cavy breeders or guinea pig breeders
Cavy Breeders
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course ...
.... Guinea Pig Breeders ......
Cavy Breeders
.... and of
course ...
.... Guinea Pig Breeders ......
If you are a guinea pig breeder you can have your own free mini web site on this site, www.cavy-breeders.co.uk, which you can edit yourself at any time. The advantage of having a site on www.cavy-breeders.co.uk is that search engines look for the words people search for in the web site domain name. This index page has also been optimised for search engines looking for cavy breeders. People will go straight to your site from any links you use. For example www.cavy-breeders.co.uk/samplesite/index.php
If you are a cavy breeder yourself, please consider signing up for a free web page in our free searchable Directory which can link to your site. We also have a Classifieds section where breeders can advertise rabbits for sale free of charge. If you don't have a web site, or simply want one on this cavy breeders site, then tick the box on the Membership Application Form when you sign up for your free Directory page.
While there are so many unwanted guinea pigs in cavy rescues across the country, (mainly thanks to pet superstores and the odd rogue breeder), we will continue to urge people to rescue guinea pigs in the first instance. I know that might seem like an odd thing to do on a site for cavy breeders but all the good cavy breeders I know care deeply about their cavies and breed for the joy of the hobby rather than for income from selling guinea pig babies. If anything the guinea pig breeders I know are virtually 'pigaholics'! Though like all addictions there will always be the odd one who sells their soul to fund their habit so I have also included notes for prospective guinea pig owners on how to choose a good cavy breeder.
I have never yet met a guinea pig breeder I liked who made money out of breeding cavies. I've met plenty who breed healthy pet guinea pigs purely for temperament, vigour and the fun of it. Although plenty of rescue guinea pigs are perfectly healthy and baby guinea pigs are often available from rescues, there will always be people who have their heart set on a particular pig who will want to find a good breeder in their area.
Before you decide to buy a guinea pig from a breeder, please check if any rescues have the breed you are looking for. If you are not going to breed or show yourself then it doesn't matter how pedigree or not a guinea pig is, just how healthy it is and what it looks like. Cavy rescues are inundated with unwanted pets, often bought from pet stores or the result of unwanted litters from pet store bought cavies where the store can't even guarantee the sex. Please help them if you can. A good place to check is Guinea Pig Rehome which has a list of cavies needing a home. If you then want to look for a guinea pig or cavy breeder, please search our Directory. Allergy to guinea pigs is not uncommon so anyone who is likely to be involved in the care of your guinea pigs should handle an adult pig to make sure they are not allergic before taking on the responsibility of becoming a guinea pig keeper.
A good place to meet cavy breeders is through cavy clubs or the cavy shows that they organise. It doesn't guarantee that you won't come across a bad breeder but it reduces the risk. And my advise is still to go and visit their shed before you buy. If you are serious about breeding or showing guinea pigs then you'd be daft not to.
Good guinea pig or cavy breeders will take the time to make sure you understand what keeping guinea pigs involves. They will show you how they keep their own animals and will make sure you have a starter supply at least of the food the guinea pigs are used to eating. Often they will advise on shows, grooming and health matters as well. If you're lucky they may also offer boarding for when you go on holiday and be on hand if there's a crisis. They are also likely to know of a good local vet. Guinea pig breeders are a pretty friendly lot and a good source of 'hard to find information' on cavies.
Another recommended place to look is Cavy Breeders http://www.cavybreeder.co.uk/ which lists guinea pigs by breed and then by location so you can select breeders from your local area. It also has some extremely useful links to cavy rescues, show dates and for sale/wanted.
If you are looking for a guinea pig or cavy breeder, then please search our Directory.
The governing body for the Guinea Pig Fancy in the UK is the National Cavy Club.. Some breeders advertise in Cavies Magazine but the easiest place to find cavy breeders is through the local or National cavy club year books where they are all listed. Breeders who show their animals are not likely to want their reputation tarnished by selling poorly bred or sick animals. On the other hand, just being a member of a guinea pig club does not mean the member has had to pass any particular standard of guinea pig breeding!
Certain breeds of guinea pig have their own health issues, many breeding lines of Abyssinian cavies for example can be prone to cataracts and their stand up coat makes them less comfortable being handled then smooth coated guinea pigs. Others should not be mated with each other, Dalmation and Roan guinea pigs fall into this category. Find out as much as you can about the guinea pig breed you are interested in before buying.
If you still want a particular breed of cavy, then please make sure the breeder keeps their animals properly. Although guinea pig shows do have sales pens, impulse buys are not a good way to buy guinea pigs and it is very important to see how the animals have been kept which means visiting the breeder's shed. Beware of any breeder who shows you a few recently bathed guinea pigs but won't let you see where they've been living and what they've been fed on. Good breeders are always proud of the way their animals are kept and keen to show newbie guinea pig owners the ropes. There are many good breeders but also a few that are not so good, so choose with care.
There are also free advert sites where you will see guinea pigs for sale. For example Free Ads or UK Classifieds, but the same rule of asking to see how the cavies are kept still applies. Unscrupulous breeders have been known to use these adverts to generate income from guinea pigs which have been factory farmed for the pet market in the same way as the notorious 'puppy farms'.
This only feeds the problems that guinea pig rescues have to deal with day in day out. Report the breeder to your local RSPCA, rescue organisation and club. Good clubs do not support bad breeders (even though they may lack the power to ban them) and although the guinea pig breeder is unlikely to be a member of their club, it helps them to be aware of bad breeders 'on their patch'. It is especially important to report the breeder to any club they claim to be a member of.
