Glory & Co. Caviary & Rabbitry

Bits & pieces of news (all jumbled together, of course)

2006-07-18T02:24:00.000-07:00

The Alaska State Convention was this last weekend, and I splurged by buying myself a ticket and going. I'm so glad I did. Several other breeders flew out from the Seattle/B.C. area - myself, Sheryl Newland (Spiritridge Farms), Kelly Gilmore (Majestic Caviary), and Jen & Jim Lord (Megan's Menagerie). We all stayed at the home of Samantha Marlin of KarMar Caviary and had such a great time. Sheryl and I flew in together on Thursday night, and on Friday we saw Independence Mine and a glacier I've forgotten the name of for the moment (it is 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday and I am waiting for my flight to load - it is currently an hour late).

Saturday and Sunday were full of shows - 3 each day! Randy Shumaker, George Long, and Cliff Dick judged. Kelsey got one BOB leg (and was beaten in the other 5 shows by a lovely sow her age shown by Sam). Kara! was my pride and joy of the weekend - she took home 4 honorable mentions and 6 G.C. legs (4 BOB, 2 BOS). She got excellent comments and I am just in love with her more all the time. Christopher took 2 BOBs and went on to take RIS for both BOBs. He is an awesome boar but unfortunately his side density has gone away with age (a.k.a., Megan's June vacation to the Oregon coast kind of blew out his good grooming streak).

Kara has turned out so lovely that she has convinced me to go to ARBA Nationals in Dallas Ft. Worth, Texas, in October. I think I will be able to go for Sunday - Thursday, depending upon my classes this semester; they are fairly flexible so I believe it will work out. I will be able to transport pre-sold animals to Dallas. I will probably show Kara and Erica - that will be it. I am very excited.

Lastly, I am venturing out in the world of cavies - a brand new breed has made its way into G&CC, and I hate to betray all you all-longhair breeders, but here goes - Solid Silver Americans! Sam has awesome silvers and she has been so great to set me up with 5 (3 solid silver sows, 1 silver agouti sow, and 1 solid silver boar) beautiful animals. She gave me several long lessons on silvers this weekend - I am bound and determined to learn all about them! I'm very, very excited about this new venture.

That's all for now - my plane is finally here - so perhaps we will load soon so I can go back to Seattle and see the poor pigs I left behind for the weekend!

You Can't Please Everyone (but you can sure try!)

2006-07-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in Seattle and working a 9 - 5 job rather than going to classes and work 9 - 5 and studying from about 6 - midnight, I've had a lot of extra time lately. What've I been doing with it, you ask? Well! I'm happy (and quite proud of myself) to say that I've been very productive. I spend a lot of time with my cat (though she still, of course, thinks she's neglected). I've had some time to get to know my NC roommate (and best friend), Sabrina, even better than I already did, and some time to appreciate the many people in my life. I've had time to enjoy poking my fingers in cages and seeing which breeders are curious enough (and friendly and tame enough!) to come forward and lick the finger or let it scratch their noses (Penguin and Lil' Ava took the cake this morning). I've had time to groom pigs and really appreciate their personalities, and I could swear that the three pigs I have in (near) full show coat - Kara, Kelsey, and Christopher - are tamer than any cavy I've had in coat before. They sit quietly and let me groom them, and when I'm done they love cuddling and having their ears & chin scratched. I've had time to get to know other breeders and to enjoy their company. The other day I got an email from a breeder I'm arranging a shipment with, and the email said, "I always love the animals I get from you." Maybe it seemed like a simple statement, but I was incredibly flattered, and I had to remember to let myself appreciate that.

Because I've also had time to reflect on something negative, and that is the fact that I have certainly not been perfect when it comes to this cavy breeding thing. I've been breeding for almost 12 years now, and I've made a lot of mistakes along the way. I try to answer all questions in a timely manner, I try to let other breeders (longhairs, shorthairs, customers, everyone!) know how much I appreciate them, and I try not to let that busyness get the best of me when I'm in the middle of the hecticness back in North Carolina. But sometimes I fail at that, and I'm aware that I have not done everything perfectly. I've forgotten to answer emails (almost everyone has experienced that - I'm HORRIBLE at email communication, much better at phone - although -), forgotten to return phone calls, forgotten to answer questions, and I've done my share of taking a long time to get pedigrees to a breeder who has purchased animals. I've learned that in some ways, this is like a retail business in that if you don't please your customers, they won't come back. That means I become pickier, with every shipment and every buyer, about which animals are breeder/show quality and which animals are not - my standards are always becoming higher. I try to use my experience for what it is - an opportunity to teach others and to answer questions, to offer my opinions and give gentle advice. But I do not always succeed; I am aware of that, although I continue to try to improve. I learn, I learn, and I learn some more; with every mistake, every missed opportunity, I learn.

My summer is more than halfway over now, and I know that before long I will be back into the hustle and bustle that is Gardner-Webb University, that school (and schoolwork) which I love, but which keeps me so busy that sometimes I forget to appreciate the little things. Still, I'm looking forward to getting back; I just hope I don't forget to remember what I have learned with the relaxation that has been my summer. It's been a good one.

WA State Convention - June 24/25 2006

2006-07-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post about the WSRBA show because it was just so much fun, but I've been so busy that this is going to have to be short.

WSRBA takes place every year in Ellensburg, WA. In the last several years they've expanded to holding 4 shows over 2 days, which makes for an incredibly busy atmosphere, but also incredibly fun! It's great being able to spend two days with the PNW breeders, chatting, catching up, and seeing absolutely lovely animals on the table.

Sam of KarMar Cavies flew in from Alaska on Friday morning and by Friday afternoon, the two of us were leaving my house to head to Ellensburg - about a 2 hour drive. We stopped at Sheryl's since her pigs were going with us, and we were on our way! We had dinner with some friends in Ellensburg, then settled down in our hotel room - 5 of us in total. At six the next morning, we were up, and at the show grounds by seven - taking entry money, making changes, adding day-of-show entries, and otherwise saving the day ;o)

Having been away from the NW show circuit for so long, I forget both how much I miss everyone here and how different our shows are here! Entries for all four shows were nearly 300. I served as ramrod both days - Saturday for Carol Sandler, Sunday for Don Peterson. Busy, busy, busy!

