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Title: The Raising and Care of Guinea Pigs
A complete guide to the breeding, feeding, housing,
exhibiting and marketing of cavies
Author: A. C. Smith
Release Date: April 30, 2010 [EBook #32189]
Language: English
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The
Raising and Care
of
Guinea Pigs
A Complete Guide to the Breeding
Feeding, Housing, Exhibiting
and Marketing of Cavies
by A. C. SMITH
Published by
A. C. SMITH
712 West 74th Street
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
Copyright
1915
by A. C. SMITH
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Introduction Page 5
CHAPTER II.
Varieties Page 6
CHAPTER III.
Uses of Guinea Pigs Page 9
CHAPTER IV.
Food and Feeding Page 12
CHAPTER V.
Housing Page 14
CHAPTER VI.
Breeding Page 20
CHAPTER VII.
Exhibiting Page 23
CHAPTER VIII.
Selling and Shipping Page 26
CHAPTER IX.
Diseases Page 28
CHAPTER X.
Profits in Cavy Raising Page 31
[Illustration: Guinea Pigs or Cavies]
GUINEA PIGS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION.
The Guinea Pig or Cavy belongs to the rabbit family and is a native of
South America. Why they are called Guinea Pigs, no one seems to know,
unless their shape suggests a small pig and the name Guinea is a
corruption of Guiana, a country in South America. In size, shape and
texture of fur they resemble a squirrel or rabbit. They have large
bodies, short legs, small feet, no tails and a wide range of colors. A
full grown Cavy weighs between two and three pounds, which weight it
attains at about 18 months of age. The males are usually larger than the
females.
When white people first visited the Andean region of South America they
found the Cavy domesticated and living in the houses of the Indians, by
whom they were used for food. They were introduced into Europe in the
16th Century and since that time have spread all over the world. In
South America there are still several species of wild Cavies. These are
hunted as game and are considered a great delicacy.
Cavies are wholly vegetarian in diet, eating about the same things as a
rabbit. They are very easily tamed, are very healthy and hardy, are not
noisy, are clean in their habits, and have no offensive odor. There is
probably no animal in the world that is easier to handle. They easily
adapt themselves to conditions and seem to do equally as well in city or
country, in large or small quarters and a few of them together do as
well as a large number of them.
They are practically free from the diseases and epidemics that make the
raising of poultry and rabbits so uncertain. Some of them get sick and
die, of course, but it is usually due to some local cause or to the fact
that they have been neglected or improperly fed or housed, but
contagious diseases such as will often wipe out whole flocks of poultry
or a pen of rabbits are unknown among Cavies.
All of these things make the raising of Guinea Pigs a very pleasant as
well as a very profitable occupation.
CHAPTER II
VARIETIES.
English.
There are several varieties of Cavies, distinguished mainly by their
fur. The ones most commonly raised and most widely known are the English
or smooth-haired. These are the ones you should raise for commercial
purposes. They may be in color: white, black, red, fawn, cream, gray,
brindle, brown, or a mixture of these colors. The whites are usually
albinos and have pink eyes.
[Illustration: Abyssinian Cavy]
Peruvian.
The Peruvian has long silken hair and may be called the aristocrat of
Cavydom. They are raised principally by fanciers and for general
purposes are no more valuable than the short haired ones, are not as
hardy and are more trouble to handle as their coat needs careful
attention.
Abyssinian.
This, like the Peruvian, is also a fancy breed. It has longer hair than
the short-haired, and it stands out in curious little rosettes. These
are more hardy than the Peruvian and are more common.
The Kind to Raise.
If you expect to raise Cavies for commercial purposes the English is the
kind that should pay you best. They are easier to take care of than the
long-haired varieties. For laboratories, experimental purposes, etc., it
is the smooth-haired Cavy that is in most demand. If you are a Guinea
Pig fancier or are raising them for pet purposes it is merely a matter
of taste and choice. The long-haired ones are usually more expensive and
sell for more, as they are scarcer and are generally sold for pet and
fancy purposes. It is usually well to have a few Abyssinian among your
stock if you are raising many, as many people prefer them for pets.
CHAPTER III
USES OF GUINEA PIGS.
There are three main uses to which Guinea Pigs are put, as food, as pets
and for experimental purposes in laboratory and medical research. By far
the largest demand is in the last named field.
Scientific Uses.
