" Door THE BREEDING HUTCH This hutch is without any question of doubt the most satisfactory cavy hutch in the world. There is no other method of mating and breeding cavies more satisfactory than the breeding hutch. Each section is large enough to accommodate about four or five sows and one boar. The height of this hutch is exactly six feet and the width is exactly three feet, and will fit in almost any basement. 28 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT HrccdinR 1 lurch Lach section measures 3U inches Deep, 3b inches Wide and 12 inches High The depth of this hutch is 30 inches. Each story is large and roomy and affords ample room for exercise. The following lumber is necessary for this hutch: 1 1 pieces of 1 x6" dressed and matched white pine 12 feet long $2.64 4 pieces of 1x1" dressed for cleats and making the door 16 6 feet of wire 30 inches wide for the doors 1 . 20 Nails, hinges and door buttons .25 Total Cost $4.25 (Lumber for back not included). 29 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT This hutch is not very expensive, and for the little that it does cost, it is well worth the time and money to use this hutch. The lumber for the back of this hutch is not included, because almost any kind of box boards of the proper length will do. The first procedure in building the breeding hutch is to cut five pieces of the 1x6" into six foot lengths for the sides. Then nail on your cleats to hold the floor. After this has been done put on your top and also the bottom floor so as to hold it together, then proceed to lay the other four floors, and put on your back. The back should be put on very carefully, as that and the top of the hutch are the only thing that keep the hutch in balance. The floors not being stationary, help but little in keeping the hutch together, therefore if possible strong boards should be used for the back. Each floor can be taken out when desired, and this makes it especially convenient and sanitary. These hutches can be cleaned in a few minutes, as each floor can be pulled out and put back in a few seconds. There should be a few braces underneath each floor to hold the entire floor together, so that each floor can be taken out completely instead of one piece at a time. A piece of board measuring about four inches high should be placed in front of each floor (as shown in the illustration) in order to prevent them fron falling out, as well as to prevent the dirt from falling out. Of course these should not be nailed in, but merely laid in back of small cleats so they can be taken out in a second. When four sows and a boar are kept in this hutch, the sows should be transferred to the compartment or ma- ternity hutch as soon as they show signs of being in profit, and some other sow can be put in there to take her place. COMPARTMENT HUTCH The 10 compartment hutch is indeed one of the most practical hutches in use today. It is a rather new hutch and is fast winning popularity among high class breeders as being one of the most satisfactory hutches. This 30 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT hutch not only serves as a maternity hutch, but is also a good hutch for keeping the boars. This hutch takes up very little room and accommodates 10 sows, one in each compartment. The height of this hutch is six feet and the width is three feet. Each section measuring about 21 inches deep, 12 inches high and 18 inches wide. The following lumber is required for this hutch: 14 pieces of 1x6" dressed and matched white pine 12 feet long. .$3.38 2 pieces of 1x2" dressed and matched white pine 12 feet long. . .16 4 pieces of 1x1" dressed, for cleats and making the doors, 12 feet long 15 6 feet wire 30" wide for the doors 1 .20 Nails, hinges and door buttons 25 Total cost $5.15 (The above lumber includes the back and partitions.) Of course box boards can be used for the back, if they are obtainable. They need not be new, just so they are fairly even and smooth. If box boards are used for the back it will require several pieces less of the 1x6" lumber. The first thing to do in building this hutch is to cut eight pieces of the 1x6" into exactly six foot lengths. Four of these will be used for the two sides of the hutch, four on each side. These should be carefully put together and cut in even lengths. Now take a piece of 1x1" Lumber and cut it into 21" lengths. Ten of these are needed for cleats on which to lay the floor. These cleats should be nailed five on each of the sides, which are six feet in length. Nail these on the sides starting 12 inches from the top, nailing the other four cleats 1 2 inches below the first cleat, but care must be taken to get them all uniform. After these ten cleats have been nailed on the sides, the floor can be laid. The lumber for the floor should be cut in 34>^" lengths, four of these are necessary for each floor, making a total of 20 pieces of 1x6" 34>^" long. After the floor has been laid, the partitions should be put in. The next step is to nail on the back, and old lumber or box boards can be used for that, as it will not show up anyway. Now the hutch is complete with the exception of the Front. Nail a piece of 1x2" in the center from top to bottom; directly in front of the partitions, and this piece is used CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT for the door buttons or lock. Then nail a piece of 1x2" on each side, in front of the hutch; this is for the hinges. Now nail a piece of 1x2" across the top of the hutch to give it a finished appearance. A piece of board about Compartment Hutch Each compartment measures about 21 in. Deep, 12 in. High and 18 in. Wide four inches high should be placed on the inside front of each compartment to prevent the young ones from falling out, as well as prevent the dirt from falling to the floor. It may seem a little difficult at first to make the doors, 32 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT but once this has been done, it will seem comparatively easy the second time they are made. It is advisable to paint the hutches, but this is not absolutely necessary. The bottom floor of this hutch must be at least four inches from the floor in order to prevent rats from housing under- neath as well as to keep it clean and sanitary underneath the hutch. As soon as sows are heavy with young they should be transferred from the Breeding Hutch to the Compart- ment Hutch, and not disturbed until they have had young. When sows are by themselves in these compartment hutches, there is little danger of them being hurt or injured, and premature birth as well as miscarriage, etc., are almost entirely avoided. The sow should be left in this hutch four weeks after giving birth. When the youngsters are three weeks old they should be separated from their mother and put in a hutch with other young stock about the same age. Of course the young sows and boars must be kept separate, for they will breed at an early age, and this is not desirable. After the young- sters have been taken away from the mother, leave the mother in the hutch by herself for one more week, giving her an opportunity to fully recuperate. Then she can again be placed in the breeding hutch. This plan you will find works out very satisfactorily, and good results can be looked forward to. THE SLIDING DRAWER HUTCH The sliding drawer hutch is absolutely the latest and most "Up-to-t he-Minute" cavy hutch in existence. Its use is devoted primarily to young stock, between the time they have been weaned and before they are old enough for breeding. This hutch as you will note is com- pletely fitted out in every detail, and nothing has been left undone to make this the most elaborate hutch of its kind. Each drawer slides out easily, and the front of each drawer is covered with mosquito screening, to prevent the youngsters from falling out. Owing to the fact that young stock seems to take great pleasure in rolling out of the hutches, and because so many breeders have com- 33 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT plained of losing young stock for this very reason, it was finally decided to try out the new Sliding Drawer Hutch, and it works out very satisfactorily. The screen- ing in front of each drawer affords plenty of light and ventilation, and there is no danger of them falling out. It is built on practically the same basis as the breeding hutch, only each floor comes in the shape of a drawer as shown in the illustration. Each drawer will accommodate from eight to ten youngsters, according to their age and size, however, care must be taken not to crowd them, and ventilation holes should be put in the back. This of Sliding Drawer Hutch course should apply to all hutches, as no cavy or any other animal for that matter, can live and enjoy health without sufficient air, and ventilation. 34 HOW TO KEEP RECORD OF YOUR STOCK In order to be as successful as you would like to be, it is absolutely necessary that you keep a complete and accurate record of every cavy you own, unless this is done you are not very apt to be as successful as you ought to be. When buying cavies it is really important that you purchase them from a breeder who can furnish you with complete information regarding their past, such as age, number of times they have produced young, etc. When you have this information along with the stock you buy it will be an easy matter to continue keeping record of them. If your system of keeping complete records will benefit you in no other way, it at least benefits you in the way of getting better prices for your stock when selling it for breeding purposes, as well as to satisfy your own wishes in knowing the exact status of your stock at all times. The best method of keeping records of cavies is to number each sow. Start with No. 1, number the next sow No. 2, etc., as many as you may have. The boars should be identified by letters, such as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc., as many as you may have. If you should have more than 26 boars then start over with the letters using Al, Bl, etc. Should you have more than 52 boars then start over with your letter a third time using A2, B2, etc. The best book to use in connection with keeping records of your stock, expenses, sales, etc., is a little leather loose leaf ledger which will fit in an outside coat pocket. This is convenient to carry around and answers the purpose very nicely, although if the price of such a book which is about $ 1 .50 is too much for the beginner almost any other memorandum book will do. To start with use one sheet in your ledger or memoran- dum book for each sow or boar. Never put the records of two sows on one sheet. At the top of each sheet you 35 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT should put down what color and variety that particular pig is, and his or her number should be put in the upper right hand corner. Then give a complete description of the boar or sow as is shown in illustration No. 1 below. ENGLISH RED SOW No. 1 "Queen Anne" Pure red all over and very pretty. Won first prize at the following exhibitions: Chicago, 1914, St. Louis, 1915 and New York. 1916. Purchased May 3, 1916, from J. K. Miller, New York. "AJYZ." Born June, 1913. Illustration No. 1. ENGLISH RED SOW No. 1 Boar Served Birth Young Weaned Condition DC R S A 6/15 8/25 1-3' 1-2' Good One young sow died from falling out of Hutch. Illustration No. 2. On one side of the page you will give a complete description of the boar or sow as the case may be. Then on the other side of that same sheet make your head- ings as is shown in above illustration No. 2. Under the first heading indicate to what particular Boar the Sow was mated. Under the second heading show the date when served. Under the third heading show when she gave birth to young. Under the next heading put down the number of Boars and Sows to which she gave birth. In this particular case \ou will note that she gave birth to one Boar and three Sows. Under the fifth heading you will show the number weaned; if this number does not correspond with that of the previous heading, you can tell at a glance that one or several of them have died. In illustration No. 2, you will note that one of them fell out of the Hutch and died. Under the last heading simply put down what their general condition is, whether good, fair or poor. When everything has been entered then put down some remarks and rule off for the next record, continuing of course on the same page. CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT The letters AJYZ under illustration No. 1 might be a puzzle to some readers, but it means nothing more or less than the price paid for that particular pig. In the case shown in this illustration as AJYZ means that the price paid for this red sow was $10.00. The best system of keeping confidential price list is to use the lettering system and this system works out as follows: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, stand for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 0. The last two letters of your price should be dead and merely put on for an ornament so as to make it more difficult for strangers to determine and recognize >our prices. Thus >ou will see that in illustration No. 1 AJYZ stands for $10.00 and the other two letters are dead. If for instance the price paid were $ 1 .25 it should be shown as follows: ABELY. or if $2.95 were paid it would be shown as follows: BIEXY. It is necessary of course that the letters corresponding with the figures are memor- ized so that the prices can be read without trouble. This however is not the only good system, but many others can be arranged and worked out to suit the individual needs. If there is on your records any such stock that has been shown at exhibitions, it is important that their winnings are very carefully entered on your records. This is the reason why so many breeders are able to ob- tain such high prices for their stock, simply because they can tell their prospect right off hand, where, when, and how many times that particular cavy won. A cavy marker has recently been invented by Mr. Chas. Gibson, of Detroit, Mich., who is recognized as one of the most enthusiastic breeders and fanciers of pet stock. With this useful little marker the cavies can be numbered properly inside of their ears, without scratching or marring the cavies ear, and this will aid materially in keeping accurate record of the stock. WHAT CAVIES EAT AND WHAT THEY SHOULD EAT The cavy like the rabbit is a great vegetarian; without plenty of green foods the cavy cannot live. Cavies, however, will eat almost any kind of vegetables that you may give them, and especially since they eat nearly everything you place before them, care should be exer- cised in giving them only the kind of food on which they will thrive best. Some breeders and fanciers feed their stock almost anything they may have within easy reach, whether it is beets or potatoes ; however, their stock looks accordingly and they sometimes wonder why every now and then they lose one of their fine cavies. It is just as easy and cheap to feed your cavies with the food they like