Saturday night, we all had dinner at a BBQ restaurant in town - last I heard, there were 53 people on the list that went! It was a full house and again, great visiting with everyone. We headed back to the hotel and slept that night, then spent Sunday at the show grounds again! Both shows went faster on Sunday, and Sam and I were back on the road to head home by about 3 p.m.

The whole weekend was so much fun I've already begun trying to figure out how I can find a way to get out here next year so I can come again ;)

The fated cross-country trip (or, A Bedtime Story)

2006-06-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I apologize for the complete lack of posting these last six weeks. I have been busier than I imagined, and I haven't had a lot of ideas for posts. However, after our State Convention this weekend, I have some ideas, so hopefully I'll get to posting a bunch soon.

I have been asked by a few people to post the story of our trip from North Carolina to Washington - so, here goes!

I left the evening of Wednesday, May 17th with my car literally stacked to the ceiling and completely packed; I should have taken a picture, but I forgot to. The cavy carriers fit in the backseat of my 2000 Saturn SL2; they stacked 3 high, side by side. In the front seat, I had an 18x24 4-hole bunny carrier, and an 18x24 cavy cage which actually served as a cat carrier all week (and, when I arrived in Seattle, it doubled as a show pig's cage!). In my trunk were 2 50# bags of feed, one 25# bag of cat food, meds, water, grooming supplies, etc. - plus everything I needed for the entire summer.

I won't lie: the trip was incredibly stressful. I had a blind spot I literally couldn't compensate for, since I looked over my shoulder right into Skittles' cage and couldn't see past it through the window. Luckily, I didn't get pulled over! That trip was fast, and entirely uneventful - until I stopped at a rest stop just over the TN border and my cat was so concerned when I got out of the car that she tipped her entire litter box over and splashed in her water, spilling it into her food. Clean the dish, fill the food and water, change the litter - crisis averted, back on our way!

On the first night, I only drove about 3.5 hours and stopped at my good friend Lydia's house in Knoxville, Tennessee. She lives at a college, so all of the animals had to stay in the car, but I wasn't concerned since I had only just left.

I left at 7:15 a.m. on Day #2 to drive to my uncle Joe's apartment in Kansas City, KS. I enjoyed seeing him and his older son, my cousin Allen, who is 17. I also met Joe's girlfriend, Deanna, and her 10-year-old son, Ryan. They took me out to a fantastic Mexican restaurant and then to ice cream. Unfortunately, the animals needed to be taken care of. This is when I learned that 6-hole carriers was not the way I should have gone. The carriers are great, but they were wedged into the car, and getting them out was a task. They were heavy, so I then had to lift them out and move them around one by one while I fed and watered everyone. I spent awhile getting them back into the car. By the time all of this was done I had spent nearly 2 hours with the rabbits and cavies, the cat was crying like a baby, and I was exhausted. I collapsed about 11:30.

7:30 the next morning I was back on my way! Joe sent me with 6 bagles from Panera Bread - I had never been there before, but they were amazing!!! Little did he know, those 6 bagles fed me breakfast and lunch for the rest of the trip! I drove that day to Kearney, NE to see my sister, Megan; her sister, Lacey; her husband, Nate; and their 21-month-old son, Evan. I had a great time visiting with Evan, and Megan had set up her leftover cavy/rabbit cages (she used to be half of G&CC!) so that my pigs and rabbits could have some room to stretch out. It was fantastic for them!! I also was able to clean out the carry cages. They fed me great, fresh Nebraska-grown steak for dinner, and I got another good night's rest.

The next day was my longest: 17 hours to Butte, Montana. It was also my favorite day - mostly. I loved the sights, as the drive was peaceful, deserted, and beautiful. About 4 hours in, my coolant levels became low, so I had a tiny bit of a scare with that. Pull over, top off the coolant tank with water, and on my way again! Then, in Billings, my gas and oil became low, so I pulled off. The second I arrived at a gas station, a storm had pulled in, and rain was coming down literally in blankets. It was 7 p.m. by now, so I found a restaurant and grabbed fast food. I drove off again, but the drive took longer than usual, since I had the wrong directions to my hotel in Butte.

But everything turned out well. The next day, I drove 9 hours to my parents' house. I was worried about the cavies by now, and in Spokane, Washington, I was rear-ended. Luckily, the damage was minor. I arrived at my parents' about 3:00 p.m.

Cavies and rabbits were, luckily, all in fine form! No show coats were damaged, no pregnant sows were stressed out, and everyone was happy and hydrated, not to mention thrilled to be in normal cages again.

On that note, a huge THANK YOU to Anne MacEwan, a newer Peruvian and Texel breeder in the PNW. She loaned me 4 30"x30" Quality Cages for the summer. They make a great difference in how much room I have.

That's it for now! Hope it wasn't too long.

Transporting 30 pigs - a tricky task

2006-05-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am going to Seattle for the summer - just 10 weeks. Like most of us, I'm sure, I don't have someone who can take care of my animals that long - so they're coming with me.

This means:

2 moody female cats - Ash and Chloe
30 cavies
about 10 bunnies
4-5 days of driving, 2-3 nights of hotels, and 1 night with my sister Megan.

What are the logistics? Well, honestly I have planned it all in HOPES that my plans will work. I have been thinking about this for a long time. Basically, I'm hoping I can fit six 6-hole cavy carriers, stacked 3 high, 2 side by side, in my back seat; and add 2 4-hole rabbit carriers to the top of the stack. Will it happen?

Well, I'm sort of afraid to try it for fear that it won't work. Not the best approach, but hey, it keeps the stress levels down!

4 of the pigs are going to visit Jen Bykowicz in Atlanta for the summer. Jen was absolutely wonderful to be willing to keep Lil' Ava, Chimalis, Dream On, and Nyles for me! About 4 - Jillian, who's heavily pregnant, and Lucy and Litter - are staying here with my roommate, who's also my backup plan if I can't get rabbit carriers in the car. She's also bringing home 3 rabbits with litters - we had 16 babies born yesterday! 13 are viable. They were born to 4 does, but the 4th had a very hard time delivering and ended up with only 1 kit, which was fostered to Doe #1. Bri (roommate) isn't coming home until June 10th, so they'll be 4 weeks old, safe travel age.