There is possibly no animal so well adapted for scientific experiments
as the Guinea Pig. In the testing and analyzing of serums and antitoxins
and for experimental purposes generally the demand is enormous,
thousands and thousands of them being used every year. Many of the large
hospitals and laboratories have been compelled to establish breeding
pens of their own in order to be sure of a constant supply. The demand
here is steadily increasing and many more would be used if they could be
obtained at a reasonable price. A United States Bulletin says, "Guinea
Pigs sell at various prices dependant on supply and demand. The average
price for several years has been about 75c, but laboratories now report
that suitable stock is short and that they have been paying from $1.00
to $1.50 for their supply of animals." For these purposes they are used
all the way from nine weeks to six months or more old or when they weigh
from 9 ounces and up. The cost of rearing them to this age is very
little and a good profit is therefore assured the raiser.
As Pets.
The demand for Guinea Pigs as pets is very large. They are so widely
used in the medical field that the pet stores have a hard time keeping
enough on hand to supply the local demand for pets. They are very
interesting and perfectly harmless little animals. They do not bite or
scratch and young children can play with them. They are not as common as
the ordinary pet, and being more of a novelty, attract more attention.
When sold as pets they usually bring more than when sold to the
hospitals and raisers are assured of a very large demand for this
purpose. In England and Europe the Guinea Pig is more widely raised than
in America and there are more fanciers who show and exhibit them
extensively. They are becoming more popular in this country and are
being exhibited more and more in Pet Stock Shows. A good show animal is
worth all the way from $10 to $100. As a hobby the raising of Guinea
Pigs is most interesting and instructive as there are so many
experiments that can be made in the breeding.
As Food.
For food purposes Guinea Pigs are admirable, although not many are eaten
in this country at the present time. However, many of the newspapers and
magazines have run articles suggesting that they be raised for this
purpose and there is really no reason why they should not be. The United
States Government indorses them as food animals and advises that they
be used in this connection. In a few years we will possibly see Guinea
Pigs sold in the stores as rabbits and poultry are now. Certainly no
animal could be cleaner and being a vegetarian exclusively, its flesh is
of the best. They can be prepared just as a rabbit or squirrel. In
soups, stews, pies, or roasted, broiled or baked the young Cavy is equal
to any other animal. For this purpose the animal should be about
one-half grown.
[Illustration: English Cavies]
CHAPTER IV
FOOD AND FEEDING.
The feeding of Guinea Pigs is a very simple matter. Their main food is
good hay or dried grass. This should be before them all the time, as
they will not eat too much of it. Be sure, however, that it is not musty
or mouldy.
In addition to hay, they should have at least once a day, a feeding of
green food. This is essential in keeping them from becoming constipated.
By green food we mean such things as lawn clippings, green clover,
spinach, green corn stalks, lettuce, celery tops, plantain, dandelion,
grasses, etc., which is, of course, very plentiful in the summer. In the
winter when you cannot get these, carrots, beets, apples, cabbage,
mangle beets, yellow turnips, etc., will take their place.
The grains such as oats, wheat, corn, bran, chops, etc., should be fed
them, as it makes flesh and gives them strength. Oats is probably the
best of them all. Stale bread is also good, but it should not be greasy
or mouldy. A good plan is to feed in the morning hay and grain or a bran
or chops mash instead of the grain. At noon some green stuff or roots
and at night hay. Give them all the hay they can eat. Keep it before
them all of the time, but only feed as much green stuff as they can
clear up in a few hours. They are also not apt to overeat grain, which
should be fed in an earthen or wooden vessel. If you feed only twice a
day, give them the green food in the morning with the hay. Guinea Pigs
drink but little water when eating green food, but they should have a
vessel of fresh water in the hutch or pen every morning. It is also well
to keep a piece of rock salt in each hutch.
In the spring or summer you can feed more green stuff than in the
winter, in fact, we have raised them in the summer on an exclusive green
food diet by moving the hutches from place to place on the lawn. But in
the winter and fall, when greens are scarce and they are not used to
them, a sudden over-feeding might result in severe loss. Avoid a sudden
change of diet.
In the spring and summer there is but little food to buy for them. Even
the city raiser, by saving his own and his neighbors' lawn clippings,
can be well supplied. By curing these clippings a good grade of hay is
obtained. A little grain, especially for the pregnant mothers, is all
that need be bought.
Bread and milk is a good flesh producer and should be fed any weak ones,
also nursing mothers. In the winter it should be warmed.