best, and the food which actually serves best for their health and general condition, as it is to feed them on all kinds of thrash which is not very suitable to the cavy, and be- sides which tends to get them out of shape and condition. We therefore expect the breeder if he is looking for the best results from his cavies to follow the directions which are here given, and to feed them only on a selected line of food which we recommend in this chapter. The follow- ing is a list of foods which may be fed to cavies with good results. GREEN FOODS DRY FOODS Alfalfa, (green) Alfalfa, Clover, (green) Clover Lettuce Timothy Hay Dandelion Oats Carrots Corn Cabbage Bran Celery Tops, Dry Bread Lawn Clippings Corn leaves. Corn, (green in stalk) Red Beet Spinach Apples Cauliflower 38 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT The foregoing is a carefully selected line of food on which they thrive best. During the Summer months when the lawn clippings are plentiful, this makes a splendid food, but care and good judgment should be exercised, so as not to overfeed them. When you give them the first lawn clippings in Spring, you should give them but very little of this green grass at the start and gradually give them a little more every day. This is true of any new kind of food which you may introduce to your stock. Any new food which you have never fed them should be given to them but very little at a time, until they get used to it, and in the mean time you are learning whether or not it is the food they like and whether it agrees with them. Green clover and alfalfa during the Summer months also makes splendid food for cavies. Lettuce is well liked by them and they do very well indeed on lettuce. The cabbage question however, has met with a lot of criticism and much has been discussed about this food. Many breeders of great renown say that cabbage is not a healthy food for cavies and that it is apt to make them sick; on the other hand we also have an equal number of famous breeders and fanciers who say that cabbage is a healthy food, and they feed it daily with great success and with- out loss of life or health. Therefore under the circum- stances the amateur breeder of cavies might do well to try cabbage on a few of his stock, and see what the results are; feed it in small quantity and see how they like it, then if you find it don't agree with your stock don't give them any more, but if they do like it, give it to them. Experi- menting, by the way is one of the interesting features in the cavy industry, to find out from time to time what they do like, as well as what actually is best for them. Carrots as we all know are one of the healthiest vege- tables for man or beast. Cavies should be fed with plenty of carrots daily, but it is absolutely necessary to refrain from giving them rotten or mouldy carrots or any other kind of food that is not clean and in its normal state, since this is one of the things that may kill your stock in a few hours; they must have clean food. 39 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT When feeding carrots they should first be cut length- wise from one end to the other, then roll your carrot half way over and cut it through lengthwise once more, so that you will have four triangular pieces, then you can cut these four triangular pieces into three or four smaller pieces. The reason for cutting a carrot up like this, is be- cause it offers your cavies the meat of the carrot and it is not necessary for them to eat away the dirty outside, and especially since a carrot is always more or less dirty it is best to feed them only the clean parts of the carrot, and this can be done most economically by cutting it up as outlined above, with practically no waste excepting the skin of the carrot. Carrots can be bought at extremely low prices thruout the year, and for this reason it should be the principal food. Carrots during the fall of 1916 sold at the Chicago Markets for as low as $6.00 per ton. Apples are also well liked by the cavy owing to their juiciness and good taste. However, you should feed only about one- fourth apples in proportion to the carrots you feed them. Celery tops, green corn in season, red beet, spinach, dande- lion and cauliflower should be fed in smaller quantities. Now let us say a few words about the dry foods. In- deed they are just as important as the green foods. The cavy especially during the winter months should always be supplied with abundance of good clean hay, timothy hay if possible, altho good alfalfa or clover will do as well. Oats if possible should be fed daily, since they like clean oats and it keeps them in condition. Corn should be fed daily in the winter time, especially if you keep your cavies outside, since this corn has the same effect on cavies as it does on chickens and that is, that it will keep them warm. Dry corn leaves may also be fed, and should be cut in small pieces. Bran is a good stimulater and builds body and bone. A good mixed food is three equal portions of bran, cracked corn and oats. This should be given them about twice a week if possible, although they can get along without it very nicely if corn and oats are fed daily. Cavies also will eat stale bread ; this is a desirable food when they have young, and the best way to feed it is to soak the stale bread in milk; this will aid the mother materially in properly nursing her young. On cold days the milk should be warmed up a little. 40 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT A new food recently introduced is sprouted oats. Cavies do like this food, and it is good for them. Oat sprouters can be bought from $5.00 and up, but can be made by hand if a person has the time and material. This food is very inexpensive, and makes an ideal food in the winter time, when green foods are scarce. Mash and dry foods, such as oats, corn, etc., should be fed in "Ebco" Sanitary Stone Jars. It is only through careful feeding and breeding that such good specimens are obtained Water — We have gone very deeply into the matter of correct feeding, but how about the drinking end of it? Surely a cavy can not live without some kind of a liquid substance! This however, is an established fact. Cavies CAN live without water or drink of any kind. This has been very thoroughly proved, and we have convincing evidence that this is true. If a cavy is fed with plenty of green vegetables, there is no need of water whatever, and my experience in giving them water has not been so successful as refraining from giving them water. However, if you feed them mostly on dry food it will become an absolute necessity to give them water, but as stated above, if they get plenty of vegetables, water is not 41 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT necessary, furthermore why give them water when not necessary. It is no doubt needless lo say that the watering part of any living animal is the most undesirable part of the work in connection with them. You have undoubted- ly all had the experience more or less with chickens, pigeons or other pets, and you know that it is no joke to water stock in the winter time, when the fountain or other water jars aie all frozen over with ice and you have to go out with hot water to melt it and then wait until it has cooled; furthermore water always causes more or less dirty and unsanitary surroundings; it causes your hutch to be wet and damp, imperiling your stock with colds and other diseases. You can therefore readily see the many disadvantages you have by giving them water, which is absolutely unnecessary when they get some green vegetables. However, since a question of doubt arises in the minds of many readers and breeders about the water question, it is advisable to make this experiment yourself. If you are in doubt try it on two or three of your poorest ones for a few weeks and then compare them with the stock that gets the water. But it is safe to remember this and take it for granted, that when you feed plenty of green vege- tables they can get along nicely without water and you take no risk whatever. But if your food consists mostly of dry food (which it shouldn't) then it is absolutely necessary to give them water. You must bear in mind however, that you should not stop or start giving them water all of a sudden, this should be done gradually. A piece of rock salt should be kept in the hutch when you abide by the watering method. When should you feed your cavies? This is very im- portant to know. Cavies should be fed two times a day and not more than three times a day. It is of course all right to feed them three times a day if convenient, but many people are away at work during the day and are therefore only able to feed their stock before and after work, in other words morning and evening. If they are properly fed in the morning and in the evening, this indeed is sufficient and the results should 42 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT be very satisfactory ; however, if at all possible the> should be fed with punctuality a certain hour in the morning as well as a certain hour at night. It is also well to remember that it is better to underfeed than to overfeed. You should never throw enough food before your cavies to last them all day or maybe two days. This is wrong. You should feed them just enough so they can eat it easily by the time you feed them again at night, and when you feed them they should be hungry. They should have an appetite when they are fed, and not a full stomach. People don't enjoy a meal with filled stomachs, the same is true of cavies; of course they should be given enough each time, so they will not in any way suffer from an empty stom- ach. A little careful attention to correct feeding will soon put you in a position to feed your stock correctly and intelligently. You should never feed your cavies in a dirty hutch. Cavies like any other animals do not enjoy their meal in a filthy hutch. The hutches should be cleaned at least once a week. After your hutch has been cleaned, throw a handful of bran on the floor of your hutch, since this absorbs the moisture and makes your hutch dry and clean, and also much easier to clean the next time. Some breeders throw sawdust on the floor of the hutch after it has been cleaned. This is quite wrong, because a cavy will eat this sawdust and the result will be that in a short time your cavies will be all out of condition, whereas bran is almost just as cheap, serves the purpose just as well, and will do them good if they eat it. It may also be well to remember that a clean hutch is a preventive for diseases, and at the same time a pleasure for the cavy to live in. 43 CORRECT BREEDING METHODS Correct breeding is one of the most important func- tions in raising cavies. Many breeders could be twice as successful with their cavies, if they employed a little more system, and made a thorough study of the breeding question. Laboratories demand only such stock that is in perfect health, and it is only possible to obtain such stock through careful breeding. It is well worth the while to study carefully the many important details pertaining to this branch of the cavy industry . Those breeders who receive such high prices for their stock, are usually the ones that carefully' breed their stock, and aim for size, shape, and color, rather than for quantity. In this chapter the details of correct breeding are very thor- oughly explained. To begin with, sows should never be put with a boar and bred before they are at least four months old. Many breeders do not breed their young sows until they are five months old, while more of the fancy breeders do not breed their young sows until they are at least six months old, because much better results are obtained in the way of size and shape. Neither is it advisable to use a boar under five months old. By waiting till young stock gets to be about six months old, they usually develop better and their size and shape is much better than if would be if they were allowed to breed at an early age. While it is true that young sows will breed at the age of six weeks, it certainly is not advisable, if you are breeding for size shape and color. When sows are bred under five months of age it will stop their growth and large healthy young- sters can not be expected. Sows will produce from three to five litters a year, each litter varying from two to six, although three is a good average. About twehe pigs can be expected from a sow during a year, and she is good for at least six years of breeding, although cavies have been known to live as long as ten years or more. Exhibition stock should not be bred more than about twice a year, in order to retain their good shape. The period of gestation is from 65 to 70 days and when the young are born they are fully developed with CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT their eyes open, and a few hours after they are born they run around in the hutch and can be seen eating food be- fore they are 12 hours old. No other animal is known to be as prolific as the cavy right from the start. The young- sters should not be weaned before they are at least three weeks old. Some breeders wean their youngsters before they are three weeks old, but the results are not very satisfactory and a very thorough investigation, as well as experience has proven that it is not advisable to wean them before three weeks old ; it is preferable to wean them when 25 days old. After the young ones have been weaned, they can be put in the sliding drawer hutch explained under the heading of "Hutches and How to Build Them," or any other pen will do for them, but care must be taken to separate the boars from the sows, since they will breed at a very early age, if permitted to run together. After the mother has had one week's rest she can again be put in the breeding pen with the boar. Breeding at this rate you will see enables a sow to produce four litters a year. If the young are dead when born, or die shortly after they are born, do not immediately put the sow back in the breeding pen, but give her a thirty days rest which will give her an opportunity to recuperate and regain her strength. After she has been in the breeding pen for about thirty days, or as soon as she becomes heavy with young, she should again be sep- arated and placed in a hutch by herself. This method should be followed throughout, if good results are expected ; furthermore this method of breeding has been proven by experience to be the best. After your young stock reaches the age of five or six months they should be put in the breeding pen. Young boars should not be put in the breeding pen until they are six months old, and should not be permitted to be with more than three sows at a time until they are 10 months old, at which time they are old enough to be placed with from six to ten breeding sows. By waiting until the boars are six months old, much better results are obtained in the way of size and shape, which are very important. Boars should' not be permitted to be in the same hutch with sows having young. Some breeders have stated that 45 