To some, guinea pigs are not much more than rodents. To others, they are cute, soft and fluffy creatures.
On September 20, Mt Hutt Memorial Hall in Methven will be full of more than 200 of them as proud owners compete for coveted titles in the 2025 NZ National Cavy Show.
About 100 exhibitors will be participating, including 17-year-old Josh Wilson-Jones from Timaru, a member of the show’s organising committee.
Josh said he personally loved showing cavies.
"It’s a lot of fun to breed a purebred animal, breeding to breed close to the NZ Cavy Council breed standards," he said.
"To then wait for the baby to be born and select the ones that will go on my show team, show condition them and train them and spend hours preparing them for the show.
"It is good to get the judges’ feedback, there’s a lot of satisfaction in it. It’s a great community of people that show them."
Despite his age, he has taken out the title of Best in Show twice at the nationals in 2022 and 2023.
"I'm really looking forward to exhibiting again this year, to see if I can win back the title as I didn’t compete in 2004," he said.
"It's a big honour to have beaten people with more than 20 years’ experience and I would love to try do it again."
Some rare breeds will be on show as part of the day.
There are more than 30 different breeds whose coats vary in colour and texture.
Within these breeds there are six different groups - marked, self, ticked, roughcoat, longcoat and crested.
The show will include exhibitions for junior and novice exhibitors.
If you want to find out more about owning and caring for a guinea pig, there will be plenty of people on hand to share their knowledge and experience.
There will also be displays, raffles, a cafe and stalls from One Stop Bunny Shop, the main sponsor and Petcover.
- The 2025 NZ National Cavy Show is at the Mt Hutt Memorial Hall in Methven, 9.30am to 2.30pm, September 20. Entry is a gold coin donation.