The feeding of Cavies, you see, is a very simple matter, even for a city
man. The commission houses every day throw away enough lettuce, cabbage,
celery, etc., to feed a large number. Stale bread can always be bought
very cheaply from the bakeries. On the farm nothing whatever need be
bought at any time.
Doubtful Foods.
Breeders differ so as to doubtful foods that it is hard to advise what
not to use. We get good results from alfalfa, but some breeders say it
is too rich and gives them kidney trouble. We feed alfalfa hay in the
winter with good results, but have had but little experience with it
green. We would advise you to go light on it, however. Many breeders
feed cabbage, while others say not. All are agreed, however, that
potatoes, white turnips and parsnips are to be avoided. Of course, meat
or greasy food must not be fed.
CHAPTER V
HOUSING.
Guinea Pigs do not require either large or elaborate quarters and the
average man or boy can easily prepare a suitable place for them. There
are two methods of housing usually used, namely, hutches and pens.
Hutches.
Among breeders generally the hutch method is preferred. They occupy
less room, are easier to keep warm in the winter, and are easier
handled. We illustrate several types. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are the kind
used by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in the Bureau of Animal
Industry. They are about 20 inches wide, 3-1/2 feet deep and 18 inches
high. They will accommodate a male and three or four females and young
ones until weaned.
[Illustration: Figures 1 and 2. Front and Rear Views of Government Type
of Hutch.]
The door covers nearly the whole front and is made of wire netting. In
the back is a screened opening for ventilation. Each hutch should have a
shelf about four inches high in the back as they like to get on and
under it. These hutches are made to stack one on another to utilize
small space and are kept indoors.
Fig. 3 shows a type of hutch that can be built against the side of the
wall. It is not best to have the wall of the house serve as the back of
the hutch, it might be too cold. These can be built in tiers of three,
each tier about 18 inches or two feet high. The size of each hutch can
vary, depending on the number of Guinea Pigs you have. The entire front
should be of wire with large doors so as to allow ventilation and to be
easily cleaned. In the winter a small box can be put in each one for
sleeping quarters and this box kept full of straw.
Pens.
Some breeders prefer pens and the pen system does have some advantages.
In the first place, it gives the animals more room, has to be cleaned
out less frequently and is more economical.
If you have a suitable place for making pens it will be all right to use
them. Of course, it is harder to protect them from cats, rats and dogs
in pens, and it is also harder to keep them warm in winter. In summer
the pens are really to be preferred. If you have space in a barn, wood
shed, attic, basement or any place that is protected from wind and rain
and cats, rats and dogs, you can easily fix up a place for them. A place
six by ten feet will accommodate from 30 to 50 Guinea Pigs. Your space
should be divided into several different pens with 12 to 18 inch board
or wire netting. Guinea Pigs do not burrow, so a board floor is not
necessary. The floor should be covered with litter of some sort. Saw
dust is good for a bottom layer. Hay or straw can be put on the saw
dust. In the winter, if the place is not heated, boxes with a small hole
for them to run in and out of and which should be filled with hay or
straw, should be supplied for sleeping quarters.
Heat in the winter is not considered necessary by many very successful
breeders, but we think it best they should have some protection,
especially in very bitter weather, and the warmer you can keep them the
better. They thrive better when the temperature does not fall below
freezing. If given well protected, tight quarters with plenty of bedding
they will get by all right without heat. However, the females that are
about to litter should be kept in a warm place, as the little ones will
freeze if the weather is very cold. After they get about a month old,
you can, during a warm spell, move them out with the others. One of the
most successful breeders in the West, whose stock brings fancy prices,
opposes artificial heat and says they are better without it. Other
breeders use oil stoves in the severe weather and some of the largest
Caviaries have elaborate heating arrangements.
Out Door Hutches.
In the summer you can build a pen of wire netting for them to run in
with a small tight box for sleeping quarters and protection from storm.
Use small mesh chicken wire for the sides. The top can be of netting or
boards. The size of the pen will of course depend on how many Cavies you
have. These pens can be moved from place to place on the lawn, giving
them good green grass. Very little other food then will be required.
General Instructions.
Give your stock all the room you can spare. Do not see how little room
you can use, if you have room to waste. Be sure that they have
ventilation, even in the winter. Animals, like humans, need fresh air.