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT if the boar is kept in with the sow having young, he will help dry the young, but from experience we find that he will rather help die the young ones than to help dry them, aside from this he will also bother the mother which will give her a tendency to neglect her young ones. On the other hand if the sow is kept in a hutch by herself she can take better care of her young, as well as regain her own strength. Neither should two sows with young be kept together, since they are apt to fight and thus either neglect or kill their young. Cavies 4 weeks old. BREEDING FOR SIZE, SHAPE AND COLOR Breeding for size is indeed quite important, and about the only way to accomplish this is to prevent young stock from being bred before six months old. By doing this you give them every chance to fully develop, and this means size. Small boars should never be used, but use as large boars as possible of course consistent with shape and color. Breeding for shape is not so very important if cavies are reared for commercial purposes, but if they are being raised for fancy and exhibition purposes, then it is very important that every care possible is taken to breed stock with proper "shape." At exhibitions, shape is considered one of the most important points towards winning. The important features for shape are their ears which should be drooping, but neither hanging down not standing upright. Their, eyes should be very promi- 46 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT nent, one matching the other for color, they should not be small by any means. Their nose should be blunt and not have a ratty appearance. It is not advisable to breed or sell any stock with ratty appearance for breeding pur- poses, since it is the aim of all cavy breeders to get away from the shape of the rat as much as possible. Their shoulders should stand up very prominently and should be a trifle higher than their hind quarters. While it seems quite impossible to breed cavies according to the shape outlined, we should at least try our best to produce cavies Isn't this interesting? of Standard shape. The color of cavies is just as important as their size and shape, and for exhibition purposes it is even more so important. Solid color cavies must be of one even color thruout, without any odd color hair of any kind. Sometimes a perfect sow in shape and size has a few off color spots; such a pig would be disqualified at the shows, but for breeding purposes she would be good, since the few off color spots can be bred out in a short time, if such a pig is bred to a good solid colored boar every time, it won't be long before all her young are also perfect solid colors. Pure white cavies are rather hard to obtain, since rhost white cavies have dark feet dark ears, or a dark smut on their nose, if this is the case with the sows, be sure to breed them to a perfect pure white boar. By doing this the dark spots can in time be bred out of the sows. White sows should 47 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT have pink eyes matching each other. The cream color cavies were obtained through a mixture of red and white, being bred back and forth until the desired cream color was obtained. Occasionally their color runs very light, if so, they should be bred to a light red boar, and if they get too dark they should be bred to a good white boar. Black cavies if never bred to anything but black boars all the time will finally run into a chocolate color, but to retain a good black a little mixture of dark red should be used occasionally. Black sows with a little red, bred to good black boars usually bring the desired black color. The Blue and Chocolate varieties have not quite reached the point of perfection, but much experimenting is being done to bring these two colors up to a higher standard of perfection. The brindles are obtained through acombina- tion of red and black. The tortoise variety consists of black and red patches which should be evenly dis- tributed, and are usually best obtained by breeding the blacks with the reds, of course care should be taken to avoid the color of running together in brindle form; they should come in clear and distinct patches of red and black. The tortoise and white should come in equal clear and distinct patches of red, black and white. They are very pretty but the right markings of course are rather hard to obtain, but by a little study and experience good markings can be had without much trouble. To get perfect markings of tortoise and white cavies is sometimes a mystery, because occasionally you will find a poorly marked sow throw a prize winning youngster, but by using as near perfect as possible breeding stock, good results are usually obtained. The Himalayans are very pretty and are not so very difficult to raise. With a first class Himalayan boar good youngsters can be obtained in a short while by breeding him to a white sow, of course the sow if possible ought to have at least dark ears or dark feet or a black smut on her nose. While the Himalayan is rather a new variety in cavies, it is coming to the front fast and receiving many comments. The Dutch marked cavy is indeed one of the hardest varieties to obtain, and it seems almost 48 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT impossible to breed this variety to perfection. It is very difficult to obtain the accurate markings required for this variety, because the color never breaks off distinctly where it should, and one color runs into another. With a few more years of careful breeding however, the dutch marked cavy may be brought a little closer to the standard of perfection. The Agoutis are very scarce and come in the silver and golden grey. The silver grey should be of a light grey, the color of wild rabbits, and their bell>-coat should be of a rich silver color. The golden grey should be of a dark grey, the color of squirrels, with a golden (deep red) belly-coat. The Peruvians are not so very difficult to raise and are ver^/ pretty owing to the silkiness of their hair, which should be as long as possible. When Peruvians are put in the breeding pen, their hair should be clipped. Peru- \ ians should always be kept in clean hutches with sanitary surroundings on account of their delicate coat. When intending to exhibit Peruvians, they should be placed in a hutch by themselves at least 6 weeks before exhibiting them; for if they are left together they will nibble around on each others coat, thus rendering them Uxifit for first- class exhibition. Their hair should also be combed daily several weeks before sending them off to the show. The Abyssinians are raised practically the same way as the smooth haired cavies. Their coat needs less atten- tion, but care should be taken in breeding to always select a boar with as many rosettes as possible, because the more rosettes the better and more valuable the Abyssinian. 49 LINE-BREEDING CROSS-BREEDING AND IN-BREEDING. LINE-BREEDING Line-breeding is the only method by which a strain can be established. Nearly all large and reliable breeders practice line-breeding and have their own strain. The majority of cavy breeders however, do not employ line-breeding to any great extent, because it requires an unlimited amount of patience, time and very careful matings. Another reason why little line-breeding is done among the cavy breeders, is because the majority of them do not have a clear understanding of the subject. Our idea in line-breeding is to establish a strain of cavies of some particular breed, that possess size, color and shape. For instance if we want to establish a strain of blacks, that will eventually throw blacks, and nothing but black, the only way to obtain such a strain would be through line-breeding. Our object in line-breeding is to produce such a strain, that when it has been established the breeder can depend upon his stock, and knows just what it will produce, with but very few culls. When starting to line-breed cavies, every care must be taken to start with a pair of cavies as near perfect as possible and not in any way related, neither should they be more than one year of age, and the sow should be about two months younger than the boar. The Breeding Chart on the following page will help the reader to understand this subject more easily and to practice it more intelligently. Having selected our boar and sow from whom we expect to establish a strain which will resemble them, or from whom we may even expect an improvement, we will mate them as shown in the illustration. Sow No. 1 mated with boar No. 2 will produce Group No. 3, which contains half the blood of the original boar and sow. Now mate the best sow from Group No. 3 back to the original boar and this will produce Group No. 5, which represents three-fourths the blood of the original boar and one-fourth the blood of the original sow. 50 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT Mate the best boar from Group No. 3 to the oi iginal sow and that will produce Group No. 4 which contains three-fourths the blood of the original sow and one- fourth the blood of the original boar. Mate the sows from Group No. 4 together with the boars from Group No. 5, or vice versa, and you will have Group No. 7, which represents exactly half the blood of the original pair. Now we have gotten one step further towards producing a new line of blood. « * T ^ Chart for Line Breeding Cavies Now mate the sow from Group No. 5 back to original boar No. 2 and produce Group No. 8 which is seven - eighths the blood of the original boar No. 2. A boar from Group No. 4 mated back to the original sow No. 1 pro- duces group No. 6, that is seven-eighths the blood of the original sow, and one-eighth the blood of the original boar. How select the best boar from Group No. 8 and the sows from Group No. 6 and produce Group No. 1 1 , which 51 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT contains one-half the blood of each of the original pair. This is the third step and the seventh mating in securing complete breeding of a new strain. We now come to a point where we wish to establish a boar line whose blood is virtually the same as that of the original sow. To accomplish this select a boar from Group No. 6 and mate him to the sow of Group No. 4 and produce Group No. 9, which is thirteen-sixteenths the blood of the original sow No. 1 and three-sixteenths the blood of the original boar. Again select a boar from Group No. 9 and a sow from Group No. 1 1, which will produce Group No. 14, which is twenty-one thirty-seconds the blood of the original sow. Now mate a boar from Group No. 13, which is thirteen- sixteenths the blood of the original boar No. 2, to the sows of Group No. 10, which are five-sixteenths the blood of the original boar, and produce Group No. 17, which is nine-sixteenths the blood of the said boar, while in No. 16 we have the new strain and in Group No. 18 the strain of our original boar. Remember that the dotted line represents the sow selection and the solid line the boar selection. Of course every care must be taken when line-breed- ing, and results must be watched very closely. While it is expected that in line-breeding "Like produces Like" this may not always be the case, and as soon as one is discovered that is not up to the standard, leave him out of the race at once, and continue with those that do come up to your expectations. In line-breeding a person always looks for improvement as he goes on, and in order to be successful with line-breeding, the stock must be watched very closely, and as soon as you discover any weakness in your strain, it is a sign that you are overdoing it, and then new blood must be introduced. Cross Breeding Nearly all breeders of cavies do cross breeding sooner or later, and it is only through cross breeding that all these different breeds and varieties which we now have were 52 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT established. By cross breeding almost anything can be accomplished in the way of getting new varieties, dif- ferent shapes and colors. To clearly illustrate the subject of cross breeding, we will try to secure solid blacks from tortoise and whites, of which we have perhaps a dozen. Take the boar that has the most black and mate him to the sow that has the most black. In nine cases out of ten you will find that there is at least one young cavy in the litter that is mostly black. Then mate this blackest youngster when he gets six months old to another sow that has a large percentage of black. From the result of this mating you should obtain at least one solid black, and by continuing this method for a while, you will soon possess a lot of black stock. Of course you may have a little difficulty in obtaining the right shade of black, but eventually it will come. Cross Breeding is very interesting, and it always keeps the breeder guessing what the results of his matings are going to be, and when the desired results are obtained you can see the proud, but patient breeder, going around and telling his fellow fanciers about his accomplishment Inbreeding We hear so much about inbreeding. Nearly every breeder of cavies, whether he has had experience or not, seems to have the idea that inbreeding is the most harmful thing that can be done in a caviary. I agree that in- breeding if carried on to extremity will result in poor stock, lacking vigor and vitality. I wonder if some of the fanciers have ever stepped to realize that through inbreed- ing some of the best specimens have been produced. This is little surprising, as by careful inbreeding the desired results are much more easily obtained than by waiting for some good stock to come from ordinary matings. By inbreeding, good results can be obtained more quickly, of course every care and precaution must be taken not to overdo it, as this is only bound to result in the weak- ening of your strain. When stock has been inbred, 53 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT results must be watched very closely, and if you notice any defects in the stock, stop it at once, and introduce new blood. It is not the writer's intention to encourage inbreeding, but there are times when circumstances demand it, and then it is necessary to watch results very closely, or disaster is apt to follow. 