I ordered 30 Critter Canteens last month, so on top of the water bottles I already have, I'm set.

My carry cages are coming from Superior Rabbits and Equipment. I found the best deal there, and they are also willing to make and send them quickly (a plus!).

The cats are going in my front seat, in respective (large) carriers from Wal-Mart. They'll come in to the hotel rooms with me each night. I still need to call hotels and find out which ones will accept cats - no easy feat, I'm sure.

I'm bringing about 100 pounds of feed with me and will probably end up feeding Purina Mazuri while I'm home, since Kleenmama unfortunately moved to Idaho last year.

I keep a cooler in the car with me equipped with small blue ice packs, in case the animals get overwhelmed during the day. I'm also makeshifting window sunshields, with towels and velcro.

Nightly, I'll find a grocery store and fill them up on cucumbers, romaine, spinach, and other good stuff. This seems to help with stress. They'll also have unlimited hay.

I spent today bathing show pigs, and I think I'm going to cut Ellie down before we leave. Finals week at GWU has taken a serious toll on her coat - I didn't have time to groom her much this week. The others did okay, but I'm afraid to see what's happened to Miss Ellie. Most likely I'll cut her down tomorrow. I'm going to breed her to Laz, and after bathing Christopher today, I really feel like he's ready to take her place on the showtables, so it's probably time.

I think I've got all my bases covered! I leave late next week.

Frequently Asked Questions --- Round One

2006-04-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

A rather liberal mix of personal and animal questions, I figured I'd do these in sets of 10 once in awhile. Got any questions? Email me! gloryandcocavies@yahoo.com.

1. How old are you?
22.

2. How long have you had cavies?
Since I was 9 - it'll be thirteen years this July. Our first litter was born in May of 1995.

3. Do you have other pets?
Oh yes. All the breeder cavies and rabbits and my three rats are inside; however, we have 3 cats, a dog, two guinea pigs (our special girls Nattie 'n Ellen), and a rabbit (my roommate's) indoors.

4. What are you studying in college?
American Sign Language. I'm technically a double major with ASL and English, but my main focus is ASL.

5. When are you graduating?
May of 2007 - only a year away now!

6. What are you going to do when you graduate?
Right now the 80% plan is to move to New Mexico and get my Masters' in ASL Linguistics. So, y'all in Arizona, Western TX, and whatever else is near there might get me in your area for awhile ;)

7. Will you ever sell the cavies?
Tough question. I would like to say no, but life is very unpredictable.

8. How many pigs do you have?
Right now, according to my handy dandy Inventory list on Microsoft Excel, there are 44. That includes 6 nursing babies, all for sale/sold animals, and mine and a friend of mine's pets - Natalie, Ellen, Alyx, and Annabelle.

9. What about rabbits?
Just 16, including 6 for sale. I am incredibly picky about what I keep - I have to be.

10. Where do you live?
North Carolina.

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that - I figured since I am posting on here it is only fair that I post some information about myself.

Getting rid of bugs

2006-04-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned to a few people lately that I have a once-a-month regimen for getting rid of bugs (lice are pretty much the only thing we worry about, mites once in awhile) and here I am to explain it! It is pretty simple, y'all, and I don't want to be criticized for it - it works, and it's cheaper than most alternatives that people are using these days. So - without further ado -

8 in 1 Pro Ultra-Care Flea and Tick Spray for Small Animals

Really - that's it. I spray them all once a month. It works better than other things I have found and doesn't cost nearly as much. If I find bugs on the cavies it's because I forgot to do a month of it.

Where do the bugs come from? Well, for us, it's hay. I have VERY few "outside" animals come in to the barn as our line is pretty well established. So in *my opinion* there is really not much prevention I can do for them. I have tried Advantage, Frontline, and the other one (boy, I feel dumb - I can't remember the name) and it didn't do much for prevention.

That's it for now!

A quick illustration from my previous post (re: age & weight to breed)

2006-04-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at the almost-3-month mark of my January explosion, and of course 3 months is my earliest breeding age. So today I glanced at the three gals I kept but didn't show for a little evaluation. I usually evaluate youngsters 3 times formally in their first three months:

At birth
Around 2 weeks, but this is a constant evaluation almost daily until weaning around 4 weeks
At 3 months.

Typically I don't like most of my youngsters after they have been weaned. I think it's just me being picky, but they are at a stage where they are getting size on them, but their coats are long enough that a) the waves are beginning to go away and b) the adult density hasn't yet come in. Yes, a good amount of them never lose the density - those are the ones I keep regardless ;) BUT - sometimes one or two will, and if they are "important" - i.e. I want to keep them due to lines, looks, the fact that they were extremely promising while nursing, etc. - I just try to ignore them till three months.

I kept 6 (I think) from the "explosion":

Kara - black/white Silkie sow from Chilaili X Kaslo
Kelsey - black/white Coronet sow from Elenore X Kaslo
Surprise - g. ag./red/white Coronet sow from Katrina X Lazarus
Alyx - red/white Coronet sow from Summer Song X Alexander
Jessica - black/white Peruvian sow from Shaelei X Nyles
Gina - TSW Silkie sow from Jillian X Gage (technically she is a late February, not January, baby - but she was our only Feb. litter so she is in this group :))

Kara, Kelsey, and Surprise are my "tentative" show hopes, so the other three are in a cage together. Evaluations? Successful! Jessica's density was something I wasn't crazy about at weaning, but it is coming in incredibly thick now. She is a little brick, too, and is weighing 27 ounces. Another few weeks and we'll put her in breeding. Dream On, maybe?

Alyx has always been a brick, and she now weighs 28 ounces. Plans for breeding? I am leaning towards Elias, but we'll see.

Gina I weighed to humour myself, and was pleased. She is 7 weeks old (not even 2 months yet!) and weighs 20.7 ounces. Her ears stink, which really makes me like her less, but in the grand scheme of things I guess ears are pretty minor.

I apologize for the lack of updates lately - school has been keeping me really busy - but I hope to catch up some in the next few days.

Decisions, Decisions (or, Sometimes It's Just Time to Give Up)

2006-04-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

I retired Daydream Believer yesterday.

