By Belinda Francis

To get the most out of showing you need to feed well, groom well and minimise stress on the animal being shown. Wild plants contain a range of micronutrients including trace elements and minor minerals that can be missing from the regular diet. Many of these trace elements and minor minerals are essential for building healthy skin and fur. Feeding a balanced mix of wild plants for a few weeks prior to showing will normally add an extra bloom to the coat.

Guinea pigs' coats vary enormously. A shampoo which will put a high shine on smooth haired self guinea pigs can soften and thus spoil the harsh coat of Rex or Abyssinian. If you are new to showing cavies then it is always worth checking with other breeders to see what they use. Bathing them a few days before the show can sometimes be better than doing so immediately before as the natural oils then have a chance to return to the coat.

Most experienced exhibitors get their animals used to being handled by strangers, sitting on a bench and putting up with noise, long before the show proper.

B Vitamins help to reduce stress. Rabbits and cavies produce their own B vitamins in the gut so it is always a good idea to feed a probiotic for a week before and a week after showing to keep the gut healthy. Cavies need vitamin C in their diet, whereas rabbits can usually synthesise enough for their own needs. The stress of showing however can create a heavier demand on the rabbit and additional vitamin C before and after showing can be of benefit. If you ever need to feed large amounts of vitamin C then remember to wean the animal off of it slowly. Sudden discontinuation of high dose vitamin C can lead to 'rebound scurvy', a condition where the body reacts to comparatively normal low doses in the diet as though it were a deficiency.

Stress related scouring can mean a rabbit arrives at a show with a mucky rear end. Feeding a little Lemon Balm before or while travelling can help ease stress and astringent herbs such as Raspberry leaves, Agrimony, Avens and Shepherd's Purse can be fed to reduce the likelihood of scouring in animals prone to it. In Germany the herb Plantain is used for scouring but I have no empirical evidence yet for its effectiveness. If anyone has successfully used Plantain for scouring I would be very interested to know. If you cannot obtain the fresh herbs then these herbs are included in Galen's ASAP Powder along with soothing herbs such as Marshmallow, Slippery Elm Bark and Inula. Garlic juice dabbed on a mucky patch of a rabbit's coat will make the rabbit clean itself up far quicker than we could do.

I am often asked about what is the best thing to clean off a guinea pig's grease spot. Some breeders use the wipes to remove sticking plaster, available from pharmacies, others swear by Sticky Stuff Remover, available mail order and from some hardware stores.

The main stress factors for show animals are heat, fear, actual trauma such as being dropped or getting a leg caught in the show pen. Travel boxes with ventilation are essential in summer and in very hot weather I would place a freezer pack (used for picnic bags) under one end of the travel pen. Oral re-hydration solution such as the ones used for birds can be useful if an animal becomes dehydrated. Always check water bottles.

Many breeders swear by Rescue Remedy to ease the stress if an animal is traumatised at a show. Your show first aid kit should also include a styptic in case of nail breakage and a first aid spray such as Dermagel. Stress can cause the emergence of latent disease in rabbits especially. Weepy eyes and snuffling in show rabbits may not be something they 'caught' at the show but low grade pasteurella that was laying dormant all the time until stress caused a weakness in the immune system. In cavies the most likely stress related disease reaction is a fungal infection. These signs indicate that the individual animal is not handling being shown particularly well. I have noticed a few savvy breeders painting the inside of their travel pens with rubber paint to make them easier to clean and giving the animal a better grip underfoot. Rubber matting used in stables is another economical way of doing this but less effective than painting.

If you take fresh food for your animals to the show then allow it to come to room temperature before feeding if it has been in a cold/chill bag/box. If you are new to the venue then check with other breeders before harvesting local grass and wild plants to feed.

If the venue is particularly hot and stuffy then place a ceramic tile in the show pen to give the rabbit or cavy a cooler surface to lie on. When you show an animal for the first time I always think it is a good idea to weigh the animal before and after the show. If it has lost a lot of weight then you know that it has been stressed by the event.