54 "DISEASES"— THEIR PREVENTION AND CURE By Dr. Matthies, M. M, D. While it probably would seem a little exaggerated to say that cavies hardly ever get sick, it is nevertheless a fact. Cavies when properly housed and fed are indeed not subject to very many diseases. The cause for their sickness may be a too sudden change of temperature or by keeping them in a damp basement. Sometimes when they appear to be out of condition, examine their teeth; sometimes you will find they have broken some of their teeth, which disables them to eat hard food. When there is something wrong with their teeth, the best and most advisable remedy is to feed them mash, consisting of bran, corn, oats, etc., as well as to give them carrots which are cut up in very tiny pieces, so there will be no need of exertion on the part of the sick cavy in taking on some nourishing food. When soft or fine cut food is fed them while they are getting new teeth, it will keep them in condition, and in nine cases out of ten you will save the life of your cavy. It might alwa^'S be well to remember that "An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of Cure. " The minute you discover a sick cavy, separate it from the rest of your cavies, so as to prevent the others from getting sick. Cavies are occasionally afflicted with some of the following diseases : Diphtheria Indigestion Pneumonia Diarrhoea Colds Wounds Lice Eye Trouble Broken Teeth Premature Birth Diphtheria — When one of the cavies is afflicted with this disease the best thing to do is to kill it at once, and prevent this disease from spreading. It is easy to tell when they are afflicted with this disease, because you will notice little lumps around their throats. The minute this 55 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT is discovered it is advisable to kill your sick cavy without delay. This disease can not be cured and it is only a waste of time to try remedying it. Pneumonia — This is another disease which can not be cured, and is usually caused by a draught or dampness. When a cavy becomes the victim of this disease, it usually dies within 10 hours. It is useless to try and cure this disease. This is a typical example of a sick Cavy and quick action is necessary to save him from passing away to the happy Hunting Grounds. Colds — Colds are usually caused by dampness, uneven temperature or draught, and usually develops into pneu- monia. Rather than to suggest a cure for this, it is more advisable to keep your cavy away from such places which may subject them to colds. Lice — Lice are occasionally found on cavies during the summer months. Lice ai e very annoying and should be disposed of as soon as possible. When you discover one with lice separate it at once from the rest of your stock. The best cure for lice is to rub and dust the affected parts with Insect Powder which can be purchased from any druggist. Broken Teeth — This is not a disease, but a sure cause of sickness. Broken teeth are very undesirable and they ai e usually broke while gnawing on wood or fighting 56 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT with the other cavies, or by accidentally bumping into something. If you discover any of your stock having broken teeth, separate them at once from the other cavies and feed soft food for a while, and in a short time their teeth will have grown again. Indigestion — This is a disease usually caused by lack of exercise, light or ventilation. A treatment of castor oil is a good remedy. Diarrhoea — This is the most common of all diseases with cavies, and is nearly always the result of careless feeding. This disease is usually caused by giving them too much green food and not enough dry foods, such as hay, oats and corn. Under no circumstances should cavies be permitted to feed exclusively on green foods or on dry foods. They must have both, if you expect them to do well. If your cavies are fed on unclean foods, this disease may also be the result. The best remedy for this disease is a teaspoon full of castor oil for grown ones, and in smaller portions to the younger ones. A medicine dropper should be used if possible. Wounds — It is very seldom that you find a wounded cavy. It is usually the result of fighting between boars, or sows who are in profit. The best way of treating wounds is to cut away the hair from the wound, cleanse with lake warm water and apply vaseline or zinc ointment. Eye Trouble — This is usually caused by cold, and can be quickly relieved by bathing their eyes with boracic acid, diluted in luke warm water. Premature Birth — ^This sometimes happens when a sow in profit is terribly frightened, hurt by a fall, or other- wise injured. To be safe and avoid premature birth, care should be taken not to handle and disturb the sows while in profit. Sometimes sows will die shortly after giving birth. This is due usually either to peritonitis, (inflammation in the abdomen) or to pneumonia. If the young are large in proportion to the mother, or numerous, they may press the bowel, causing gangrene and sloughing of the squeezed 57 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT portion, followed by peritonitis and death. A cavy with peritonitis will not move if she can possibly help it and usually the abdomen is distended with gas. Peritonitis may also be caused by infection of the birth canal from slight tears, etc. Pneumonia shows its presence by the extremely difficult breathing and is usually acquired after giving birth, because the cavy is then tired out, and the body resistance is low. If a cavy has either peritonitis or pneumonia, she should be chloroformed at once, the young put in quarantine, if they are still alive, and put with a foster mother, if one is available, and all the hutches in the caviary thoroly disinfected, because both these diseases are contagious, and the rest of your cavies are apt to contract these diseases, especially if they are not in first-class condition. Pneumonia, diphtheria and tuber- culosis are usually recognized by heavy breathing, and when this is discovered the affected cavies should be quar- antined or killed. If the former is done, and the cavy recovers, he should be left in quarantine for at least two weeks more after he is well, and of course the hutch thoroughly disinfected. Occasionally a cavy will suffer from inflammation of the kidneys with excessive urination. This is often caused by feeding frozen food. Stop the bad food and put the cavy in a warm hutch. Sometimes a cavy is much annoyed by having a grain of oats or something of that sort in his ear. He will continually jerk his head toward the affected side. Inspect the inside of the ear and remove the offending particle, if found. Cavies sometimes choke to death, because there is a piece of food stuck in their throat. This cannot be cor- rected. Kill the cavy. Cavies with swellings about the neck should not be used for breeding until they have fully recovered. Some- times they have tuberculosis, sometimes only ordinary abscesses. The former will not recover. The latter usually do. 58 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT Cavies may be infected with ringworm and other par- asitic skin diseases. For these, painting with tincture of iodine is the most efficient remedy. The infected cavies should be quarantined until they are perfectly well." When cavies are sick, they usually sit perfectly still, with their coat in an untidy condition and a ruffled appear- ance of the hair about the mouth. When this is noticed, remove the sick cavy to a separate hutch and wait a short time, until you have found out what the ailment is, and when this is found out, treat the sick cavy accordingly. However, there are but few animals that are subject to as few diseases as the cavy. If you take good care of your cavies, you will have very little experience with sick stock. Always try to prevent disease by taking good care of them rather than to try and cure them when sick. A good careful breeder will find that he will not lose more than an average of five out of every hundred he raises and these usually die the first week after they are born. It is always well to remember that "An ounce of Pre- vention is worth a pound of Cure. " THE VALUE OF BUYING STOCK DIRECT FROM THE BREEDER Any person contemplating to start in the cavy busi- ness, or breeders and fanciers who want additional stock, should not be mislead by buying their stock from pet stores, bird stores, etc. Stock purchased from the above places may occasionally be good breeders, but experience teaches us that a person very seldom gets desirable stock from dealers in pets. The proper place to buy stock is direct from the breeder. When stock is purchased direct from the breeder, you know exactly what you are getting, and you know that such stock is fit for breeding. By buying stock from the pet and bird stores, you don't know just what you are Poor Grade Cavies High Class Cavies Note the Difference 60 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT getting, and it is indeed of great importance for the ama- teur cavy breeder and fancier to know the exact condition of his initial stock, since his entire success may be re- sponsible for the quality of his original stock. When buying cavies you should always demand the following information along with your stock for the price paid for them. The first and most important thing to know is their age and who owned them at birth; you should also know how long the breeder, from whom you buy your cavies has been the owner of the cavies you select. The breeder should also furnish you with exact information as to how many times the sows have had young and the total number of young produced to date, and by what kind of a boar she was bred each time. You should also demand exact information regarding the boars you purchase. When buying stock, it is not advisable to buy stock over a year old ; the best kind of stock to start with is young stock under six months of age which has not been bred before. This enables the amateur to keep complete and accurate records of the entire breeding period of his stock. To^be most successful, the first step after you pur- chase cavies should be to start your system of keeping record of your stock. It is really of great importance to know the exact standing of all of your stock at all times, and this is especially necessary if you expect to raise cavies and sell them for breeding purposes. Many cavy breeders today are unable to find a high price market, which they naturally expect, for the very rea- son that they are unable to sell along with their stock the complete record of same. Some system of keeping record accurately and with as little tim.e and space as possible, is just as necessary in the cavy industry as it is in any other business. Many a business has failed because there were no accurate records kept of all transactions. Now let us go back to the breeder for a moment. When you buy your cavies from the breeders, you know that the stock is exactly as repre- sented, and in case you do not find it so, it can be returned and should the breeder be dishonest, then the purchaser 61 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT will get the protection of whatever Association he may be a member. Any person in the market for good reliable stock should always purchase his stock from a member of some reliable Association, which is in back of the stock he sells, and who will make good any serious loss sus- tained through buying stock from a dishonest member. 62 THE GREAT DEMAND FOR CAVIES . There are but few animals (if any at all) that will surpass the great demand which exists for pure bred, high class cavies. Cavies are wanted everywhere and the supply indeed is limited. During the Spring and Summer of 1916 it was practically impossible to buy cavies, except the poorer and lower grade stock, and if you wanted some show stock, you had to pay from $5.00 to $10.00 apiece for them. The laboratories are also experiencing a great shortage, and because of this fact many laboratories and hospitals are compelled to raise their own cavies, so they can feel sure they can get them when they want them. During the 1916 Greater Chicago Pet Stock Show many of the visitors had to go home without being able to buy some of the stock owing to the high prices and scarcity of pure bred exhibition stock. Laboratories are paying from 50 cents to $1.00 apiece for cavies, but they must have them and if they cost $5.00 apiece, so you can readily see the steady market there is for these cunning little animals. Most breeders however, do not sell their stock to laboratories, but prefer to sell them for fancy pets and for breeding purposes. Nothing much has been said about the value of the cavy's fur, but when this tremendous shortage is more generally overcome, this new market will be more thoroly cultivated. Should there be no other market for them outside of the laboratory and fancy, there are still the value of the cavy for food, fur, etc. to be considered. At any rate for the next ten years there will be a great demand for cavies and those who will become engaged in this splendid industry will certainly be on the road to success and will never regret they met the cavy. If you live near a large city or in a large city, you will always find bird stores, department stores and commis- sion houses who will buy up all the cavies they can get. You will find however that you will not care to dispose of much of your stock to such people, with the exception of the culls, perhaps, and those whose color is off, etc. 63 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT To prove the scarcity of cavies and to satisfy the reader of this fact, it might be well to make an investigation in your own city or town, to find out who else is breeding cavies and we are sure that nine times out of ten, especial- ly in the smaller towns you will find that you are about the only one raising them. Just imagine when you are about the only one breeding them, what opportunities there are for you to develop a good market right in your own home town. There is an equally strong demand for the fancy Peruvian as well as the Abysinian. Children as well as young people and old folks can not help but take a liking to them because of their sparkling beauty, their pink eyes and silky hair. The Abyssinians with their pretty rosettes make an equal hit. The reader however should bear in mind that in order to obtain the best prices and always have a ready market he must have pure bred stock of which he keeps an accurate record. Unless this is done, the people who are in the market for some, are not apt to buy their stock from you, but will go to the breeder wte knows exactly the condition of each animal, and who can guarantee every single one to be pure bred. When you become suddenly overstocked and want to dispose of them quick, all you have to do is to run a small advertisement in pet stock or poultry magazines that reach a prospective class of people for your cavies. When- ever any stock is sold on the strength of an advertisement it is important that the stock which you sell is exactly as you have represented it to be in your advertising. Unless this is done it is only bound to work harm to you and your stock, and it may spoil future sales for you. As a rule when a person gets some good stock from a breeder he is going to tell his friends about it, but when he gets poor stock he will warn his friends not to buy any stock from the "Make Believe." CAVIES PREFERABLE TO OTHER PET STOCK POULTRY AND PIGEONS The cavy, looking at it from a commercial standpoint as well as a dear little pet, there hardly seems to be a doubt but that the cavy is by far the most profitable little animal to deal with. WHY? If you keep your cavies in the basement, you do not have to step outdoors in the cold winter mornings and evenings to feed them, but you can carefully look after them without even going out of your house. Those who have poultry- or pigeons, realize what trouble they have to contend with during the cold winter months looking after their stock. A few minutes after they have watered their stock, the water will freeze in the drinking pan, which of course necessitates more frequent watering, and if you give them water that is too cold, it is not good for them, and if you give them water that is too hot you burn their stomach. Here is where the cavy industry shines. The cavy does not need any water. Cavies can go without water through- out their life, enjoying perfect health. Looking at the cavy industry alone from the standpoint of saving trouble, time and money, it is well worth deep consideration from anyone who expects to follow the poultry, pigeon or pet stock line of any kind. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE CAVY THAT NEARLY EVERYBODY WHO HAS ANY LOVE OR SYMPATHY FOR PET STOCK, SEEMS TO LIKE. It may also be interesting to know that the cavy con- sumes less food and takes up considerable less room than does any other pet animal, including pigeons and poultry. Cavies can be kept in the basement in little hutches and put one hutch on top of the other until they reach the ceiling; without anybody ever knowing you had them. They make little noise and are indeed very clean; this stands to reason why so many women are commencing to enter this field full of opportunities. Cavies are entirly different from chickens; there are no eggs to hunt, no clucks to set and no baby chicks to look after. The cavy 65 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT if kept inside of some building saves you all the foregoing trouble and then some. All the cavy wants is a little food in the morning and in the evening, and a clean hutch twice a week ; when cavies get this, they are satisfied to their hearts content. The only trouble that the breeders of cavies experience seems to be the difficulty in filling orders. Cavies are twice as easy to transport as chickens, because they take up such little room and they are much more easily fed while enroute. When the poultry man wants to dispose of his spring chickens he has to kill them and dress them, etc. All the cavy breeder has to do is to put his cavies in a little box for shipment and take them to the railroad station. The pigeon fancier has many difficulties to contend with of which the cavy breeder knows nothing, such as diseases which occur frequently among pigeons and result in the loss of life. Fancy pigeons owing to their slow breeding and difficulty in rearing them, are not in a class with cavies at all. Cavies breed fast and seldom get sick. Rabbits and other Pet stock such as silver fox, skunk, etc. require a good deal of time, trouble and money to run the business on a money making basis, whereas it requires but little money to get started in the cavy industry, and soon realize profits from your investment. The principle reason how- ever for choosing the cavy industry, is because of the ready market awaiting all the stock you can produce. At the present time there is no other animal for which there is such a universal demand as there is for the cavy, and this is simply due to the fact that people are realizing what a great opportunity there is in this new field. 66 HOW TO EXHIBIT CAVIES AND WHAT IT MEANS But few pet stock fanciers realize what it means for them to exhibit some of their fancy stock at the large Poultry and Pet Stock Exhibitions held all over the coun- try each year. These exhibitions are usually held during the Fall and Winter months, and these large exhibitions usually are run on a schedule, so that no two shows will be held during the same period, altho this does happen occasionally, but the large shows are never held so that two shows will be held at the same time. Any breeder of cavies or any other pet stock should not fail to over- look the opportunities which these large shows offer to the breeder. By exhibiting your stock at these exhibitions the people become acquainted with the quality of your stock as well as the reliability of same. By exhibiting a breeder becomes nationally known for what he has. But before a breeder puts any stock on exhibition, he should be careful to exhibit only the best he has, and they should be in fit condition before sending them away for exhibition. Several months before you send away your stock to the exhibitions, you should keep them separated and in a hutch by themself, with plenty of clean hay. Especially the Peruvians want to be kept separate in order to bring their fur up to the standard; if they were left in the breeding pen until a few days before exhibiting, their fur would not be in a condition to command much com- ment at the exhibition. It is also advisable to comb and brush the hair of the Peruvians in order to make their hair smooth and soft like velvet. When putting the ex- hibition stock in separate hutches before exhibiting, care should be taken to keep their hutches clean at all times. It is only through exhibition work that a breeder really learns the quality of his stock. Sometimes amateur breeders send away some of their stock to exhibitions, and when they learn that their stock won no prizes or perhaps 3d, 4th or 5th prizes, they become discouraged and quit exhibiting their stock; this is all wrong. It is usually through the first few exhibitions that a person learns and appreciates what good stock is. If the breeder or 67 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT exhibitor lives in or near the city where exhibitions are held, he should, if at all possible, attend, and learn what the people think of his stock. Furthermore at these exhibi- tions you meet many of the large breeders and become ac- quainted with them, and you hardly ever leave the show room without feeling that you learned a whole lot, although you thought you knew it all. At these show rooms you can see hundreds and hundreds of cavies and it certainly is interesting to compare stock and learn why one cavy is better than another. Many sales are usually made right in the show rooms by breeders who have stock on exhibition, and very fancy prices are received for exhibi- Cups and Ribbons won by High Class Cavies at Pet Stock Exhibitions tion stock. Many people prefer to buy cavies at exhibi- tions, because when doing so they know exactly what they are getting, although they do pay a high price for what they purchase. But when buying exhibition stock, it is quite impor- tant to know the standing of such stock and how keen the competition was in the test. A cavy winning fifth prize may sometimes be much better than a cavy winning first prize. This is due to the number of cavies in a class. If 68 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT there are only one or two cavies in a class, one is bound to get first prize and neither one may be in reality first class stock. The more cavies in a class the better the prize- winning stock. Therefore it is sometimes better to buy a cavy which won fifth prize in a class of ten rather than to buy a cavy which won first prize in a class of two. Therefore the number of cavies in a class is quite an important factor to the person who wishes to buy first-class exhibition stock. A pair of Cup Winr If breeders send their stock away for exhibition to the large shows in the larger cities like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. and are unable to attend these shows,' but wish to sell some of their exhibition stock, they may do so, by advising the manager in charge of the exhibition, the stock for sale and the price wanted for them. These people will make a charge of about 10% of the amount of the sale for their trouble in selling the stock for the exhibitor. When sending stock away for exhibition, it is always advisable to send some of your business cards along with instructions that they be put on the pen or pens containing your stock, so that the people can readily see who the owner of the stock is. Any person who has been the owner of the stock which he expects to put on exhibition, for two months or more, is eligible to enter these contests. The large shows usually charge an entry fee of 50 cents for each cavy exhibited, some of the smaller shows make only a charge of 25 cents • 69 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT for each entry. For display pens they usually charge from one dollar and up according to the size of the pen, and the amount of stock to go in same. The express charges must be paid both ways by the exhibitor. Stock to be shipped away from home to the large cities, should always be shipped so that it will arrive at the show a day or two before the show opens. By no means should the stock be permitted to arrive later than the day on which the show rooms are opened. All entries must be made in the name of the owner, or owners of the stock to be exhibited. No stock is permitted to be handled at the shows except the judge or the owners. Diseased animals are not ad- mitted to the exhibition rooms. Most of the judging is done by the comparison method. All judges must be li- censed by the Association giving the exhibitions, and are usually men of many years of experience along this line. Disqualification — By disqualification is meant that stock sent to the exhibition is not eligible for the contest. Such stock will be returned to the owner shortly after it arrives at the show. The cavy will be disqualified by the large shows for some of the following reasons : Deformities in any way, such as crooked feet, or otherwise crippled. Any stock entered as Junior Stock and which is over four months old. Eyes not matching each other. White cavies with dark ears, dark feet and dark nose, or eyes other than pink. Solid color cavies with spots of other colors in them, no matter how small they may be, will be disqualified. If it is discovered by the judge or committee in charge of the exhibition stock that fraudulent methods have been employed such as dyeing the color of objectional hair, etc., such stock will also be disqualified and in some cases the exhibitor will be fined for doing so, if he is detected. No person is able to exhibit stock unless he has been the owner of such stock for two months prior to the exhibition. If an exhibitor is discovered showing stock of which he has not been the rightful owner for two months prior to the show, his stock will be disqualified. Care should be taken not to have disqualified stock at the show, since this will only affect the reputation of the breeder. 70 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT Cavies are usually exhibited under the following classes: SENIOR BOAR-SENIOR SOW-JUNIOR BOAR— JUNIOR SOW for all the different breeds and varieties. Care should be taken not to enter stock under four months old in the Senior Class, as well as not to enter stock over four months old in the Junior Class, Should this be discovered by the judge or show committee disqualification will be the result. Prizes as follows are usually awarded to the following winners at the large shows: Silver Cup for the best display of cavies. Silver Cup for the largest display of cavies. Silver Cup for the best cavy in each class. Silver Cup or medal for the best cavy in the show. Cash prizes are usually awarded as follows : Two dollars for the first prize in a class, and one dollar to the second prize winner. Handsome ribbons are usually awarded to the third, fourth and fifth winners in a class. A number of special prizes are usually awarded by indi- viduals, associations, etc. For complete information re- garding any particular show in which the reader might be interested, write to the secretary or manager who has charge of such show and who will be glad to give any information desired to those who are thinking of exhibit- ing some of their stock. Exhibitions given by the National Pet Stock Associa- tion are largely responsible for the present popularity of the cavy in America, and everybody should support their exhibitions. 71 HOW TO MARKET CAVIES AND WHAT PRICES TO EXPECT. The market end of the cavy industry is really most encouraging. But few industries have such ready markets as does the cavy industry. Orders usually come in much faster than they can be filled, and it is for this reason that they maintain such good prices. Laboratories pay from 25 cents to 75 cents apiece for healthy young stock about eight weeks old and many times when such stock is scarce, even higher prices are paid for them, but 50 cents is a good average price to expect from any laboratory who wants good healthy and reliable stock. When a person is raising cavies in large quantities and desires to sell his stock to laboratories, it is advisable to make some kind of arrangements with some laboratory who will buy all the superfluous stock. When doing so you take no risk whatever; for there is a market and they want your stock. By having a contract with some reliable laboratory or other institution where they use the cavy for experimenting purposes, better prices are usually obtained. But if the breeder is not raising them in large enough quantities to make a contract with some laboratory, then they can be disposed of by sending them to any large breeder who makes a specialty of supplying laboratories, and who are usually always looking for good healthy stock with which to fill the laboratories' demand. These breeders who buy them up for the laboratory usually pay from 35 to 50 cents apiece for them. Most breeders now days from whom stock is bought for breeding purposes, usually make some kind of an agreement with the pur- chasers of their stock, whereby the purchaser can sell back to the breeder from whom he bought his stock, any stock produced by the stock he originally bought, at a given price, which usually averages about 50 cents. This not only insures the reliability of the breeders stock, but also assures the purchaser of a ready market for all the stock which he can produce from the stock purchased from the breeder with whom such an agreement has been 72 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT made a part of the sale. The breeders who sell their stock on this basis, usually also demand the stock to be about a certain age, when they buy back from their cus- tomers. The large reliable breeders usually have a volume of orders for good stock, and are therefore in a position to buy from the smaller breeder all such stock as they may have for sale, providing of course that the stock is guar- anteed in every respect. If the breeder would sell all the stock he raised to the laboratory at an average price of 50 cents, he would be making a handsome profit, not worth overlooking, but we have at the present time a bigger and better field with more opportunities than the laboratory offers to the breeder, and that is selling stock for breeding purposes and for fancy pet stock. Of course only the best stock should be sold for these purposes, sending the culls to the laboratory. Reliable breeders are realizing all the way from $5.00 to $15.00 a trio for their stock. Of course the amateur breeder should not expect to