Kimberley Meddings frequently spends hours painstakingly grooming her prized pedigree guinea pigs: bathing, clipping nails and ensuring a single hair isn't out of place.
She's driven more than 800 kilometres from Brisbane to Rockhampton, in central Queensland, with half a dozen of the beloved critters to show them at the Capricornia Cavy Club's show.
Cavy is the scientific name for a guinea pig.
"It's not just breeding a guinea pig, it's colour, density … even the shape of their ears and the colour of their eyes," Ms Meddings said.
"It's getting the judge's opinion of – do you need to focus on darkening their colour … getting your ticking shorter.
"There's so much involved."
Ms Meddings is among many passionate breeders of guinea pigs in Australia who enter competitions in a bid to improve and preserve the different breeds.
From breeders to judges and the everyday pet owner – there is one common theme among these guinea pig shows, and that's the love the participants have for the animals.
Dress up competitions
Rockhampton resident Laura Galley used to go to guinea pig shows when she was a child, and it was a post on social media that drew her back in as an adult.
Her guinea pig Master Snow was recently entered into the pet fancy dress competition as a wizard.
"It is absolutely geeky … and I've become the mad guinea pig lady," Ms Galley said.
"Each one is an individual. They all have their own little quirks and idiosyncrasies, and they all have their own little habits and their favourite foods.
"They're gorgeous creatures."
Ms Galley said she adored the sense of community and camaraderie that the shows have, with attendees all bonding over their love of the animals.
How do you judge a guinea pig?
Noosa resident Melanie Barnes is the secretary of the Queensland Cavy Council and also treasurer of the Australian National Cavy Council.
She spent 45 years of her life dedicated to guinea pigs, and has been a qualified judge for 17 years, travelling across Australia and New Zealand to assess their quality.
She said they were judged on their colouring, the texture of their coat, whether there was any coat damage, as well as the condition of the animal, with points deducted for any health issues.
"We also look at the shape of the guinea pig, if it's got a lovely shape and a rounded face, nice big round eyes," Ms Barnes said.
Preserving rare breeds
Ms Barnes said pedigree competitions were important to ensure certain rare breeds don't become extinct in Australia.
The Federal Department of Agriculture has banned pet guinea pigs from being imported as they can carry pests or diseases.
Ms Barnes said the last guinea pigs were imported into Australia in the 1990s.
"The breeds that we do have here we want to preserve so future generations can enjoy the beautiful, different breeds that we have," Ms Barnes said.
"Things like the Dalmation … they will lose all their characteristics and the gene can't be recreated.
"Some people think, 'Oh the grandfather was one, then another [Dalmation] could pop out.
"It doesn't stay in the bloodline. That's not the case with these kinds of genes."
Ms Barnes said the average pedigree guinea pig could set you back about $50, but enthusiastic breeders could spend up to $200 on a quality animal.
Animal welfare
Ms Barnes said while the pedigree competition was strict, the pet competition was all about encouraging people to attend club events to promote best practice care.
Pet guinea pigs can be judged on their condition, as well as how easily they can be handled.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there on how you should care for a guinea pig and a lot of guinea pigs do perish quite easily," Ms Barnes said.
"Animal welfare is a big thing for all the clubs."
Like many others, Ms Meddings is using the judge's feedback at the recent Rockhampton show to help her prepare for the national competition, which will be held in Dubbo in August.
"It was just a lot of fun, you don't always have to go for the big trophies," she said.
