Pets Australia — October-November 2017

Creature feature | PETS

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black-based (each hair) group,” Sarina explains.

This includes the following:

• Golden Agouti — black base, red ticking,
  black eye and black pigment.


• Silver Agouti — black base, white ticking,
  ruby eye and black pigment.


• Lemon Agouti — black base, buff /lemon
  ticking, black eye and black pigment.
  Next come the chocolate-based versions
  of the above varieties:


• Chocolate Agouti — chocolate base, golden
  ticking, ruby eye and chocolate pigment.


• Cinnamon Agouti — chocolate base, white
  ticking, ruby eye and chocolate pigment.


• Cream Agouti — chocolate base, buff^
  ticking, ruby eye and chocolate pigment.
  “A new and lovely-looking genetic variation
  is the Gold/Slate Agouti, which has a slate
  base, golden ticking, dark eye and blue/black
  pigment,” Sarina says.
  Then there are the pink-eyed versions of all
  of the above (except the Gold/Slate Agouti):


• Golden/Lilac Agouti — deep lilac base,
  golden ticking, pink eye and lilac pigment.


• White/Lilac Agouti — deep lilac base, white
  ticking, pink eye and lilac pigment.


• Lemon/Lilac Agouti — deep lilac base, buff /
  lemon ticking, pink eye and lilac pigment.


• Golden/Beige Agouti — deep beige base,
  golden ticking, pink eye and beige pigment.


• White/Beige Agouti — deep beige base,
  white ticking, pink eye and beige pigment.


• Lemon/Beige Agouti — deep beige base,
  buff /lemon ticking, pink eye and beige pigment.
  In Sarina’s words, there’s “a colour
  combination to please everyone”.

CARING FOR AN AGOUTI

If you’re planning on showing your Agouti,

you’ll need to be prepared to put in some hard

work to get your pet looking his best.

“Agoutis are high maintenance for showing

as they need to be groomed perfectly,” Sarina

says. “This means the cavy’s guard hairs (a

layer of dark hairs that grow over the normal

hair that hide its beautiful natural ‘ticked’

appearance) all need to be removed. The show

Agouti must have even ticking, the correct

base colour, eye colour and pigment to be

competitive and have any chance of being

placed or the winner.”

In more general terms, to keep any cavy fi t

and healthy you must have a clean, dry cage

— make sure to clean it regularly — and feed

plenty of grains, pellets and greens.

Cavies must also be free of any lice, bites

or mites. “If your cavy shows any sign of these

— normally hair loss, irritated skin, scabs and/

or open wounds — then your cavy should be

bathed in a pyrethrum-type solution, which is

safe to use for both us and your cavies to clear

it up. Regular bathing in this solution will help

to keep all these nasties at bay,” Sarina says.

GETTING AN AGOUTI

If an Agouti cavy sounds like it could be the

perfect pet for you, expect to pay anywhere

from $20 to $100 for a show-quality, purebred

Agouti. However, prices vary depending

on availability and which particular Agouti

breed you are after, while pet-quality Agoutis

generally range from $20 to $50.

Sarina also has some simple advice for

anyone thinking of getting their fi rst cavy. “A

cavy or two take up small amounts of space so

are perfect for people with limited room for a

pet. Of course, all cavies make excellent pets

for children and, yes, us young-at-heart folk,

too,” she says.

“Understanding the responsibility to look

after any animal, cleaning their cage and

feeding them every day, along with providing

fresh water, is also very important. For any cavy

breed, the prospective owner should love small

animals that require a lot of care but that give

so much joy and happiness!”

Maintenance:

Size: Small

Lifespan: 4–8 years

Cost: $20 to $50 for pets (up to

$100 for show-quality cavies)

At a Glance

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