Origins of the Rex Breed and the Rex Cavy Club

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE REX CAVY

Writing in the 25th Anniversary Year Book of the R.V.C.C. 

” One day I was judging a show (in Yorkshire if I remember rightly) and I got to the pet’s class. In the pets class was a cavy which I believed could be a Rex, so I called Ted Brearley who was at the show and he agreed with me. When the girl came to collect her pet we talked to her and were surprised when she said she had more like that at home and that they had come from her school which had more of them. However, this strain seemed to die out,but soon afterwards Fred Holmes discovered one and from that one comes all our present Rex. It has been discovered that our Rex and the American Teddy are not compatible and should not be bred together.”

Author – Mrs I Turner

HISTORY OF REX

About 1977 Phil Dolphin turned up at Northampton Show with a cavy bred from a pair of Dutch and sold it to Fred who recognised it as a Dutch Rex. Fred promptly entered it in the R.V.C.C. Stock Show which was being judged by Geoff Colley. This red dutch Rex won the new variety class.Fred then mated this boar to as many different types of sow as he had available at the time and these produced carrier babies. the carrier sows were then mated back to the original boar and a number of Rex appeared in the next litters. The following year Fred acquired a Himalayan Rex from the same source but was unable to breed from it. Some of the earlier Rex were sold on to Mary Belcher who carried on breeding them and put in a tremendous amount of work developing the Rex before dropping out of the Fancy.

By the late 1970’s Rex was shown as Guide Standard.In May 1984 the Full Standard was written for the Rex Cavy and the B.C.C. granted it standardisation so that the Rex could now compete in the Open classes against other Non-Selfs.
The R.V.C.C. still kept the Rex under it’s wing but at the A.G.M. in 1991 it was agreed in principle that a Rex Cavy Club be formed. 

At Doncaster in 1992 the R.V.C.C.voted for the formation of the Rex Cavy Club and under the guidelines laid down by the B.C.C. THE REX CAVY CLUB WAS BORN.

Author – Hugh Pashley