It almost broke my heart to do it because she was gorgeous and just at her prime. She's only 6.5 months old. But it is getting harder to wrap her ... and she was just getting sick of being in coat. She had started kicking at her sides and no matter how diligent I was, she was losing density. So yesterday afternoon I decided I had two choices: Bathe her and evaluate just how even she still is ... or just cut her down.

She still looked fine and so far she had lost very little density. But things were starting to go downhill - the poor girl just wasn't happy. So I guess, really, I tend to leave that decision up to the cavy - when they're ready to be cut down, they let me know, and very rarely do I contest their wants. Showing isn't fun anymore if it's not fun for both of us!

So I was bummed yesterday - I really wanted to keep showing her, and I don't have another up-and-coming Peruvian until Kyleigh, who's only 8 weeks old.

But today things are looking up. Ellie - 6 months - still looks lovely, and is cheeky as ever. I promoted her to 5 wraps today (she was in just 3). Her curiosity is hard to dislike - she's so entertaining and wants to know everything about everything. :o) I am having a lot of fun with her, and hopefully I can keep her going for a few more months. I also looked at Christopher today. 3.5 months old, he is 2.5 pounds and doesn't have anywhere near a normal amount of hair for a boar his age. But his density and texture are outstanding, and there are no words to describe his huge, bricky body.

So you see? I may be bummed about retiring "DD" as I fondly refer to her as, but the next generation is on the way. And it won't be too long before she has a litter of her own - I placed her with Tecumseh last night.

Litters & Timing (AKA, my litters come in explosions)

2006-03-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago on the ACBA Members Yahoo! group there was a discussion about whether or not sows cycle together when housed together. I didn't actually respond to it (I didn't have time - surprise) but I have been thinking about it since then.

My personal opinion and answer, after I've had a month to consider it, is YES!

It is very, very rare that I have litters born by themselves. Right now is one of those rare times - Jillian has some 3.5 week olds, and Lil' Ava is ready to deliver, but I haven't spotted anymore soon-to-be-due sows.

However, most of the time my litters all come at once. Take January - a very hectic month, but a very fun month at the same time. I had a litter born January 16th, then one on the 23rd. And then they all exploded at once. I had a litter a day born January 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th. Chilaili lagged behind the rest and delivered her litter on February 3rd (oh, I'm not complaining, they were worth the wait).

And then they all stopped. No pregnant sows. No litters born (except for Jillian's). Nothing. I had the exact same type of "explosion" early last July - several litters a day for three or four days. Then nothing. And last January (2005) if you look at my litter records, was when I had a HUGE explosion - all of my sows had gone on strike (I had just moved them cross-country - can't really blame them) and I had one litter born between August and the end of January. Then they all bred at once and January 22nd-January 28th I think I had something like 18 litters born.

So yes, I believe they cycle together.

As one more side note, has anyone spotted the trend above? Yup, you caught me - my sows tend to have litters every six months. :o)

Stress

2006-03-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

I get stressed out incredibly easily. A lot of you are, I am sure, aware of that! As a college student (and the unspoken message behind that really is "as a college student who is quickly approaching her senior year and is a double major in English and American Sign Language, both highly demanding, and a minor in interpreting, the second fullest minor at Gardner-Webb-" what? you think I'm crazy? okay, moving on) I have a lot to do. Work - I tutor in English ten hours a week at school. Classes - that's 19 hours a week, plus a 3 hour lab on Tuesday nights. Extracurricular? Well, I'm not sure it really qualifies as extracurricular, but most Saturdays are taken up going to ASL workshops and/or presentations.

This spring has been hard because I finally have cavies to show! Unfortunately - I have only made it to one show. There was one last weekend - but I was in Washington for Spring break (if I'd realized there was a show before I'd bought my ticket I'd have come home early, though). I'm missing one this weekend because I have a workshop. I'd much rather go to the show (Ellie and Daydream Believer are approaching their primes quickly), but I'm required to have a certain number of hours for each class I take.

The animals are an interesting part of my life simply because they come both before and after schoolwork - before in that their basic needs are a requirement and non-negotiable on my part; after in that any grooming, showing, advertising, shipping, selling, etc., comes second to getting schoolwork done and passing classes. I tell people I can't wait until I finish school (still several years out) so that I will have more time for them - but who am I kidding?! I bet I have more time on my hands now than I will when I have a career (the real question is where is it...)

So the secret to it all, I'm discovering, is time management. And, for me, the secret to time management is routine, routine, routine!

I'm busier than I've ever been in my life, but I spend more time with the pigs than I ever have in my life, too, which is why I've got upwards of ten of them slated to hit the Southeastern show circuit. I don't get time to rest anymore in terms of reading a good book (I love reading), sitting down at the computer and writing, heading into nature and shooting a bunch of good photographs, etc.; but in a big way, the little critters are my rest. I figure I better make the most of that - they're all I've got - I don't have time for any other type of rest!

And when I can keep my life balanced - including the little critters, because they are a huge part of my life - I am, understandably, happier. I feel great pride every time I groom Ellie and Daydream Believer. I don't know how they're going to do at the shows the rest of the season. I know I really like them. But winning isn't what makes me proud - it's the fact that, regardless of how they do, I've been able to groom them well, keep them healthy (Ellie is sitting at 40 ounces - she's only 5.5 months old!), and keep them happy. I've made the time to do that.

It's funny how those "little critters" make me feel so fulfilled.

Free Advertising ...

2006-03-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

I've had a few questions about what specific brands I use for different things, so I thought I'd share with y'all ...

Feed:
When I lived in Seattle we got feed from KleenMama's HayLoft. The stuff is amazing. These days Linda (who is a good friend of mine) is manufacturing her own feed. It is reasonably priced and I would pay for it in a heartbeat! but unfortunately shipping is way out of my price range. I go through about 100# of feed a month and shipping that much just isn't an option.

So in North Carolina I feed Blue Seal Cavy Ration. It's good stuff, when supplemented with a good hay.

Hay:
Same story - Linda's got amazing Kentucky Bluegrass hay which I absolutely love. But too much to ship ...

So, believe it or not, the only decent hay I can get is an Alfalfa-Grass mix. The mix seems to be not-too-rich on their little systems and complements the feed really well (my babies and growing youngsters are huge on this combination).