get $15.00 for every trio he sells, but should be satisfied with reasonable prices, for it is not until a breeder has been in the business for some time and has gained fame and national reputa- tion, that he can expect and command high prices for his stock, and this point of recognition can only be gained by being a breeder of the best stock obtainable and by keeping up the standard of his stock at all times. How- ever, $5.00 a trio for the smooth haired English cavies should be the lowest price for which any reliable breeder should sell his stock, while the fancier class of cavies such as Peruvians, Abyssinians, Peruvian Silkeyes, Agou- tis and the chocolate color smooth haired cavies should bring higher prices. ADVERTISING AND SELLING The subject of Advertising and Selling is entirely too much overlooked by the present business world, although the more progressive class of people who are in business are fast awaking to the possibilities which advertising offers. Buying and selling are the two important factors which constitute successful "business" and unless these two branches of any business are properly carried on, no great success can ever be achieved. While careful buying is quite important in any business, the selling end of the business is still more important and this is a proven fact. Almost any person can buy — but not everybody has got the ability to sell. Advertising in the true sense of the word is nothing more than "Silent Salesmanship," in other words advertising without salesmanship and sales- manship without advertising does not work out very well. But if Advertising and Salesmanship go hand in hand then "Big Things" can be accomplished. Adver- tising is the Silent Salesman which interests people in your goods or stock, makes sales, creates prestige and develops your business while you are devoting your time to other duties. While advertising in selected publications will talk to a group of prospective people at one time, it is doing something which nothing else can do so effectively. In few words "Advertising is the art of selling through pub- licity. " But as soon as inquiries are received to adver- tisements it is up to the advertiser to follow up this prospect and close the sale; here is where salesmanship must complete the transaction. It is useless to run at- tractive advertising and then when the inquiries to such advertising are coming in to neglect giving them proper attention. While not everybody has the talent to write a good business letter, it can nevertheless be mastered by a little experience. In a short time you will be able to discover what kind of letters are getting the desired re- sults. The cavy breeder and fancier, who is raising cavies for commercial, as well as fancy and breeding purposes should not overlook the opportunities which advertising offers. Advertising to bring the desired results must accomplish the following: 74 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT 1st — Your ad must be written in an attractive manner so that it cannot help but attract the reader's attention and draw his eye to your advertisement. 2nd— Your advertisement must hold the reader's close attention and interest until he has finished reading the entire advertisement. 3d — ^After the reader has finished reading your adver- tisement there should be a desire down in his heart to want the goods or stock you advertise. 4th — When this prospective reader writes for infor- mation, prices, etc., regarding your stock, and you use a little tact and salesmanship and sell him the goods for which you have created a desire then your adver- tisement has fulfilled its mission. What Publications to Use— It is quite important to use the right class of publications if you expect to cash in on your advertising. But in the first place be sure you have the stock that you advertise. Do not advertise stock which you have not got, since this will result in dis- appointment with those who inquire about your stock, besides you will have to waste a lot of time taking care of such useless correspondence. Do not advertise first class stock and then when the order is received fill it with poor stock. This will not only disappoint the purchaser of your stock but will also spoil your good reputation. The kind of papers in which to advertise cavies or other pet stock, are pet stock publications as well as Farm Jour- nals, in other words use such mediums through which you can reach the class of people who are more or less interested in animals and nature. While it does not pay to advertise in daily newspapers, it has been proven that it does pay to use poultry, pet stock and farm publications to good advantage. Space in some magazines is rather expensive, and therefore it is necessary to carefully word your adver- tisement, so that good results can be had from small space. In few words, the kind of a publication which brings results, is the one with which you can reach the most prospective class of people at a minimum cost. 75 HOW TO TRANSPORT CAVIES After a sale of cavies has been made the next important step is to see that the cavies are properly and promptly delivered to the purchaser, and unless this end of it is properly handled, it is little use to waste time and money in trying to build up a business and establish a market. One of the most important things in shipping stock is to ship them so they will reach their destination safely and promptly. They should not be en route on Sundays or Holidays, because transportation service is not as good on such days as it is during the regular week days, and chances are the stock will be held over Sundays or holi- days in express offices or other places which might sub- ject them to the danger of rats, who are usually found in express offices. Most of us know that the rat con- siders the cavy, especially if it is young, a pretty good meal, therefore it is not advisable to place cavies in a position where the rats can get at them. While it is just as easy to make a practice of sending shipments on Monday or Tuesday, it certainly is most advisable to do so. This gives the Consignor every assurance that the stock will be delivered to the Consignee before the end of the week. Cavies should always be sent "Collect" rather than "Charges Prepaid." It is not advisable to establish a precedent of prepaying charges, because once this is done it is always expected from the purchasers, furthermore this makes it also more diffcult for the breeder to quote prices to his prospects, since the express charges vary considerably, and this would not enable him to have a standard price on his stock. Of course when cavies are sent to exhibitions it is of great importance that the express charges be paid both ways by the exhibitor. The number of cavies to be put in one box depends largely on the distance they have to go. Cavies may be safely shipped in boxes based on the following schedule: 76 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT For the shipment of one cavy — use a box 10" long. 7'' wide and 5" high. For the shipment of two cavies — use a box 1 1 " long 8" wide and 5 "high. For the shipment of three cavies — use a box 1 3 " long 9" wide and 5 "high. For the shipment of five cavies — use a box 16" long 12" wide and 5" high. For the shipment of eight cavies — use a box 20" long 14" wide and 7" high. For the shipment of ten cavies — use a box 21" long 15" wide and 7" high. For the shipment of twelve cavies — use a box 22 " long 16" wide and 7" high. The above sized boxes should be used where the ship- ment consists of about a two days trip. If the shipment is a little further than two days, a little more room might be given them. The above sized boxes apply to full grown cavies and smaller boxes may be used for young stock. Sawdust or bran should always be put on the floor of shipping boxes. This prevents dampness to a certain extent as well as the possibility of diseases. Plenty of hay and carrots as well as a little oats should be put in the box on which they may feed during their journey. In the winter the hay not only serves for food but keeps them warm as well. It is not advisable to ship cavies during real cold weather nor is it advisable to ship them during extremely hot weather. Care should be taken that the shipping boxes are properly ventilated and marked with plainly written tags, which should always contain the sender's name and address as well as the consignee's name and address. The "Carrying Case" as shown on page 78 is very handy and convenient to use for delivering stock in and around your home town. One of these cases, as you can see will accommodate nine pigs or about eighteen young ones, two in each section. Of course they should not be left in these cases longer than possible, and this case is not made for the purposes of shipping them, but rather for quick ■. 17 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT deliveries, taking them to an exhibition in your town, etc. These cases can be carried around in the street car or on the street and people will not even know what they contain. They can be built larger or smaller than the one shown in the illustration, just as is desired. In making this case care should be taken not to overlook the ventilation holes which are very important, since the room and air in each section is rather limited. Handy Carrying Case. Each section measures 5 in. high, 8 in. wide, 5 in. deep. When sending Peruvians to exhibitions, care should be taken not to permit them to run together in the ship- ping box, but each one should be in a section by itself. If permitted to run together they will nibble around on their coat which renders them unfit for first-class ex- hibition. 78 HOW TO START Any person thinking of starting in the cavy industry should start small and grow big, rather than to start big and fail in his undertaking. This is the very reason why so many business men fail today. They want to start on too large a scale, and hence their failure. It is however, advisable for a beginner to get a pair of every variety to start with, if possible. The reason for making this suggestion is because it gives the beginner an opportunity to study each variety and learn which variety he likes best. After he has definitely decided on the variety he likes best, he should make a specialty of breeding that particular variety. Of course this is not say- ing that you should breed one variety exclusively, but we simply mean to say that you should make a special study of that particular variety and try to bring them up to a higher standard of perfection. If a person wants to specialize in one variety only, it is not necessary to dispose of all other varieties, but it is much better if a person keeps a few of every variety, but of course a much larger number should be kept of those in which he is specializing. This enables you to keep posted on the different varieties and at the same time you learn which ones are doing best. When you are making a specialty of one particular variety, care should be taken to breed only the best quality of stock obtainable. Those breeders who are specializing in a certain variety usually find it very easy to dispose of all their surplus stock at good prices, because any per- son in the market for a certain variety usually buys his stock from the breeder who makes a specialty of breeding one particular variety, because he knows that when he buys from such a breeder, he is getting some good stock, and this is very true as a rule. When starting in the cavy industry it always pays to start with good stock bought direct from reliable breeders and not from dealers, pet stores, etc. The beginner should always start if possible with stock not over six months 79 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT old, for the reason that when stock is bought at this age you know that they have not been bred, and at the same time offers you an opportunity to keep an exact record of their entire breeding period, or as long as you are the owner of same. When buying stock much older than six months, it is hard to tell their exact age and besides you don't know what their past records are. Therefore, for the sake of having an accurate knowledge of your stock it certainly is advisable to buy cavies not over six months old. Elaborate hutches are not necessary to start with, but system and complete records must start with the first pair, if you want to keep up the standard of your cavies. Before making your first purchase of cavies it might be advisable to write for literature and information from different breeders, in order that you might obtain their views and get a line on the stock raised by the dif- ferent breeders. However, by no means should you sacrifice quality for price. It is much better to pay $10.00 for a pair of good cavies than to pay $2.00 a pair for an inferior class of stock. It is not advisable to encourage breeders with orders who are selling their stock at very low prices; this is usually a sure sign of inferior stock, for we all know that good high grade stock can not be purchased at a very low price. It is really very important that the amateur who starts in the cavy industry, starts with good reliable stock; for the entire future success usually depends on the quality of the original stock. THE CAVY BREEDERS TEN COMMANDMENTS 1 . Thou shalt not keep Cavies in damp and un- sanitary hutches. 2. Thou shalt protect thine Cavies against diseases and other enemies. 3. Thou shalt not wean young Cavies until they are at least three weeks old. 4. Thou shalt put forth endless efforts to become an efficient and famous Breeder. 5. Thou shalt not breed young stock under six months of age. 6. Thou shalt not be rough with thine Cavies, but handle them with great care. 7. Thou shalt not misrepresent thine stock in Ad- vertising or Correspondence. 8. Thou shalt breed for size, shape and color rather than for quantity. 9. Thou shalt keep clean oats and hay before thine Cavies at all times. 10. Thou shalt not be a dead one, but a live wire and a true and enthusiastic Fancier. «i DIFFERENT VARIETIES There are but few other pet animals in the pet stock world that offer as large a selection of varieties as does the cavy. There is nothing monotonous about the cavy whatsoever, and if you don't like a certain variety or color, then there are many others to choose from. They come in the following breeds and varieties. White Black Cream Red Blue Chocolate Tortoise and White Tortoise Dutch Marked Himalayan Brindles Silver Agouti Golden Agouti ENGLISH SMOOTH HAIRED CAVIES ABYSSINIAN PERUVIAN PERUVIAN SILKEYES. Black Red Cream White Chocolate Broken Colors Cream Black Red White Broken Color Black Red White Broken Color All these different breeds and varieties and how to obtain them will be thoroughly explained on the follow- ing pages. 