See that your hutches are kept clean and dry. Do not let your Cavies get
wet. There is no need to build expensive and elaborate hutches,
especially at the start. When you get a larger herd you can decide on
some uniform style of hutch or pen and make them all alike. This makes
them easy to handle and enlarge. Local conditions and circumstances will
determine how you will keep your Cavies.
[Illustration: Fig. 3. Practical Type of Indoor Hutch.]
CHAPTER VI
BREEDING.
Guinea Pigs are very prolific, having about five litters a year, and
from two to five at a litter. Three is a safe average.
The females are sexually mature at a month, but, of course, should not
be bred at that age. Three months is plenty early enough and some
breeders wait until they are even older.
The period of gestation is from 65 to 70 days. The young ones are fully
developed when born and in a few hours are able to run around. They
begin eating other food in a day or two.
They should be weaned when about three weeks old and placed in separate
pens, separating the young males from the females. It is then well to
let the mother rest two or three weeks before being placed in the
breeding pen again.
It is best to let each female have not over four litters a year. The
young ones are apt to be stronger and there will be more of them in a
litter. You will get about as many of them per year with four litters as
with five and have better stock. Some breeders, especially for show
stock, get only three litters a year.
When your young females are about four months old, they should be placed
in the breeding pen. Best results and surer are obtained by keeping one
male with four or five females and letting them stay together until you
are sure each female is bred. They begin to show that they are with
young in about 30 days or sooner and get to be very large before giving
birth.
It is best to have several females with young together in the same pen,
as they will nurse each other's young indiscriminately and the little
fellows seem to know no difference. While the males do not kill the
little ones, still they should never be left in the pen with nursing
mothers, as they will bother them.
Many breeders do not have special breeding pens, but keep all of the
females together and put males in with them. This is hardly the best
plan, however. The females must not be allowed to litter in the big pen,
but always in special pens or hutches.
It is best to have different breeding pens or hutches, so you can get
young stock that is unrelated. You will have many chances to sell
breeding stock and it does not do to supply males and females that are
full brother and sister. By using care you can so breed your stock that
you can keep different batches of them that are not very closely
related.
Line Breeding.
By line breeding, we mean breeding the same stock without getting new
males. It is the method used by breeders of fancy stock to get any
special color or marking. It is not inbreeding in the true sense of the
word.
In line breeding you breed the father to his daughter and the son to his
mother. This arrangement is all right and gets splendid results. You
must avoid, however, breeding full brothers and sisters. It is also well
to breed pigs that are similar in color and marking. For instance: Breed
whites with whites and blacks with blacks, etc. By line breeding you can
get almost any color you want. If you wanted to get solid red, say, out
of a mixed lot, you should breed your reddest male to your reddest
female. Then breed the father to his reddest daughter and the reddest
son to his mother. Continue in this way and eventually you will get
solid reds.
For commercial purposes, however, we think it is best to get new males
every now and then. If you have only one male at the start, you should
get a new one when the young ones of your first litter are old enough to
breed. This will permit you to get stock not closely related and that
you can sell for breeding and pet purposes.
It is best to breed males and females of different ages. Have one older
than the other. The females should not be handled too much when they are
with young, as it is apt to injure them, and, of course, no animal
thrives as well when fondled. Always keep your strongest and best males
for breeders.
Too frequent littering tends to weaken both the mother and the little
ones. If you have a female that gives weak young that are dead at birth
or die soon after, give her a rest of several months before breeding her
again. It is best to have fewer litters and stronger stock.
The old males will sometimes fight when in the pen together, but it is
seldom that the females do not get along well together. If you have a
fighting male keep him in a place to himself, as he is apt to injure the
other males.
Good young breeding stock is to be preferred by one beginning to raise
Cavies, because they have a longer life before them and if you get old
stock you cannot tell how old they are. Guinea Pigs live to be about
seven or eight years old and if you buy young stock you have them for
their entire breeding age.
CHAPTER VII
EXHIBITING CAVIES.
The showing or exhibiting of Guinea Pigs is rapidly becoming more
popular and in nearly all pet stock and poultry shows you will find
several pens of Guinea Pigs. There are many fanciers in the country who
make a specialty of show animals and fancy stock.