Water:
Nothing special. For the first eight or nine years I had the cavies I supplemented Vitamin C - but not anymore. I find it unnecessary with the fresh feed I get, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend supplementing to others if you have any doubts about the freshness quality of your feed. A lack of C in one bag of feed can go a long way, so along the same lines, if you aren't really familiar with scurvy symptoms and pretty in tune with your herd, I would recommend supplementing.

Other stuff? Really, that's pretty standard. In the past, I have used Calf Manna and 12% Sweet Feed, but as I've gotten more experienced I've decided I really don't like the pigs to have corn and 12% has a lot of corn in it. Calf Manna is a lot of added fat they don't need.

I used to feed a ton of fruits and veggies, too (literally a serving every day to everyone) but I don't anymore. Quite frankly, I can't afford it, but I am also completely and totally satisfied with what I'm doing. If I had any doubts at all about the regimen they're on, I would supplement them with extra veggies, COB, etc., in a heartbeat.

Wait ... HOW Do You Name Your Babies (or, I Always Knew That Girl Was Odd.)

2006-02-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

Names? You want names? Okay, so maybe you don't, but I was just thinking about them. People often ask me how on earth I name every baby that is born in my barn. Honestly, I don't find it that difficult. They don't have to be good names, I tell everyone!

I am the first person to admit that if I don't plan on keeping the baby, it gets a lousy name. My roommates know the following dialogue (or something like it) by heart:

Megan: I need a boy name.
Sabrina or Stephanie: For a guinea pig or rabbit?
Megan: A guinea pig. And it can't be a good or cute name. I am not keeping this one. Remember -
Sabrina or Stephanie: We save the good cute names for the keepers!

Well, I like to save the good, cute names for the pigs I keep. Actually, one of my all-time best brood sows, Nora, got her name because I was NOT keeping her. She was a van. Yeah, that one backfired on me.

Anyway, I've gone through a lot of different systems for naming (my recent one is below). Candies? Spree, Skittles and, recently, Mars. Letters? Ellen had Ellenboro and Ellie. Cities? Boston sired Bentley, who sired Francesca (yes, that was a city).

And the last good story in this department (for tonight, at least)?

Since I started breeding when I was 10, we had some creative ones. Our best?

We once had a Golden Agouti & White Peruvian sow who was christened ...

G&CC It Felt Like Springtime on That February Morning.

When it was realized her name would NOT fit in our pedigree program, it was shortened to February Springtime. Sheryl has never let me forget that one.

That's all for now ... but bonus points for anyone who can guess where that name came from.

2006-02-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

So, is anyone actually reading this? No sweat ... I'm just curious.

Anyway, I was working on Litter Records tonight (yes, it is Capitalized, because it is Important.) Here is an example:

Date Sire Dam Breed Colour Sex Number

1/16/2006	G&CC Lazarus	G&CC Katrina	Coronet	GA/R/W	Sow	1(1,1)
1/23/2006	G&CC Alexander	G&CC Maggie	Coronet	R/W	Boar	2(2,1)
1/25/2006	G&CC Nyles	Galatea Penguin	Peruvian	B/W	Boar	3(1,2)
1/25/2006	G&CC Nyles	Galatea Penguin	Peruvian	B/W	Sow	4(2,2)
1/26/2006	Galatea Caleb	Consolidated Tizzy Mae	Silkie	B/W	Boar	5(1,3)
1/26/2006	Galatea Caleb	Consolidated Tizzy Mae	Silkie	B/W	Boar	6(2,4)
1/26/2006	Galatea Caleb	Consolidated Tizzy Mae	Silkie	B/W	Boar SB	7(3,5)
1/26/2006	Galatea Caleb	Consolidated Tizzy Mae	Silkie	B/W	Sow	8(4,3)
1/27/2006	G&CC Nyles	G&CC Shaelei	Peruvian	TSW	Boar	9(3,6)
1/27/2006	G&CC Nyles	G&CC Shaelei	Peruvian	R/W	Sow	10(4,4)
1/27/2006	G&CC Nyles	G&CC Shaelei	Peruvian	B/W	Sow	11(5,5)
1/28/2006	G&CC Kaslo	G&CC Elenore	Coronet	B/W	Sow	12(3,6)
1/28/2006	G&CC Kaslo	G&CC Elenore	Coronet	B/W	Boar	13(4,7)

Okay, so they look a lot better in MS Excel, but that's an example. Can ya tell what they mean? The English is obvious ... the numbers are, if you didn't decode them:
i.e., Beautiful Surprise: 1(1,1):
The first is obvious - she was our first baby of 2006. Then in parentheses we have first the breed, then the gender. She was also the first coronet and the first sow. Kaslo and Elenore's boar (at the bottom) was the 13th baby, 4th Coronet, and 7th boar.

I've been keeping those same records since 1997, and believe me, it's wonderful to have! I have really learned the value of keeping good records. I can look into these and make pedigrees on anything going back to 2000 (in April of 2000 I had a computer crash and lost everything from 1997-early 2000) if I should ever lose anything. And at the end of the year, it's really easy to figure out what my totals were for the year. At the end of each year, I write (2005 as example):

TOTAL BABIES BORN IN 2005: 164 (32 SILKIE \| 68 CORONET \| 54 PERUVIAN \| 81 SOW \| 77 BOAR \| 6 UNKNOWN)
2005 BEST PRODUCER: SCHAFER (3 LITTERS / 9 PUPS); 2005 BEST QUALITY PRODUCER:
PERUVIAN: TILLY; SILKIE: KATIE; CORONET: SUNSHOWER; BOAR: LAZARUS

Obviously you don't have to keep records "my" way, but these have worked really well for me, and they've gotten me out of a bind many a time. Keep records - you won't regret it!

When Babies Grow Up ...

2006-02-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me the other day when I breed my sows.

However, this is not a simple question, and nor does it have a simple answer. The simplest I can get is this:

30 ounces of weight
3 months of age

Now let me clarify - they need to be both to be bred. If I have a 28 ounce 3 month old, she gets to play awhile longer. If I have a 28 ounce five month old, she gets to play awhile longer, too.

I honestly don't know any other breeders who have a practice of letting sows get so big before breeding them, but I've never had a problem with it, and I feel like this is how they grow to be the big 2.5 pound senior sows I have.

