The ideal Rex is a large, robust pig of a nice type, with the right ears, etc. But don’t get hung up on the type, and don’t pay the slightest attention to the color, because this sometimes forces newbies to sell their most promising cubs at an early age.

What is most important is the WOOL. This is the breed that was created exactly for this. Unfortunately, too often, judges forget this. The coat should be stiff, dense and springy in adult animals and should be completely flat on the entire surface of the body, and on the belly and on the hind legs it should be curly.

Such an ideal coat is relatively rare and only in fully formed adult pigs over one and a half years old. My pigs only reach full shape by the age of three. None of the breeds has such a variety of periods in the development of the mumps and you need to be a very, very knowledgeable specialist in order to boldly talk about any shortcomings of the coat. Many of them are related only to how the pig lies or where it scratched itself.

At different ages, six Rex have different characteristics:

From birth to 12 weeks. They all look like little champions, covered in slightly wavy baby hair. Be careful! Those babies who at this age look like ideal adult pigs and have a tough, very curly coat, when they grow up, will have a soft and overly long coat.

12 to 20 weeks. Real hair begins to appear on the shoulders, but it may look very unattractive, and as a rule it does not stand, but lies. It is at this moment that the owners begin to sell such ugly ducklings, not hoping that something worthwhile will come out of them. Promising pigs up to five months look exactly like this, they develop unevenly and very often have areas with such a different coat in texture. Don’t sell them!

Five to ten months. If you have stayed true to your ugly ducklings, you will find that the coat on the shoulders improves markedly, but still lies on the sides, but the texture and density of the coat can already be appreciated. The really smooth coat on the back and belly can already be identified.

Ten to fifteen months. Slowly but surely, the coat on the sides and rump begins to rise.

Fifteen months to three years. Maturity, and the coat looks its best. Those coarse guard hairs that show through on selfies and that will definitely lower their rating is exactly what Rex breeders pray for.

The most obvious sign that your pig’s coat is wrong is a smooth belly, but don’t let it bother you while your pig is still a toddler. A poorly lying coat is difficult not to pass on to the offspring, this defect is well inherited, but do not focus your attention only on this. If your pig has a good coat density, texture and curliness, then your efforts do not need to be wasted! Very often on the sides of the pig, just below the elbows, there are areas where the hair forms a light wave, and the judges punish very severely for this defect, although in my opinion this should not be done – this is exactly the area on the body where the pig can most easily reach paw and scratch, and thereby provoke additional hair growth. And such a disadvantage only testifies to the fact that the mumps were not prepared in an appropriate way before the exhibition.

If your Rex scratches or gnaws at the coat, then it becomes a real disaster for the show pig, as it creates obvious, easily noticeable coat imperfections. Very often, pigs with particularly coarse coats tend to have problems with the skin, as it is dry and dandruff may appear, so after washing it is better to dry the pig by wrapping it in a towel than drying it with a regular hair dryer. Wipe your hair thoroughly over and against the coat to dry it faster.

Rex hair is a real trap for all kinds of garbage, they are much more susceptible to this than other breeds, and if the pig is not constantly kept clean, skin and health problems will immediately make themselves felt. And if the coat is broken, it will take months to restore it.

There are different views on this:

• This cannot be done, this entails a violation of the coat.
• You can do this, otherwise you will lose exactly this kind of coat, constantly crossing the Rex with the Rex.
• I’m not sure what such a cross can actually make, but in any case, you need to use only very good Rex in breeding, and select very carefully the pigs for breeding work.
• This is very important for improving breed type, color, health, etc.

Attention! The author only sticks to the third and fourth remarks, while the first two have too many concrete examples for and against it.

So, in conclusion, what is the main advice I can give? If you need to sell cubs under the age of five months, you must remember that among them there can be very promising cubs and you can get rid of an entire generation of breed improvers in one fell swoop. Hold them to make the final judgment for at least eight months. The worst at maturity can become the best. Very attractive looking four-week-old cubs with coarse curly coats will have an elongated, soft, puffy, poorly lying coat within a few months. They will make their careers in the baby class and then they will lose all their virtues and will never become winners again. Look for guinea pigs with short, dense textured coats and curly bellies, then sit back and wait. And then remember: a real perfect Rex is a rarity,and soft, poorly lying coat, waves on the shoulders, etc. it will all be with you. If you want to tackle rex, remember that you must have a lot of free individual cells!