Romulus rules the world
Romulus Edwina Longshanks has her hair done every week.
The pedigree guinea pig is at the centre of her owner’s attention every day. But, that’s not without its rewards.
The long-haired pig took out reserve in show and best champion at the Waikato Cavy Club Christmas Championship Show on Saturday.
‘‘She’s a wee bit fancy,’’ owner Tahlia Hopkins said.
Romulus Edwina Longshanks is a texel guinea pig, with exceptionally luscious, long hair.
She wears a hair wrap 24/7, apart from when she’s on show.
‘‘I use about six or eight paper towels, which I fold around sections of her hair and wrap up with a rubber band, it looks like she’s in curlers.
‘‘It’s to keep it from getting knotted and chewed out by herself and other pigs.’’
Her name comes after the stud she was purchased from – Romulus, one of the top studs in the country.
Hopkins said she is true to her texel breed and is very calm and laid back.
‘‘She has to be that way, if she was jumping around with long hair it’d be hard.
‘‘She’s had quite a lot of training, so she’s used to getting her hair done all of the time.’’
Hopkins has 50 guinea pigs at her Oakleigh Stud in Eureka, Hamilton and spends two hours a day caring for them – on top of being a dairy farmer.
She has four different breeds including, rex, dalmatian, texel and south blacks.
Some pigs Hopkins has paid over $100 for, but a top-end pig from a good stud could demand over $500, she said.
‘‘It’s all about their breeding backgrounds.’’
It’s similar with the competitions, Hopkins said.
‘‘Most of the judging is in the breeding and how the guinea pigs look on the day.’’
There’s no cross-breeding with the pedigrees, she said.
Some of the solid colours include, black, white, gold, lilac, cream and buss and then there is a variety with patches and tricolours.
The guinea pigs who enter shows have a high quality diet full of fresh vegetables and grass for vitamin c, a high quality dry food pellet, fresh water and access to hay 24/7.
They also need a lot of attention and are always kept clean, Hopkins said.
‘‘They’re pedigree animals, with generations of pure breeds which track back to great, great grandparents.’’
Hopkins said guinea pigs are a great pet for older children because they cannot be dropped and have to be treated gently.
However, they are not very good at being house-trained and can be a bit messy, she said.
Some people keep their pigs inside, but Hopkins has a big, outdoor run for hers.
‘‘It’s a nice healthy lifestyle for them and then when I’ve got babies due I’ll move them into cages indoors so I can monitor and take care of them.’’
She said it’s easy to tell the boars from the sals via a quick genital check when they’re a couple of days old.
She keeps the two separate, otherwise they’d breed like guinea pigs.
People see them as food in some countries and Hopkins isn’t opposed to it.
‘‘I totally understand it, they need a protein source too.
‘‘I think I would have to say I’d eat them if I went to Peru.’’
Hopkins has guinea pigs purely for the enjoyment, there’s no money to be made in showing them.
She has been involved on and off for the past 20 years and enjoys the friendly community.
‘‘It’s internationally recognised and huge in the UK and Europe. This year we had Swedish judges.’’
The show on Saturday was held at Matangi Hall in Hamilton.