Exceptions to the rule? If they hit six months and aren't 30 ounces, if they are 27-28 I'll throw them in, hoping they'll grow after they litter. Any less than that and they find a pet home. I have little tolerance for non-growing pigs, sows or boars. I do find that sows will often gain six-eight ounces of adult weight after they deliver their 2nd litter.

And breaks? I don't backbreed (unless the sow's name is Maggie and she takes six months to breed whether you attempt to backbreed or not, so she doesn't really count). I try to give them four weeks off after weaning, but if they start to look like a bucket 'o lard, they go back in breeding. My Katie is one of those sows who could nurse six babies and still have ten-mile-wide shoulders and still weigh her standard 42 ounces. She does not know that it is standard to lose condition (I like that!). Actually, she had a litter in mid-December and I tried my darndest to leave her out, but after she'd had 3 weeks of rest she decided herself that she was going to try to kill the rest of the sows in her cage, so she got thrown in with Gage. Yeah, she was starting to get tubby anyway.

So there's the semi-standard answer.

One more enlightenment for this week (or, WOW, That Girl Finally Has Pigs In Show Coat!)

2006-02-09T22:24:00.000-08:00

For the first time in about five years, I'm keeping animals in decent show coat. Don't hold your breath - the oldest is only 4 1/2 months old - but with my recent herd cutback, I found myself with the time (and motivation) to groom pigs. This leaves me with an intermediate sow of each breed, currently in coat.

I have struggled for years on how to make those maddening little critters hold still on the showboard while grooming. Use a stepstool, several people said. Well, my pigs are either really stupid or really courageous, because they just fly off of it as if they are Batman ready to save the world.

So in a hurry two weeks ago and not willing to put up with Daydream Believer's antics on the grooming table, I tried something new. What was that, you may ask?

Well, picture this. 30 ounce sow in crook of left arm. Left hand and right hand, together, very creatively, stick a wrap in.

The pig holds still. Somehow the wrap stays in for the next 2 - 4 days (depending on Megan's crazy class schedule at Gardner-Webb) and does NOT tangle hair in the meantime (I think the position while wrapping makes it the perfect tightness/looseness).

AND an added bonus: After I'd tried this three or four times, last Saturday I had the gall (and the time) to work with them on the showboard once again. Suddenly they hold still. They act as if they are still in the crook of your arm and they cannot move. Perhaps the closeness convinced them all is well (have no fear! the paper towels are here!), perhaps they haven't figured out there's more room than on my arm - whatever - they hold still.

I don't know if anyone else will try this or even be able to try it - it takes a certain amount of coordination, but I am known as a clutz, so it can't be that hard. If you try it, let me know your results. You just might be surprised.

Names (or, Megan's Slightly Quirky New Approach to Naming)

2006-02-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

I have tried various name schemes in the past. For years I had a Native American line - technically I still have it (Chimalis and Chilaili are examples) but they are slowly dying out. I had a city line that originated with Hills' Boston - that theme died out a couple of years ago. Sometimes I would name babies with the same letter as the mom's name. That got annoying.

Well, with my 2006 (and very late 2005) litters, I'm starting something new which I think is going to work out really well. Sow baby names start with the first letter of the sire's name - thus, I have Lazarus daughters Lydia, Lucy, Leilani, Lena, Lauren, and the list goes on. Boar baby names start with the first letter of the dam's name - Chimalis' new boy who I am very excited about is Christopher.

It's not completely reliable - Chimalis's two sows are Abigail and Alison, though their sire was Jasper. Why this? Well, the theory is that if I have a lot of daughters from one boar, I'll be able to think of them a little faster. That litter was the only one I got from Jasper, and Alison is pending sale, so Abi is the only daughter I'll have of his - unnecessary, really, as I will know her sire. And with Lil' Ava's litter, sired by Isaac, I just stuck with vowels - Anya and Orlando.

Will this system get old? Probably in time, as I run out of L girls names especially (there's that Lazarus dilemma again!) - but for now, I really like it. I can think of Laz's daughters in a list without having to think about every sow I have and who she's sired by. I will remember I have a great little Chimalis son - maybe it's time to move her on?

For me, it's all about being able to reference things as quickly as possible.

Too many daughters, not enough time (or, Keeping Numbers Down - Because I Must)

2006-02-01T15:29:00.000-08:00

I bathed and weighed G&CC Lazarus last week. He's clean now - great. His weight is what got me. This guy weighs in at a whopping 56 ounces. For those of you who keep track in pounds - that's 3 pounds, 8 ounces. Three and a half pounds of big, huge Coronet boar. He outweighs about half of my Holland Lops!

I love this guy - he's calm and sweet, he's got an amazing coat and coronet, phenomenal type (his shoulders are almost 7 inches across), and he's been one heck of a breeder! So here's where the problem comes in.

Once in awhile you get one of those boars, like Laz, who is just amazing. So, if you're like me, you want to spread his genes - so you breed him. You start off with a sow or two. They deliver litters - that's where it gets thorny, because those litters are amazing! So you put him in with more sows.

And that's where you have the dilemma.

In not quite 4 months of Lazarus babies, I have kept 8 daughters and a son from him. Let me put that into perspective with my numbers - I only own 13 Coronet and 9 Silkie sows. So the question, for me, is when is it time to move this guy's amazing genes on and begin working with the next generation?

I've been torn about that question ever since I realized how amazing his first litter was. For me, the answer is "Whenever I have a son just as nice." But you can only breed him to so many of his daughters - and I must say that once in awhile I feel awfully sorry for Dream On, Nyles, Xander, Caleb, and Michael who are all sitting in boar cages hanging out because Laz is hogging all the girls. What can I say? They haven't proven themselves quite as much.

But I'd like someone else to get the opportunity to use this guy. He's only 11 months old. I haven't had one baby from him I didn't like. In fact, I had to sit down and make myself put one of his daughters up for sale the other day. My reasoning was that my numbers are getting high again and, really, how many daughters can you use from one boar?

For those of you who have the same dilemmas with equally awesome boars, let me tell you: I completely understand. I really don't know when I'm going to stop using this guy. But watch out for him if you need a really amazing Coronet boar - I can see myself selling him sometime towards the middle or end of this year. I can only keep so many daughters and sons.

