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