Abyssinian Cavy Club

Abysinian Features

GUIDANCE NOTES TO JUDGES AND EXHIBITORS

The Abyssinian is a rough-coated, short-haired cavy in which a specific arrangement of rosettes creates a pattern of ridges, both parallel and at right angles to the body.

The overall effect is most important in the Abyssinian. It should be cobby, thick-set and with a dense, harsh coat giving the ridges their erectness. When the ridges are straight, a checkerboard pattern is formed.

The Abyssinian should appear short-coupled, this is achieved when the collar ridge is set well back behind the shoulders and the back ridge is well up in front of the hip bones. This gives a compact-looking animal with deep-centred cup-shaped rosettes.

The head is greatly enhanced by a wealth of mane and moustache (which is formed by the hair growing forward from the jaw-line, meeting the hair growing from the nose).

Shoulder rosettes are optional but improve appearance when displayed. Rump rosette centres are two-thirds of the way down the rump, but not be too low. Double, lifter or split rosettes on an otherwise good exhibit is not to be unduly penalised. Open centres and guttering are often wrongly identified and penalised on dark-coloured abyssinians or light coloured ones with dark skins. On account of their harsher coats, boars are more commonly shown in adult classes but sows should not be unduly penalised because of their coat texture. It is difficult to assess coat quality in young abyssinians, as their coats are not usually `through' until they are 12 weeks of age.