Meanwhile, Ellie, Lydia, Lucy, Lena, Lauren, Surprise, and Michael are getting ready to produce his grandkids - wonder if those genes can keep up for another generation? Time will tell.

The sage of litters continues (or, What The Heck Is With All These Singletons?)

2006-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

So I said I like those small litters. Well, 4 more litters this week and I have 7 babes to show for it.

I am starting to lose my patience.

It's not the singletons, necessarily, that bother me. It's when the singletons aren't what I want when things get difficult.

Katrina started off last week by delivering a gorgeous little show Coronet sow. GREAT!!! Just what I wanted! "Surprise" is developing excellently and at 10 days old I am fairly certain she'll be taking her mum's place in the breeding program.

Things went downhill from there ...

Maggie delivered one babe on the 23rd. Maggie, being Maggie, lives to make my life interesting. She is the life of my barn and I will never get sick of her, and she's gorgeous. She throws excellent babies and they're big. Unfortunately, she has one at a time and she takes forever to breed. I knew she was having only one, again. When she finally delivered, I was excited to see what she produced. A red/white Coronet, I could see from outside the cage. Almost a van. Well, I told myself, that's okay. Maybe it's a sow. A sow would be fine. No - it's a boar. A cute boar, but a boar nonetheless. I need another boar like I need a hole in my bed. Sigh.

Penguin decided to frustrate me even more three days later. I bred her to Nyles for a test breeding - Nyles may carry Silkie.

Well, Penguin had only two pups. Both Peruvians, both black/whites. Which doesn't really tell me whether Nyles carries Silkie OR whether Penguin carries the red gene. Sigh.

Tizzy did deliver a litter of three last night - not so bad, and they look nice. Here's hoping for good development.

Shaelei, Summer, and then Chilaili should deliver next. They're all having more than one pup - fingers crossed.

Update to January 5th Entry - Baby Evaluations

2006-01-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I got home and thought I ought to update because, sure enough, the pictures fooled me. From my recent litters, after actually being able to assess the babies, here are my evaluations:

Annie and Lazarus had a red & white Coronet boar, a tort & white Coronet boar, and a golden agouti/red/white Silkie sow. Of the three, I've decided to keep only the Silkie sow. She has phenomenal density, texture, and markings for her age. She seems small and narrow right now, which is a strike against her, but I'm hoping she'll grow out of it. If not, she'll be slated for a pet home when she hits 4-5 months.

Chimalis had 3 with Jasper, a boar I sold in Indianapolis. My golden agouti/red/white Silkie boar baby who I had almost certainly decided to sell? Wrong, Megan! His density, texture, type, markings, and colour are all lovely. I named him Christopher and put him in a coating cage. I hope he lives up to my expectations of him. I am also tentatively keeping a Coronet sow from that litter, but I'm waiting to decide for certain - I want to see how her density develops.

Katie's little clone? She's cute! Huge (they're all huge except Annie's daughter!), typey, and very good density and texture. But Katie's other daughter, Katrina, just delivered a single Coronet sow baby, and I'm trying to keep my numbers down. Katie's little gal isn't quite nice enough to take her place - maybe her next litter will do the trick.

And we can add Katrina's daughter, who is much younger and was very much a surprise - but what a cutie! She is big and typey with wonderful coat qualities and coronet at this age. I think she'll be a great replacement for Katrina, who I'm debating selling after she weans.

Constant and deliberate evaluations - one of the many things that keeps me organized in this fancy!

Friends in the Fancy

2006-01-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

I actually wrote this on January 9th on my way back from Seattle to Charlotte, but haven't had the time to post it until now.

My day (and more often my month or year) is sometimes made by friends in the fancy.

Over Christmas vacation, I was lucky enough to be able to visit my family in Seattle. While there, I was able to see a few old friends – friends I share a very common bond with. Yup, you guessed it – cavy friends! And I actually say it that way. When my North Carolina roommate called me Saturday evening and asked what I’d done that day, I replied promptly, “I went and visited a pig friend.” And so I did.

Now, let me be honest – I had ulterior motives. The friend was Cindy Bishop, a breeder who is also an excellent veterinarian who specializes in cavies. She is easily one of the people I have learned the most about these little critters from. And the ulterior motives? Well, Cindy is trying to cut her herd back a bit, and the first thing she did when she decided this was call me. Six months ago I visited her and, eyeing her animals, we made a list of several I would want should she ever part with them. So last Monday evening I got a phone call from Cindy saying, “I’m ready to let a bunch of these guys go – when do you want them?”

So, I drove the 90 minutes it takes to get to her house in anticipation of seeing these guys again and making a final list. I’m incredibly excited about them – they should arrive in North Carolina in a few weeks – but that’s not the point of this post. I had such a great time chatting with Cindy for the few hours I was there, and of course I learned several things as well! – which just reinforces the mark of a great visit.

Leaving the cavy shows in the Seattle area has been hardest on me because, when living in Seattle, I had no less than ten breeders living within an hour from me. In Shelby, I have none. Not to say I haven’t made friends in the Southeast! – I certainly have, and they have been wonderful as well, but I only see them at shows. No, the Seattle friends I saw much more often – I was able to compare stock and notes with them or perhaps drive a litter I was especially excited about to their houses to get a second opinion. I can name several occasions where I had emergencies in the middle of the night and received immediate help: The first (and luckily only, thus far!) prolapsed uterus I encountered was successfully fixed with Sheryl Newland by my side; a particularly difficult case of diarrhea was successfully fixed with the aid of Samantha Marlin. Linda (Kleenmama) taught me how to administer SubQ fluids. And I can’t even count the number of times Cindy helped me deliver emergency babies at two in the morning.

When I moved to North Carolina, I felt adequately prepared to deal with emergencies because these people (and others!) helped me learn how to do so. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now without their help. And that doesn’t mention the countless chats I’ve had over coffee or lunch, getting to know their families, laughs in hotel rooms or on eight-hour drives … the list could go on and on.

What is the point of this post? Well, I’m not entirely certain, but I know one thing for sure – this fancy wouldn’t be anything without the friends involved in it.

