Guinea pigs keep Tamil Nadu farmers' cash registers ringing

Some farmers, by nature, innovate and motivate a few people. They, in turn, change the lives of many others with their actions. A few farmers in areas bordering Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have taken up rearing of guinea pigs and their cash registers are steadily ringing.

They opted for this because of necessity. They do not have assured irrigation facilities since the area is bereft of reservoirs and ponds. Farmers from Thalavadi and Oodapalayam in Erode district and Santhanapalayam and surrounding Nalroad areas in Karnataka have been raising guinea pigs to supplement their income.

They sell guinea pigs to pet lovers, hospitals, medical colleges, agricultural universities, veterinary colleges, laboratories and earn a good profit. Many farmers burnt their fingers badly by taking up agriculture. Now, they rear squeaking creatures and on an average sell at least 15 a month from their tiny farms.

“We were not earning much by cultivating paddy, groundnuts and other agricultural produce since we do not get water throughout the year. Therefore, during the last one year I started this business, which gives me good supplementary income for my family,” Vetrichelvan, a farmer said. Vetrichelvan, one of the main rodent breeders, says he has about 100 guinea pigs. “It was so fun to begin with until we got a good market for them,” he said.

The 35-year old breeder buys guinea pigs, claimed to be Australian breed, from Karnataka through an agent and sells the pelts, which has a good market. According to him the guinea pigs grow up to about half-a-kilo, which fetch him good money when he sells them.

Guinea pigs, also called cavies, are plump little tailless creatures. They have blunt, Roman noses and round eyes, and their ears look similar to rose petals.

They have short fur that come in many colours, including white, black, red, fawn, cream, gray, brindle, brown, or a mixture of these colours. In the last few months, guinea pigs helped these farmers. Not only are they giving them the much needed money than they ever made, but also a decent life.

Davidson, another farmer, who started rodent breeding with Vetrichelvan, says “guinea pigs make excellent pets that rarely, if ever, try to bite. They are very good-natured and social, and they seem to enjoy being cuddled. They also learn to recognise their caregivers and will whistle at them in greeting when they approach.”

As his business grew, Davidson constructed a 6x8 sq ft cement shed to raise rodents with his father. “My son and I bought a pair (male and female) for just Rs 300,” Davidson's father Sagayaraj said.

Not putting much effort, that was needed for agriculture, both earn about Rs 7,000 extra money per month. They claim that it was big money for them in their village.

These villagers have regular customers from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. “Agents from both states come every month and collect the guinea pigs before paying money to us promptly. Sometimes, we find huge supply gap due to its demand,” Davidson said.

An agent, seeking anonymity, said of late the demand for guinea pigs as pets is very high. As they are in great demand, the pet stores are finding it difficult to meet the local demand. “In pet shops, they are sold at a high price. Even breeders are sure of getting more money,” he said.

Veterinarians say guinea pigs may become sexually active when they are just one month old. Under ideal conditions, animals are used for breeding when they are three months and have a weight of at least 500 gm. One male is sufficient for a group of 12 females. Pregnancy lasts about a few weeks and after that female delivers two to six young ones. The business is based on keeping breeding stock at high virility.

S Gopalakrishnan, a senior veterinarian, said: “In testing and analysing of serums and antitoxins and for experimental purposes generally the demand is enormous, thousands of them are used every year.”  

Experts say that although guinea pigs grow quicker when fed concentrates, for economical reasons they often only get roughage like improved grass, maize plants or carrots. An adult guinea pig consumes about 200-300 gm dry grass every day.

They are practically free from the diseases and epidemics that make the raising of poultry and rabbits so uncertain. Feeding these rodents is also an easy task as they consume grass and maize plants. “We get plenty of grass and maize in our agricultural land. Moreover, the region’s climate suits these animals very much,” Govindarajan, who also took the strange little livestock ranch, said.   

He said that the rodents are calm and like sleeping during the day. In the evening and night they are more active. “They move or run. We have kept the cage four feet from the ground level so that no other animals, including dogs, could disturb them,” he said.
Each “rodent farmer” works six days a week, feeding animals, changing litter, caring for the young and getting them ready for the market.

The villagers clean the cages twice a week. Once a month they disinfect them with a mixture of carbolic acid with soap water. “Funny Farms” now seems a little less strange to the neighbouring villagers, though they’re still surprised that he can make good money out of rodents.

“My rodents are cleaned once a week. They have fresh water every day and once a week they get corn powder. I give them  water in bottles to avoid contamination. They always have access to water,” the farmer said.

Farmers’ reason for raising rodents is very practical. “It’s the money,” they said. That’s what is important for a good living.