In judging Cavies, the size, shape, condition, and color are the main
things to take into consideration. The selfs or solid colors must have
every hair of the same color. Any white whatever will disbar a pig that
is otherwise red. In the broken colors the different patches should be
uniform in size and the colors not run into each other. Fancy stock is
nearly always line bred and great pains should be taken in breeding. To
secure the best stock the females are only bred twice or three times a
year and every care is taken of them from birth. They are bred for
size, shape and color. Even if you are not breeding for fancy stock, it
will often pay you to enter your best specimens in local poultry and pet
stock shows, as it gives you some good advertising and you will often
take good prizes. It lets people know you have stock and you can always
get good prices for your prize winners. Always enter as near a uniform
lot as possible in singles, pairs or trios, or even larger pens.
While it costs more to produce fancy stock, still the higher prices you
can get for it makes it pay. If you are raising only comparatively few
pigs it might pay you to go in for fancy stock. Even if you have a large
stock you can keep a few of your best specimens separate and give them
little better attention.
Of course, many of the large commercial raisers never bother about fancy
stock as it does not pay when you are raising large numbers of them.
Most of the shows are under the auspices of some pet stock association
and a book of the standards can be secured from the secretary. We are
giving below some of the classes under which stock is shown.
Selfs.
Solid colors throughout with no odd colored hairs.
Tortoise Shells.
Black and red colors with patches clear and distinct and as nearly as
possible equal in size.
Tortoise and White.
Red, black and white patches, each clear cut with no running in of
colors. The more patches and the more uniform in size the better.
Dutch Marked.
Blazed face of wedge shape. A band of white straight hair around the
middle with no blending of colors. Feet white. Very rare.
Brindle.
Red and black evenly intermixed and perfectly brindled.
Agouti.
They are two shades, golden and gray. The golden should be rich brown
undercolor with even ticking and belly of deep red. The gray should be a
light shade with even ticking and belly of silver hue.
The eyes of all English Cavies should be large and bold. Head and
shoulders heavy, nose roman, ears drooping.
In the Abyssinians the rosettes should be as plentiful as possible and
the coat rough and wiry.
In the Peruvian the main thing to be considered is the length and
silkiness of the coat.
A book giving the standards as adopted by the National Pet Stock
Association of America can be obtained for 50c from its secretary, C. S.
Gibson, 1045 W. Warren Ave., Detroit, Mich.
CHAPTER VIII
SELLING AND SHIPPING.
Guinea Pigs are in such wide demand that it is not a hard matter to sell
them if you let people know you have them. There are dealers in various
sections of the country that buy in wholesale lots but the prices
obtained are usually not so high as if you find your own customers and
develop your own trade.
The hospitals, medical colleges, agricultural schools, veterinary
colleges, laboratories, pet stores, etc., are the heaviest users. You
can get in touch with them by writing them and telling them you have
Guinea Pigs for sale. The names of the hospitals and medical colleges
can be gotten from any doctor and you, of course, know your own state
University and Agricultural College.
Prices obtained for stock for experimental purposes are not as high as
when they are sold for pets and breeding purposes. You can build up a
good mail order business by putting a small classified advertisement in
the poultry and pet stock columns in the Sunday issue of some large city
newspaper near you. A classified ad in some of the poultry papers or
farm papers in your state will usually find you good customers.
In shipping to hospitals and laboratories always send your males first
and keep the females as when selling breeding stock you always have
calls for more females than males.
The prices you get, of course depend on circumstances. 50c is a fair
price for the general run of stock for experimental purposes. For pets
and breeding purposes you should get from $1.50 per pair and up. Prices
depend on supply and demand. $1.00 for females and 50c for males enable
you to make a good profit with them.
For experimental purposes they are usually sold by weight and are
salable from 9 ounces and up or when they are around six weeks old.
Shipping.
Guinea Pigs ship very easily. They go by express. Use a light but strong
box; in the summer have plenty of ventilation. Wire netting on the top
or sides of the box is good but slats and holes in the sides will do.
In the winter not so much ventilation is needed.
For food use plenty of hay together with some green food or carrots,
beets, etc. No water is necessary. Do not ship out during a real cold
spell in winter or a real hot spell in summer.
Do not have your box larger than necessary as it means added weight and
at the same time do not have it so small that they are crowded all over
each other.
CHAPTER IX
DISEASES.
Guinea Pigs are singularly free from disease and the breeder has little
to fear along this line. Of course improper food, irregular feeding
hours, poorly ventilated or exposed quarters will often cause trouble
but it is almost an unknown thing for an epidemic to get in a herd and
kill them off. As long as they are fed judiciously and their quarters
are kept sweet and clean and well protected from wind, rain and snow,
you will have little trouble. They are remarkably healthy little animals
but of course will not stand neglect or improper care. Do your share and
you will but seldom lose a Cavy.