82 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT The English solid colors come in the following varieties : Black, Cream, Red, Blue, Chocolate and White. The solid color English smooth haired cavy, unlike all other breeds and varieties seems to be the most popu- lar and in greatest demand. Breeders and fanciers all over the country are nearly always oversold on solid color English cavies. Of course it is not such an easy mat- ter to produce solid colors, but once you have your strain developed then your difficulty has been overcome, and you will always find the demand greater than the supply. Of course it is not so difficult to produce the solid colors, but to produce the desirable shade as well as size and shape, are the difficult problems in raising solid color cavies, and therefore we will go on to explain in detail how to obtain the desirable colors. PURE WHITE ENGLISH CAVIES Because the English WHITES are the most popular among the solid colors, I have decided to describe them first. Careful and conscientious breeders have put a number of years of careful study into this particular variety, to produce pure white cavies, and their labor Pure White English Cavy along this line has had its reward. They have brought the white cavy from an unsightly and most undesirable specimen up to one of the most popular varieties. Of 83 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT course this required years of careful breeding, but it was well worth the while. Here is how the white cavy looked years ago; its shape was exceedingly ratty, and the general appearance was such that nobody would take a fancy to them. Also their eyes were not of such a clear pink color as they are found today, and their ears, nose and feet were more or less dark and smutty in ap- pearance. Here is what the present day white cavy looks like: It is large in size, has well proportioned shape, with a short blunt nose. Their eyes are of a clear pink color and their ears, nose and feet are white. Their coat and color must be even throughout with broad shoulders and a good Roman nose, and the ears like in all varieties of cavies must be drooping, and should neither stand up nor hang down, but extend straight away from their head. Good white boars are an absolute essential in pro- ducing worth while WHITES. PURE BLACK ENGLISH CAVIES The black cavy in popularity comes second to the white cavy, and during the years of careful breeding which have been put into the blacks, they have not as yet reached a degree of certainty, that is but few breeders Pure Black English Cav; can guarantee their blacks to produce pure black young- sters. White and red seem to play the most discouraging part, and if the cavy is not a pure black, it is most apt to contain either a few red or white spots. This is very likely due to the fact that the solid black cavy originally 84 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT comes from the broken color, and by years of careful line-breeding, cross-breeding and inbreeding, the solid black color was produced, and now it will occasionally throw back some of the off-colors, but in a few more years hence, there should be an established strain of solid blacks, that can be guaranteed to produce blacks. The solid blacks have a very attractive fur and when properly tanned their fur is unexcelled. SOLID CREAM COLOR CAVIES The solid color cream is third in popularity among the solid color varieties. Its rich cream color cannot help but attract attention. The good creams have just been developed during the past few years, and the cream cavy of today has almost reached the standard of per- fection. The cream color cavy is a result of continuous crossing between the reds and the whites, and by care- ful breeding ard cross-breeding the solid cream resulted, and according to the demand for them, it seems as if the creams have come to stay. When breeding cream color cavies, it is always desirable to keep in connection with them, a few good whites and also a few good reds. Because when they run too light in color it becomes necessary to use a red boar for one mating or so, and if the color runs too dark then use a good white boar for a mating. In other words it is really necessary to keep a few reds and whites in order to regulate the color. But once you have established a good cream, it is not very hard to breed them, and they will nearly always produce true to color. They should be large throughout, with good head and shoulders, large black eyes and drooping ears, and their feet and ears should also be of a cream color. SOLID RED COLOR CAVIES The red, while it is fourth in popularity, is by no means an undesirable color to raise. Good reds while they are hard to produce, are certainly worth almost any price, when the deep rich red is obtained. Of course 85 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT .Solid Red English Cavy it is somewhat difficult to build up a good strain of reds, but good results can be obtained in one or two years of careful breeding. One of the greatest difficulties in breed- ing solid reds, is that they always have a tendency to run too light in color. They should have a dark deep rich red color, and their ears should be red. There are any number of reds with good color, but their undercoat is usually too light. Their ears should be red, their eyes large and bold and their feet should also be red, and NOT black. They should be large in size, and have a good blunt nose. SOLID BLUE ENGLISH CAVY Nothing much can be said about this variety as yet, because a number of breeders are still working on this variety to bring out its hidden beauty, and no doubt a few years hence, the experimenting breeders will have something good to show. SOLID CHOCOLATE COLOR CAVY The same as is true of the blue cavies, is also true of the chocolate cavy. TORTOISE AND WHITE CAVIES While many of the more experienced breeders would rather prefer solid colors, it remains a fact nevertheless that the beginner does v\ell to begin with tortoise and 86 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT whites or broken colors as they are sometimes referred to, because they are not so hard to raise and it affords a good study in reproduction of colors. There are also a number of experienced breeders who make a specialty of the tortoise and whites, and their argument is that they always have something to look forward to. It affords a great deal of study to produce the right kind of tortoise and whites, and the matings must be watched very closely, if correctly marked youngsters are expected A tortoise and white cavy properly marked should txjntaip. .ss many distinct patches of red, white and black colors as possible WS3k ^^^v H|H H^H BF ^^^^^1 Tortoise and White Cavy These patches should be as numerous as possible and must be distinct, that is one color must not run into the other. The three distinct colors should be of the same pure color as is found in the solid color cavies. It is nothing unusual to hear of a perfectly marked tortoise and white boar sell for prices from $10 to $50. They should be large in size with bold eyes and drooping ears, and their shoulders which should be broad and heavy are one of the important features of the tortoise and white. TORTOISE SHELL CAVIES The tortoise shell cavy consists of patches in two distinct colors which are red and black. They should contain an equal number of patches in each color. Many new fanciers get the tortoise and the tortoise and white 87 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT mixed. They are two distinctly different varieties, and each is in a class by itself. Good tortoises are very Nicely Marked Tortoise Shell Cavy scarce, and if good markings are obtained on them, good prices can also be obtained for them. DUTCH MARKED CAVIES The Dutch marked cavy while it is very pretty and while there is a good demand for them, it nevertheless remains a fact that the Dutch marked cavy is not very easy to produce. It is indeed rather tedious and tiresome Black and White Dutch Marked Cavy CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT work to bring this particular variety up to a point where it will breed true to color. They come in red and white and black and white. The Dutch marked cavy is marked exactly like the Dutch rabbit, and the picture on page 88 gives a good idea of what it should look like. There are but few breeders who are specializing on this variety, but they are putting lots of tim.e and patience into per- fecting this variety, and no doubt their efforts will sooner or later materialize. HI MALAYANS The Himialayan cavies are marked exactly the same as Himalayan rabbits. That is, their feet, ears and nose are a perfect black while the rest of their coat should be a pure white. Himalayans are \ery pretty and are net so hard to raise, the only difficulty being to produce the right shade of black on their nose. This usually runs in too much of a chocolate color. Any person breeding Himalayan Himalayans should always keep on hand some white cavies, as that is the breed from which the Himalayan was originally produced. A properly marked boar is the most essential part in producing good Himalayans. BRINDLE COLORED CAVIES The brindle color cavy has not met with much success in the United States. First, because its looks are not very appealing, and second, because it is a hard color 89 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT to produce properly. The brindle cavy is a result of crossing between the blacks and the reds, and years of study to this particular color is the result of the present day brindle color cavy. In England, however, the brin- dle cavies are quite popular, and they have devoted con- siderable time in trying to bring this class up to a higher standard of perfection. Its hair should be evenly inter- mixed with red and black throughout the body, and should not contain any distinct patches of either red or black; the entire coat must be properly intermixed with red and black. There exists a question of doubt as to whether or not the brindle color cavy will ever become popular in this country or not. AGOUTIS Agoutis are considered quite pretty among cavy fanciers and it usually miakes a hit at the exhibitions. They are a result of years of careful breeding and the best speci- mens seem to be produced in England, as a number of Agoutis are imported regularly from the Old Country. There are two distinct varieties of Agoutis, namely the Silver Agouti and the Golden Agouti. The Silver Agouti has a fur similar to that of the wild rabbit, and Golden Agouti their belly-coat should be of silver grey. The Golden Agouti has a fur of a golden nature similar to that of a squirrel, with a deep red belly-coat. Once a good strain is developed, it is not very hard to breed them. 90 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT ABYSSINIANS Abyssinians come in the following varieties: black, white, cream, red, chocolate and broken colors. The solid color Abyssinians are quite pretty and are gaining in popularity every year. The Abyssinian cavies are Black Abyssinian Cavy hardly every used for any commercial purposes, but are raised and sold mostly for pets. They have a beautiful ruffled fur which is divided into rosettes. The more ro- settes the Abyssinian cavy has, the prettier and more valu- W'liite Xhv^sinian Cavies able it is considered to be. The Abyssinians appear to be a good deal larger than the smooth haired cavies, but in reality they are not any heavier, and it is their rough and wiry fur which makes them appear larger. Of course the larger the Abyssinian the better. High class Abys- 91 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT sinians are quite scarce, and anyone desiring to make a specialty of them should be careful to select only the best kind of stock obtainable for breeding purposes. The white Abyssinians are the prettiest and scarcest and therefore are always in great demand. PERUVIANS Peruvians come in the following varieties: cream, black, red, white and broken colors. The Peruvian cavy is without a question the aristocrat in cavydom. They are raised exclusively for pets, and are indeed very pretty. Beautiful Black Peruvian The Peruvian has gained considerable popularity during the past few years, and will no doubt continue to hold its own among the Cavy Fancy. The larger the Peruvian the better. Their fur consists of long and silky hair. The Peruvian's length of coat is quite important, and the longer their coat the better it is. The coat of the Peruvian should part below the spine and flow down the sides in the form of a mane. The coat flowing forward over the head should be as long as the coat over the back, so that a person is unable to distinguish which is head or tail; this, with a nice mane, fine texture of the coat and size, and you have an ideal Peruvian. Where their coat parts below the spine on their back, you will some- times find a bald spot; this is quite undesirable; there should be a distinguishable parting of their coat, but should not show a bald spot. Peruvians should not have 92 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT any rosettes whatever, and the only separation of coat should be on their back, which separates part of their coat to the back and part of it to the front over their head. Peruvians if intended for exhibition should be put in a hutch by themselves. If left together they will nibble around their coat, which renders them unfit for exhibi- tion. Stock intended for exhibition should be separated at least two months before the exhibition. Extra care should be exercised in the breeding of Peruvians, since they are quite delicate and easily subject to cold. Avoid draft and dampness at all times. The white Peruvians seem to be the most popular. They have pretty pink eyes, and always breed true to color, while with the other varieties it is sometimes a difficult problem to obtain just the desired color and markings. PERUVIAN SILKEYES The Peruvian Silkeye is similar to the Peruvian, only that their head is practically the same as the English smooth* haired cavy. Their coat with the exception of their head should be long and silky. They come in the same varieties as the Peruvian. F'or some unknown reason they are not as popular as the Peruvian, but with a little more time and attention they should soon be made more popular. NOTES OF INTEREST REGARDING THE CAVY INDUSTRY. Comments are being made by all pet stock fanciers, breeders, professionals and amateurs to the effect that cavies are without any question of doubt the most profit- able and fascinating little animals in the pet stock world. The United States Department of Agriculture speaks well about the cavy and recommends the rearing of them for both pleasure as well as profit. Magazines and News- papers of the smaller cities as well as publications of the Metropolitan cities run articles regarding the usefulness of the cavy. The Chicago Daily News in one of their two column articles on "Profitable Hobbies" writes in part as follows : "With this large and permanent scientific market for animals, it is curious that more people have not followed the example of the San Francisco Woman and started a side line of guinea pigs. As a business by itself it would probably not prove profitable but the original investment is so small and the amount of time required so negligible that as a sideline it