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