The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-11
GUINEA PIG.


NAL is cavia aperea, and fanciers al
ways speak of them as CAVES. They
are naturally very dainty and cleanly
animals, and If properly cared for can
be kept in a cellar or attic without
causing the slightest trouble in Well
regulated family.
The first consideration is a house to
keep them in, and for this purpose an
ordinary soap box answers the pur-
poses perfectly. If the place where
they are to be kept is free from rats,
a soap box with sides about eight
inches high and the top removed makes
a good hutch, as the CAVES will not
get over a partition eight inches high:
The bottom should be covered at all
times with sawdust, hay or straw, ana
for very best results should be clean
ed out every morning and replaced with
new bedding, the bottom being we'll
scraped before applying the new ma
terial.
CAVES naturally are very clean ami
mails, constantly sticking their fur ana
never showing a particle OF olrt on
their bodies. If kept in barn or out
building cleaning the hutch once
week will suffice, and any sheltered
place where poultry.a horse or cow can
be kept will answer for the cavy. the
writer has raised hundreds In hutches
well supplied with straw and kept IN
an ordinary barn, where young are
successfully reared without artihciai
heat in the severe winter weather In
the latitude of New York city.
The soap box hutch should be COW
cred with one inch mesh poultry net
ting. arranged with good sized door
on ton for cleaning and feeding pur-
poses. and this will protect your pets
from rats, which frequently, as II LOT
mischief only, will invade the nutcn
and destroy the inmates.
The amateur can make an as elab-
crate hutch as his fancy may dictate.
A hutch two feet square and one 1oot
or more in hight is ample for from one
to four CAVES. 1t is desirable to nave
the hutch open on top for ventilation
and covered with wire with a gooo
sized door at the end for ease In clean
ing.
Feed hay, oats. corn. potatoes apples.
weeds Of various kinds, carrots CAP
hare. turnips, bread and milk, now
ings from the lawn, acorns and almost
anything excepting lettuce (Which has
a stupefying effect.) Begin by the pur-
chase of a pair or more, taking care
to learn Just how the previous owner
fed them and continue feeding the
same food, gradually changing of to
what is convenient for you to supply,
parings of vegetables from the Kitchen,
pea-pods huskings from corn, trim
rnings from vegetables of which almost
any kitchen will supply sufficient to
feed half a dozen or more CAVES. ad-
wise watering daily or giving milk,
which answers the same purposes.
Feeding should be regular, night ana
morning.
1t is advisable also to supply your
hutch with hoppers for grain.
When filled at the top, and cover
fastened down the receptacle at the
bottom remains full of grain, while that
in the top is kept clean. 1t is also ad-
visable to arrange racks made OF poul-
try netting or metal strips for hay, as
CAVES invariably sit on and spoil much
of their food.
The short haired variety is called the
English cavy, and is the most common,
dealers selling them for about one dol
lar and a half a pair, though some
times they can be secured at lower
price, and are usually found in broken
colors that is, black and white, red and
white, or red. black and white, though
they are also found in solid white,
black and red. The solid colorS or
"selfs," as they are called by fanciers,
are the most valuable and greatly
priced. Ten dollars pair is not an I'M
usual price to pay for good pair OF
blacks, and it is for these fancy speci-
mems that breeders should strive.
1t is not advisable to breed from one
pair alone, but to associate with other
fanciers, so as not to inbred closely.
Litters most frequently consist of one
young one only, frequently two and
three, and only rarely four, and very
rarely more than four. while the aver
age pair vary greatly in the number
produced. some breeding only once
year and others somewhat more fire.
quently.
AS soon as young are born the male
should be removed and the young left
to run with the mother for thirty days.
In about three weeks the mother is
likely to begin weaving the young, and
at this time they should be given milk
daily TO supply sufficient nourishment,
barley meal and bran mixed with milk
or water should also be supplied.
In England the cavy was carefully
watched and bred up" developing pc
culiarities, those with longest hair pair
ed in the same way; this selection and