Diarrhoea.
This is one of the most common troubles that a Cavy raiser has to
contend with. Too much green food, mouldy and half cured hay and a
sudden change of food is usually the cause. Give them plenty of good
sweet hay and cut out the green food for a while. A small spoon of olive
oil or a little castor oil is good to clean out the bowels.
Constipation.
Caused by not enough green food. This trouble is not apt to occur except
in winter when greens are scarce. Give them apple parings, any green
stuff you can get and a little olive oil. Always try and feed at least
once a day a little green stuff and you will have no trouble.
Premature Birth.
Females are occasionally lost when giving birth prematurely to little
ones and sometimes the young ones when born are so weak that they do not
live long. This is caused by too frequent littering, by fright, over
fatness or physical weakness. Over crowding in a cold drafty hutch in
severe weather may so weaken the mother that she bears weak ones. Take
especially good care of the pregnant females. Give them the choice food
and the best quarters. Do not let them breed too often or start too
young. Do not allow them to be handled or frightened.
Worms.
If a Guinea Pig is a good feeder and still does not grow, if he looks
unhealthy and his coat is not glossy he may have worms. Give a half
teaspoonful of any kind of worm medicine such as children use. Feed
lightly and not at all until the medicine has taken effect.
Going Light.
Sometimes in spite of all you can do a Guinea Pig goes light. If the
treatment for worms has no effect it may be tuberculosis. Separate at
once from the others. Give special diet of milk and bread or bran and
oats. If it does not get better destroy it as it does not pay to have
such stock around.
Colds, Pneumonia.
When they have pneumonia there is usually no help for them. Cold, damp
and drafty quarters are usually the cause. About the only thing to do is
to move them to warmer quarters, give warm milk and a few drops of any
good cold remedy that you may have in the house. As an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure you should use every care to see
that they do not catch cold.
Lice.
Use any good insect powder or any poultry lice killer. Clean out the
hutches or pens and disinfect with any good disinfectant. They are not
often bothered if kept in good condition.
Wounds.
Males sometimes hurt each other in fights. Cleanse the wound with warm
water, remove the hair around it with sharp scissors and apply any good
healing salve.
Running at the Eyes.
This is often caused by a cold. Wash the eyes in a solution of boric
acid that you can get any druggist to put up for you.
Paralysis.
Cavies sometimes have dragging of the hind limbs. Some say alfalfa will
cause it, but it is usually from some disorder of the kidneys. Give
about 25 drops of sweet spirits of nitre three times a day and rub the
limbs with a good liniment. Feed carefully for several days and they
will often get over it.
General Instructions.
It is much easier to keep Cavies well than to cure a sick one,
therefore, try and prevent trouble. Sick ones should be separated from
the others and placed in comfortable quarters. Feed only choice food.
Keep their quarters clean, sweet and well ventilated. Give them all air
and sun you can and all the room for exercise you can. Feed no mouldy,
wet or half cured hay or grass. Do feed grass that is wet with dew or
rain. Just give your Cavies half a chance and you will find that disease
will bother your Caviary but little.
CHAPTER X
PROFITS IN CAVY RAISING.
This industry in America is in its infancy. There are in several
sections of the country large Cavy farms but they raise nothing like
enough to supply the demand. Either as a side line with only a dozen or
two females or whether raised as a business, Guinea Pigs offer a safe,
sure and pleasant method of making money.
There is no danger that the business will be overdone as the demand is
growing much more rapidly than the supply and as the supply increases
more will be used. The hospitals in most cases use them in preference to
any other animal for experimental purposes but at this time they cannot
get them in sufficient quantities. There is and always will be a great
demand for them as pets. When the people get educated to the food value,
this end of the industry will come in for its share. The present high
cost of meat and the decreasing supply of cattle indicate that in a few
years the people of this country will have to make other preparations
for their fresh meat and the Cavy offers the solution to the meat
problem. All of these facts make it plain that there is no danger of
there getting to be too many Cavies.
Inexpensive to Keep.