Baby evaluations and numbers - Cavies

2006-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

I have had 9 babies born in 4 litters since December 9th. On one email list I'm on, we have been discussing recent babies. I was thinking today that some breeders might be unhappy with 9 pups in 4 litters. Although I have only actually seen two of them (seven were born after I left to go on winter vacation), I am very happy with the size of these litters - and here are the reasons why:

Before I moved to North Carolina, I fed a wonderful feed that I got at KleenMama's Hay Loft. I had "big pigs" (and I loved them that way!). Unfortunately, the feed I can access in North Carolina isn't quite as good. It isn't bad - but it isn't that amazing quality, contains-everything-a-cavy-could-possibly-need, grows fourteen-ounce-three-week-olds and senior-weight-eight-week-olds type feed that I previously had. Small litters allow for bigger babies - at birth and at weaning, since mums don't have to feed as many kids.

I tend to let my mums nurse together. My 12/09 litter is in with a mum who had a DOA singleton on 12/05 - but on 12/10 she was nursing the 12/09 babies like a champ. So, in that cage I have two mums nursing two babes - not bad!

Then there is the 12/16 litter of 3, the 12/19 litter of 3, and the 12/21 litter of 1, all nursing together in one cage. 7 babies on 3 sows is much better, to me, than 12 babies on 3 sows. Honestly, I'd rather have the 7 big and healthy at weaning, than have the 12, not as big at weaning. Not to mention I tend to keep one or two from each litter regardless of litter size. So I could keep 5 of the 7, have all of them be good sized, and be able to sell two to a great home - or I could keep five of the twelve, have all of them be not quite so large, and possibly run the risk of having to petstore them. Sure, one might say that the odds of nice-quality stock aren't as good with fewer babies, but if with the odds for better quality I also get smaller size, I won't keep them anyway. Size is very important to me!

Lastly, with fewer babies, the sows don't get as run down. As a rule of thumb, I never backbreed, but I can place them back in breeding comfortably much sooner when they've only had to nurse two pups.

So since I hopefully won't have to worry about the size of these pups, a simple evaluation of the babies I have right now might go something like this:

Litter #1 - TSW Coronet Boar - excellent markings, HUGE and typey, and the only litter I got from his sire. He was only six days old when I left, but from what I could tell of his coat, his sister is quite a bit denser. Unless he is better than her in every other department or she has a really lousy coronet, that probably automatically places him on the "sell" list.
Litter #1 - TSW Coronet Sow - not as huge as her brother, but still big. Lousy distribution, but no brindling, and still showable. When I left, I loved her coronet and density. "Anya" is almost definitely a keeper.
Litter #2 - Red & White Coronet Boar - I've only seen pictures, but from what I can see, this guy has excellent markings, colour, size, and coronet. He's from one of my strongest Coronet sows bred to the best Coronet stud boar I've had this year. It's going to be tough to decide who of this litter to keep.
Litter #2 - Tort & White Coronet Boar - if this guy was an American he would be staying for sure! His markings are almost perfect TSW checkerboard. I love the look of his short head, wide body, and in the pictures my roommate took of him, I could see a thick, dense coat. We'll see if the pictures fooled me.
Litter #2 - G. Ag./Red/White Silkie Sow - being a Silkie is a strike against this gal, but her markings are awesome, and I don't doubt her Coronet parents' abilities to throw a really nice Silkie. I like the look of her brothers better than her, and I don't really need a Silkie sow. "Lauren" is definitely another "we'll see."
Litter #3 - Red & White Silkie Sow - I've been wanting red & whites to expand my TSW program, and she would be a classy match for the above TSW boar. This is also the only litter of their sire. However, I'm not sure if I need, again, a Silkie sow - and her Coronet sister is almost a definite keeper.
Litter #3 - G. Ag./Red/White Coronet Sow - nice markings and I needed a Coronet to continue on the line of her sire. Since she's the only Coronet in the litter, I really hope she's up to the challenge! I have high hopes for her - unfortunately it seems that those are the ones that seem to disappoint me.
Litter #3 - G. Ag./Red/White Silkie Boar - I rarely make decisions based on colour and breed, but I almost have on this guy. I don't need agoutis and I don't need a Silkie boar. However, if his coat and type are really outstanding, he might have a chance. More likely, he will move on to another caviary that can use him more than I can.
Litter #4 - G. Ag./Red/White Silkie Sow - a single baby who (from what I've heard) looks exactly like her mum. I am torn on this gal and she will definitely be another decision made when I get home. I was really hoping for Coronets in this litter, but a Silkie might do the trick. I've been wanting a really nice daughter of Katie (dam) to replace her so I can move her on, so we'll see how "Lena" develops.

Hope that provides a little insight into my evaluations - of course they go a little differently when I am there to actually feel the babies, but it has actually been convenient not being able to see these guys. That gives me a chance to sit back and think about where I'm trying to go with my breeding program - I can set standards for these pups before they convince me that they're too cute to sell!

Megan Rygel
Glory & Co. Caviary
http://gloryandcocavies.tripod.com
http://gloryandcorabbitry.tripod.com

Welcome to our BLOG!

2005-10-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on here and I must admit that I am completely new to this idea. I was inspired to begin a BLOG for both the Caviary and the Rabbitry because of Laurie Stroupe's The Nature Trail Rabbitry's BLOG. Laurie is a fabulous rabbit breeder who has largely started me out in bunnies - some of my best stock has come from her! Because my Rabbitry is still brand new, I felt that if I were to make a BLOG it would mainly be focused on the Cavies. Laurie's BLOG is so fantastic and detailed, not to mention her experience far tops mine, that I would certainly be incapable of providing rabbit information in the way that she does.

I began thinking, however, "How great would it be if someone could do this for the pigs!" There is so much varying information about cavies out there - and though I don't claim to be the know-it-all when it comes to them, I hope to convey some of what I have learned over the years about them. This will, of course, be a small portion.

This BLOG will, I expect, be about 50% focused on my cavies specifically and 50% focused on cavies in general.

I honestly don't know how well I'll be able to maintain this due to time constraints, but I hope to try. For this reason, I plan not to publicize the Glory & Co. BLOG for at least 4 weeks.

Thanks for looking,
Megan Rygel
Glory & Co. Caviary & Rabbitry
Shelby, NC