Download the 2013 Schedule - Betley Show

Guinea Pigs and Betley ShowThe domescated guinea pig is part of thefamily Cavia, this modern pet is closelyrelated to the capybara, chinchilla, coypu,and the porcupine. It was domescated in itsnave South America pre Inca mes longbefore AD1450 and was certainly found in thehouses of the Andean Indians when the Spanish invaders arrived in thatconnent. It was brought to Europe in the Sixteenth Century and, duringthe next four centuries; they were kept in most European countries andin North America as pets and for exhibion purposes. It was during this me (as it had in itsnave South America) been used as a source of food in Mediterranean countries and inNorth America. In Italy during the Second World War, the rural populaon was encouragedto keep them as well as rabbits to supplement their meagre meat raons. Sciensts use thename guinea pig in spite of its cumbrousness and in fact the origin of “guinea” is completelylost in obscurity and now the modern day exhibiter calls them“cavies”. Guinea pigs used to be used in experimental work formany centuries in parcular because of their inherent need forvitamin C like ourselves, their use in many aspects of laboratorywork early in the tweneth century was considered to be ofparamount importance. The first guinea pigs resembled a rat,being snippy and thin faced. They had either a grey speckled coat or else a paerned colourpaern of tan, black and white. These animals with a long history of domescaon make anappearance in the history books in the nineteenth century withconnecons to Betley itself - records exist both in print andsome early pictorial evidence of guinea pig showing at Betleytogether with other small livestock shows in the mid to laterpart of that century. The 'big house’ in Betley employed a headgardener (who lived in what is sll known as Gardener'sCoage) and many other gardeners and estate workers, whilethe coagers were encouraged to grow good produce in their own gardens and keepanimals for food they also enthusiascally kept pets as hobbies long before the days of morealluring televisions and computers. Six or seven years ago cavyshowing was once again brought back to Betley Show and is nowrun by the very strong and enthusiasc local club from Sandbach.By the me this arcle is published many of the top exhibitors inthe UK will have decided which cavies will make the grade for thisshow will have set them aside preparing them and lightly showing them unl this presgiousevent in the Cavy calendar. What can you expect to see? At the top end of the marqueeusually running down the far side there will be the self cavies, these are all one colour, i.e.26