Cavy Dictionary

 

So yes we do use a lot of phrases and abbreviations, and after talking to many members I realised to many people we are talking double Dutch,

so below is a kind of Dictionary of Cavy talk.

 

 

A

 

3/5, A New one, a cavy between the ages of 3 and 5 months

5/8, the cavy is between 5 and 8 months old

 

AA ~ Any Age

Aby, is short for Abyssinian, a breed of cavy

AC ~ Any Colour

ACC ~ The Abyssinian Cavy Club

Adult, Any cavy over 8 months of age.

AOC ~ Any Other Colour

AOV ~ Any Other Variety

B

BCC,  The British Cavy Council, the cavy fancies ruling body. They set standards by which different breeds are judged

BIS or B.I.S, the most important one it means Best In show and is the best pure-bred guinea pig in the show

Breed Class ~ The first class a Cavy enters on the schedule before going on to challenges

C

CCC, The Crested Cavy Club

Challenge Class, If your cavy wins its breed class it can then be brought out by the judge to compete in the challenge classes, these can lead all the way up to the Grand Challenge which decides the overall winner

Coated  ~ Cavies mainly judged on thier coats (except Longhairs) ie Rex, Satin, Crested, Abys

C & S CC, The Coronet & Sheltie Cavy Club

D

Dal, Short for Dalmation

D & H CC , The Durham & Northumberland Cavy Club

DCC, The Dutch Cavy Club, caters for the Dutch breed of Cavy

DEG, Dark Eyed Golden ~ A Breed of Cavy

DEW, Dark Eyed White ~ A Breed of Cavy

DQ or DQ'd ~ Disqualified

D & RCC, The Dalmation & Roan Cavy Club

E

ESCC, The English Self Cavy Club

G

Guard Hairs ~ Longer coarse hairs found in shorthairs, Guard hairs must be removed by hand grooming for show

Guide Standard, A Breed that has been given a Guide Standard by the BCC. This standard is 'under review' until a 'Full Standard' is given

H

Himy or Himi, Short for Himalayan, another breed of cavy

I

Improper Preparation ~ Any form of 'tampering' with the coat . If an exhibitor is found to have 'Improperly prepared' their cavy it is considered cheating and is a serious matter

L

Lucky Pen, all pen numbers of cavies entered are put into a 'hat' and one drawn out at random. A proportion of the entry fee (often 50%) are awarded to the winner

M

MCC, The Midland Cavy Club

N

NACC, The National Agouti Cavy Club

NCC, The National Cavy Club

NCF, The Northern Cavy Fanciers

NHCC, The National Himalayan Cavy Club

Non Self, Any other pure-bred cavy with a 'Full Standard'. This includes longhaired cavies.

NTWCC, The National Tortoise & White Cavy Club

O

OD, Over developed, a phrase used by judges when they consider the cavy should be in a higher age group at a show. Over Developed does not necessarily mean Over Age. Some cavies grow at a faster rate than others, even within one breed. Sometimes a cavy can develop quickly and have to move up a group at the age of 4 months (in the case of U5's) or even younger.

Over groomed ~ an area of coat that has had too many guard hairs removed

P

PCC, The Peruvian Cavy Club

Pet, most people will say all cavies are pets, but in show terms it means it is being judged under different criteria, that is it should be clean & in good condition, tame & friendly. It really doesn't matter about its markings etc

PEG, Pink Eyed Golden ~ A Breed of Cavy

PEW, Pink Eyed White ~ A Breed of Cavy

Prize Money ~  Prize money has its own 'language' and is usually awarded to first, second and third prize card winners, each class has its own prize money, the more classes you win, the more money you get

75%. This is when a show shares 75% of the entry fee between the entrants of the class. For example in a class of 3 with an entry fee of 20p per cavy the whole pot would be 60p, 75% of this (45p) would be split between first, second and third (first would be 23p second 16p and third 7p). This may seem a very small amount but later on in the challenges when a class has far more entries the prize money rises accordingly. Most shows now run the 75% system

Guaranteed prize money. This is when regardless of the number in the class the prize money is guaranteed. The prize money will be stated in the show advert. For example First may be £1 second 50p and third 25p. This is the case right through the show to the highest challenges, if you won the Grand challenge class you would still only get £1 for that class.

NPM. stands for No Prize money, some classes do not give prize money, usually pet classes. Instead they award extra rosettes to the winners

R

Rare Variety or RV, A cavy that has not yet got a Full standard, it is still in the early phases of its breed, still being developed.

RCC, The Rex Cavy Club

Runners, Running Lice. A small 'worm' like insect that lives on the skin of the cavy. A cavy shown with Runners will be disqualified as they can easily pass from cavy to cavy

RVCC, The Rare Variety Cavy Club

S

SCC, The Southern Cavy Club

Self, a Cavy that is all one colour with a smooth coat

SNCC, The Scottish National Cavy Club

Standard, means that it has been given a guideline to be judged against, this involves each feature of the cavy being given a proportion of points out of 100.there are full Standards, and Guide Standards.

Schedule, A schedule is a list of the classes at a cavy show.

Static, A type of lice or lice eggs that cling to the hair of the cavy. Grey in colour  they appear white on a dark cavy and black on a pale cavy. Static do not harm the cavy and just live off skin debris. They are not a disqualification but should be removed (with mite spray) before showing

T

Tort, A tortoiseshell cavy, this is used in respect of Tort & White or just plain Tortoiseshell ( Black & Brown).

U

U/5, the cavy is under 5 months of age

Unstandardised, a breed of cavy that has not yet been given a standard by the BCC BUT has been recognised as a breed by the same body

 

If you have seen or heard anything YOU don't understand, don't be afraid to ask me