could hardly fail to be successful. Guinea pigs, for instance, yield great- er returns when raised as an adjunct to a small truck farm, because they require a lot of green food which is supplied by the waste of the farm, but is rather expensive if purchased itself. The loose leaves of cabbage, the tops of carrots and the inferior roots not worth bunching are food on which the guinea waxes fat. One Long Island woman started raising guinea pigs for the Rockefeller Institute in order to enhance the income derived from her small truck farm. The animals proved the better investment and now she uses the truck farm to enhance the value of the guinea pigs." When papers of interna- tional fame like the Chicago Daily News run articles on cavies and endorse the raising of them for pleasure and profit, surely there must be something to it. The National Pet Stock Association which was estab- lished in 1910 has done wonderful work for bringing the cavy out of the insignificant class of rodents and placing it in the front ranks of the Pet Stock World. The Official Magazine of this Association called "The Pet Stock 94 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT Fancier" brings together all the breeders of cavies as well as other pet stock fanciers and holds annual Pet Stock Shows all over the United States. This Association is responsible for making the exhibition of pet stock famous and the breeders are all cashing in on these exhibitions by exhibiting their cavies and receiving wonderful prices for their stock. The outlook for the next ten years at least, is very promising, and those who will enter this profitable industry now, cannot help but be successful, by either devoting part or all of their time to the raising of cavies. A Group of Coming Fanciers. Since the Great European War cavies have become more scarce than ever. Owing to the large demand for them in the United States they were imported in this country regularly, but since this great war has been raging in Europe, they have been unable to import cavies to the United States for the reason that they could not get enough themselves for the testing of various serums and antitoxins, as well as using them for food. It may also be of interest to know that many doctors are keeping cavies as a side line and usually for the following reasons: First, because they need them for their own use, and therefore know the reliability of same, 95 CAVIES FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT and second, because of their fanciness. And furthermore they have been educated to appreciate nature and admire the beauty and usefulness which the cavy po- sesses. The United Cavy Breeders Association which was organized in February, 1916, is also making wonderful progress. This is an exclusive Association for Cavy Breeders and Fanciers, their aim being to sell and breed a higher class of cavies and assure all members of a ready market for all the stock they care to sell. While the European countries have been and still are predominating over the United States in the "Cavy Fancy" we feel that it is our duty to work harder than eyei and boost the cavy to the very limit of our ability, and it is our hope that in a few years the United States will lead all other countries in the Pet Stock Fancy. Let us all put our shoulder to the wheel and make the cavy the biggest thing that ever happened. The reward is bound to come sooner or later. CONCLUSION After reading this book, the reader should ask himself this question; what is more pleasant and profitable thaxT the Cavy Industry? There should be no question of doubt in the mind of those who are interested in cavies, about the wonderful opportunity this new field offers. Here is what the United States Department of Agri- culture say about the cavy in their Farmers Bulletin No. 525 which can be had by writing to Washington for it. "The rearing of cavies requires no extraordinary knowl- edge and no great outlay of capital. Little space is needed to accommodate the animals, which are hardy and easily m.anaged. They make interesting pets and are useful food animals. The constantly increasing demand for them in scientific investigations and medical research insure a ready market for reasonable number at prices that should be remunerative to the producer." You can readily see that this must be a profitable industry when the U. S. Government recommends the rearing of cavies to those who are interested in pet stock. Poultry, pigeons and other pet stock do not offer the same profits as does the cavy. RIGHT NOW is the opportune time to enter this fine field. The longer you wait the more money and pleasure you are losing. There is always a great demand for cavies, during any time of the year. Those who are not working away from home during the day will find it interesting and profitable enough to put more time and money into it, and those who are only home in the morning and evening, find it a splendid recreation to be with them when at home, at the same time making considerable money in spare moments. This is not only an industry for children, but men, women and old folks take great pleasure in rearing cavies. END Pet Stock Magazines Worth Reading THE PET STOCK FANCIER 508 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois The Pet Stock Fancier is the official organ of the National Pet Stock Association, and contains accurate reports of all the pet stock shows held in this country. It also has an unusual amount of interesting cavy news in each issue, and contains a large amount of high-grade adver- tising. Send 10 cents for sample copy THE PET STOCK WORLD 650 N. CHESTER Baltimore, Maryland The Pet Stock World enjoys the reputation of being the oldest and most reliable pet stock magazine published. It is pub- lished by men who know, and reaches a worth while class of pet stock fanciers. Send 10 cents for sample copy and learn more of the possibili- ties ahead of you in the pet stock industry. Journal of Outdoor Enterprises Holmes Park, Missouri We do not wish to go into any lengthy argument about the high-class quality of our maga- zine, but ask you to please send for sample copy, which will leave no doubt in your mind that this is one of the livest and snappiest pet stock magazines ever pre- sented to the breeders and fanciers of pet stock. The Journal of Outdoor Enter- prises consists of: First Class News First Class Advertising First Class Subscribers Send 10 cents for sample copy DOMESTIC PETS WHITE OAKS, NEW MEXICO Domestic Pets is a pet stock magazine, always brimful of interesting news, such as the present-day fanciers want. It has been so successful in recent years that but few breeders and fanciers are not on our subs rip- tion list. Our readers thoroughly believe in Domestic Pets, their news and advertising, and a glance over some of its pages will convince you. Send 10 cents for sample copy. Please mention this book when writing advertisers Why you shouldjoin the UNITED CAVY BREEDERS ASSOCIATION Because the United Cavy Breeders Association is the only organiza- tion of its kind in America for the benefit of cavy breeders exclusively. Because our object is to breed and sell a higher class of Cavies and encourage breeders and fanciers all over the country to exhibit their stock. Because we are affiliated with the National Pet Stock Association and membership to our Association entitles you to the National Pet Stock Fancier, which is the official organ of the National Pet Stock Association, and comes out once a month. Send for literature and further information. Address all com- munications to the UNITED CAVY BREEDERS ASSOCIATION Edwin F. Deicke, Secy. Lombard, Illinois CAVIES Solid Blacks and Reds If you want blacks that are black, and reds that are red, in other words if you want exhibi- tion stock, let me supply you with the best. Geo. Lautenschlager Wcstmcre, Illinois P. O. Elmhurst Cavy Supplies We have a complete line of high- class cavy supplies, and will be glad to know your wants. Our prices are reasonable and the goods are in line with the high- class quality of our Cavies. York Cavy Supply Co. Lombard, Jllinois Soluble Pine Disinfectant Soluble Pine Disinfectant is a high- grade product made from pure fragrant souther oil with germicidal properties added. It has a most agreeable odor, containing over 65% of Wood Creosote, this making it a powerful disinfectant. It is nearly three times as strong as Carbolic Acid, but at the same time it is absolutely without any dangerous or corrosible qualities. Soluble Pine Disinfectant not only destroys germs, but also creates a pleasant and healthful atmosphere. Send five 2-cent stamps for sample to cover cost of packing and mailing. Edwin Schoenfeld 2146 Rice Street, Chicago Please mention this book when writing advertisers QUALITY HILL CAVIARY W. A. Kirchner &i Sons Member N. P. S. A. — N. S. B. A.— K. P. & P. S. A. Box 335, KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS Breeders of High-Grade English Cavies in solid and Broken Colors for Pets, Breeding or Laboratory purposes Quality and Health Guaranteed. Write for Price List Court's Pet Stock Yards KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS We have Cavies for sale in Blacks, Reds, Whites, Chocolate, Creams, Golden and Silver Agoutis and Broken Colors Golden Ringneck Pheasants. Also eggs for hatching from prize winning Buttercups Prices Reasonable — Satisfaction Guaranteed State Vice Pres. of American Buttercup Club. Member of tiie N. P. S. A. C.R.Deardorff No. Judson, Indiana PET STOCK SPECIALIST Breeder and Judge My years of experience in breeding and studying, as well as judging Pet Stock and Poultry, enables me to give you the best that scientific breeding can produce in the following lines: ENGLISH CAVIES in all colors. Rabbits in leading varieties. Persian Cats and Poultry. Circulars and price lists sent on application SATISFACTION guaranteed OUR AIM Every show in the U. S. A. to include at least one Cavy with Blood Lines from The "High Grade" Caviary of T. A. Martin, Jr. Midland Park, New Jersey BE PREPARED! Raise Canaries and make money. Send to me for prices and advice on Canaries. Always have on hand over hundred fine young birds, in many varieties. Also have some fine Angora Kittens, Send 10 cents for descriptive booklet. Mrs. Elgia Gensemer Creston, Ohio Please mention this book when writing advertisers "Ebco" Products SANITARY STONEWARE JARS (For water or feed) lyi-mch, high by 5-inch diameter $1.50 per dozen 2>^-inch high by 7-inch diameter $2.50 per dozen F. O. B. Chicago CONDITION POWDER 3 oz. Package, 25c Galvanized Coop Cleaners with Wooden Handles, 35c each My Reputation- Guarantee -Your E. & B. Supply Co. (Not Inc.) Geo. C. Eckert, Manager 2630 Winona Ave., Chicago TORTOISE and WHITES that win at every show My prize-winning Tortoise and White Cavies are the result of several years of careful breeding, and my efforts have been fully repaid by the character of my present high -class Cavies — A Strain — which has been defin- itely established. MY MOTTO: More and Better Cavies Will be glad to hear from persons interested in Tortoise and Whites Jas. E. Young 3511 No. Keating Ave. CHICAGO The Home of High Grade Cavies RED ENGLISH RED DUTCH MARKS RED ABYSSINIANS J. R. SPALDING Breeder and Exhibitor Clinton Iowa W.G.ERWIN Sandwich Illinois Breeder of High Grade Cavies in Tortoise and White Reds Whites Peruvians SOLID COLOR CAVIES of which YOU CAN FEEL PROUD A trial order of my perfect solid color Cavies will convince you of their quality and winning ability. My Motto : Quality, Not Quantity Wm. Schoenfeld 2146 Rice Street, Chicago Please mention this book when writing advertisers CAVIES The best money can buy When in the market for High Grade Breeding Stock write to me for prices and descriptions. Healthy Five-Month Old Breeding Stock A Specialty I always have on hand a nice supply of Tortoise and White, Reds, Blacks and Golden Agoutis. Stock the Best Prices Reasonable R. W. Nichols 11161 Longwood Drive, Chicago Member of the U. C. B. A. Smooth Haired Cavies ALL STOCK GUARANTEED Nolte Brothers Members of the U. C. B. A., and proud of it too 2049 Bradley Place, Chicago Springfield Caviary Carl Klein, Prop. 940 N. Springfield Ave. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CAVIES In all varieties Member of the U. C. B. A. Please mention this book THE GRANITE STATE CAVIARY "Ouality Counts" RALPH P. POPE Manager Bristol, N. H. Guilford Caviary John H. Cross, Prop. Breeder of English Tortoise and White and Solid Red Cavies 2230 Guilford Ave. Baltimore, Md. 25 Years a Breeder of Cavies Cavies Exclusively Exhibition and Utility Breeders in the English, Abyssinian and Peruvian varieties. Send for Illustrated Price List RYERSON BROTHERS CAVIARY 7 So. "B" St., Herrington, Kans. when writing advertisers cyFiiiiipiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^^ I High -Class Cavies in | I All Varieties | I CAVIES OF RECOGNIZED STANDARD | M To be successful with Cavies — to make money M M with them — to make them a pleasure, and to M M make yourself a famous breeder of Cavies, it is M M absolutely necessary that you breed standard ^ = perfection stock, such stock that comes up to the M i standard in SIZE, SHAPE and COLOR. That g M is the answer for the phenomenal success of the M g York Cavy Farm. g I OUR MOTTO: SERVICE &i SATISFACTION | M All those who have had any dealings with the York Cavy ^ ^ Farm know that the above motto is in reality a true state- M M ment. We have a large letter file full cf gratifying state- M ^ ments from satisfied customers everywhere, who are now = ^ realizing handsome profits from their Cavies purchased ^ M from The York Cavy F"arm. ^ I OUR THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF 1 1 CAVIES ENABLES US TO GIVE YOU M I NOTHING BUT THE BEST g ^ We have made a special study of Cavies, and our years of = ^ experience in careful breeding are the result of our present = M high-class Cavy plant. We have a reputation second to M ^ none, and our honest dealings have made friends for us = = everywhere. We give unequaled service in quick trans- = ^ portation of stock — answering correspondence the same ^ ^ day received, and also give a money-back guarantee with S M all Cavies sold. M I READY MARKET GUARANTEED TO ALL 1 i BREEDERS OF OUR HIGH-CLASS CAVIES g ^ Breeders of the Famous "York Cavy Farm" Strain ex- = ^ perience no trouble whatever in disposing of their Cavies. ^ ^ We buy back at attractive prices the offspring from all M ^ stock sold to our customers. Our satisfied customers are M ^ our best advertisements and we always keep in close touch = ^ with them, assisting them wherever we can. M M Send for descriptive booklet showing ^ ^ prices and stock for sale. ^ I YORK CAVY FARM | ^ "The Home of Better Cavies" ^ g Edwin F. Deicke, A. P. Keller, Proprietors 8 I LOMBARD, ILLINOIS | ^ We are members of the following organizations: M ^ United Cavy Breeders Association, Chicago Pet Stock Club, M ^ and the National Pet Stock Association M C jFJiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy^ Please mention this book when writing advertisers