The profits in raising Guinea Pigs are large. The price for them on the
open market runs all the way from 50c to several dollars each. The cost
of raising them to the age when they are to be sold differs, of course
with conditions and circumstances. The man on the farm or in the small
town who has access to plenty of food for them without paying for it of
course, can raise them cheaper than the man in the city. Even in the
city, however, very little has to be bought and that only in the winter
time as in the summer lawn clippings and vegetables from the table will
feed them and all that will have to be bought is some grain or hay. By
saving and curing the lawn clippings there will be no need of buying
hay. They are far more profitable than poultry as they not only cost
less to feed and keep but are not subject to the diseases that make
poultry raising so unprofitable. They occupy smaller space and are not
dirty, noisy or objectionable in any way. Many large Poultry Farms have
been turned into Caviaries as their owners have seen that it is easier
to make money with Guinea Pigs than with chickens.
Easy to Raise.
Anyone with ordinary intelligence should be able to raise Guinea Pigs
successfully. Women do especially well with them as they require less
attention and work than chickens. Boys and girls find the raising of
them not only a pleasure but profitable and it is a splendid occupation
for them as it requires no hard or laborious work. Youngsters from 10 to
17 or 18 years old need a responsibility of some kind and the experience
gained in the raising and selling of Guinea Pigs will be very valuable
to them in addition to the money they will make. Parents will do well to
give their children a chance to raise them. To start with Guinea Pigs
does not require a large outlay of capital. By starting with just a few
and by keeping the young females it does not take long to build up a
herd of breeders that are valuable. As each female produces about 15
young a year and as these young are worth from 50c to several dollars
each, you can readily see there is a big opportunity for profit.
Big Profits.
Suppose you begin with six females. In one year they should produce
about 90 young and the young females of the first one or two litters
should be producing before the end of the year. Therefore, it is pretty
safe to assume that from the six females and their litters you should
get every year about 120 pigs. If sold at a price of 50c each these six
females would be producing about $60 a year. These figures will show you
what 100 females should do.
Starting.
Almost anyone can start raising Guinea Pigs without having to make any
very special preparations or a large investment. In any new business it
is always best to start in a small way. From a dozen to 25 females will
give you an opportunity to learn their habits and you can increase your
quarters as your herd increases. It would not be advisable for anyone to
start with 100 or more right at once unless he has especially good place
for them and a plentiful supply of food. However, by beginning in a
small way no risk is taken and you can learn the business as you go
along, and you can get extra stock as you make preparation for it.
Selection of Stock.
You cannot be too careful in the selection of your stock. Get good
healthy animals to start with as on them depends your success. Scrub
Guinea Pigs will pay no better than scrub poultry or cattle. Those found
in pet stores are frequently unfitted for breeding purposes as they may
have been experimented on or the descendants of such animals. Hospitals
are very careful of whom they buy and must be assured of the purity of
the stock. Therefore, you cannot be too careful in the selection of
your original stock. Just as no one would start a live stock farm with
the cheapest animals that can be bought, so no one should start a Cavy
farm with the cheapest Cavies that can be bought. There are many
reliable dealers in the country who have good stock for sale. Buy of a
well known breeder or dealer and you will have no trouble. Young
breeders are to be preferred as they have a longer life before them and
are more valuable.
From our own experience with Guinea Pigs we would advise anyone who is
interested in this work to take up the raising of them. Whether you have
only a few for making a little money on the side or a large number as a
real business you will find them very profitable. Certainly a great deal
of pleasure can be gotten out of it and there is a wide sale for all you
raise. If you will follow the instructions laid down in this little book
we do not believe you will have any trouble making a success of the
work.
GUINEA PIGS
For breeding, pet and experimental purposes. Any number, age,
size or sex supplied promptly.
When you have Guinea Pigs for sale, write us, as we are always
in the market. Quote price, giving number, size and sex.
CAVIES DISTRIBUTING CO.
The World's Largest Dealers in Guinea Pigs
712 West 74th Street KANSAS CITY, MO.
BELGIAN HARES RABBITS SQUAB PIGEONS
Write me your wants and I will supply you. My =White Kings= are
the most profitable squab breeders in the world, raising
squabs weighing from a pound to a pound and a half. Mature
quickly and always command top price. I can supply mated
pairs. Write me today for particulars and price on pigeons,
rabbits and Belgian Hares.
EDWARD F. TOBENER
2828A Woodland Ave. KANSAS CITY, MO.
_Redmon Printing Co., Kansas City_
End of Project Gutenberg's The Raising and Care of Guinea Pigs, by A. C. Smith
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