One of the UK’s only guinea pig judges has told how he enjoys a jet-set lifestyle presiding over pet ‘beauty’ pageants - dubbed "Crufts on steroids".
Jme Eglington has been a national judge for seven years and owns 80 guinea pigs which he lovingly keeps at his home in Coseley, West Mids.
His obsession with the cute critters started when he was a child and grew through his teenage years and into adulthood.
The 36-year-old is now one of only 69 nationally recognised guinea pig judges in the country and sits on the UK's executive panel for the animals.
He says his unusual hobby sends him all over Europe to adjudicate guinea pig shows, which are particularly popular in Spain, Poland and Ukraine.
Shows regularly attract over 1,000 guinea pigs and Jme says each animal is judged on their physical features, fluffiness of fur and temperament.
Jme said: “I’ve now been a judge now for seven years and just love it.
“People are competitive, I’ve heard guinea pig shows being described as like Crufts on steroids but to me they're more like Miss World beauty pageants.
“We judge each pig on their physical appearance, the face shape, nice droopy ears - you don't want them sticking up like a mouse - and the density and texture of their coat.
“Their markings and colouring have to be right for their breed as well as their overall temperament.
“They don’t get extra marks for tricks. It’s purely on what they look like.”
When Jme isn’t judging guinea pigs, he works as a mobile hairdresser.
The animal-lover, who is married to husband Liam, 34, a chimney sweep, added: “I’ve judged all over Europe.
"The first was Poland, which was a fantastic experience. I’ve done so many countries.
“I go to Denmark two or three times a year. Ukraine, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands.
“It’s a voluntary role but I get my travel expenses and I get to visit so many places I wouldn’t normally see.
“I would say the biggest popularity for guinea pig showing is in England.
“In the national ones you can get up to 1,000 pigs. The last London one got over 1,000.
“The first thing I look for when judging is the breed standard.
"That means the markings, the colour and shape.
“It’s the presentation of the pig too. You could have one pig win one week, then next week not.
“It’s good fun. I don’t know how I’ve learnt it, but it’s just through experience. I’ve just naturally learnt it.
“There’s no plans on stopping, I’m enjoying it. I have an absolute wonderful time doing it.
“How many people can say that their hobby takes them all over the world.
"The fact I get to travel doing something that I love, why would you stop.
“I loved judging in Ukraine, I think that stood out the most because it was a special place.”
His love for guinea pigs is so strong he spent £10,000 building a huge enclosure for his 80 furry pets.
In his collection, Jme has 18 endangered Belted pigs, and tries to breed the rarer species.
Jme said: “For every 20 you have, you may only have two show pigs. A lot will be your breeders.
“You may keep pigs that have extreme attributes. I breed mark breeds. I breed them to get a perfectly marked one.
“You do have more than you need, you have to breed your own. A breeder won’t breed you their best.
“I’ve got six different breeds, that works out as approximately 13 pigs per breed. I have known someone that has had up to 300.
Jme said his dad inspired his love of animals and helped him buy his very first guinea pig when he was just nine.
He added: “I was always brought up with animals, my dad ever since I was a baby he’s had animals around me. I’ve grown up and had doves and pigeons, pheasants, gerbils and rabbits.
“I got my first guinea pig when I was nine and I called him Ron Weasley because he had ginger fur. I was hooked after that and I’ll never be without them.”
Jme Eglington has been a national judge for seven years and owns 80 guinea pigs which he lovingly keeps at his home in Coseley, West Mids.
His obsession with the cute critters started when he was a child and grew through his teenage years and into adulthood.
The 36-year-old is now one of only 69 nationally recognised guinea pig judges in the country and sits on the UK's executive panel for the animals.
He says his unusual hobby sends him all over Europe to adjudicate guinea pig shows, which are particularly popular in Spain, Poland and Ukraine.
Shows regularly attract over 1,000 guinea pigs and Jme says each animal is judged on their physical features, fluffiness of fur and temperament.
Jme said: “I’ve now been a judge now for seven years and just love it.
“People are competitive, I’ve heard guinea pig shows being described as like Crufts on steroids but to me they're more like Miss World beauty pageants.
“We judge each pig on their physical appearance, the face shape, nice droopy ears - you don't want them sticking up like a mouse - and the density and texture of their coat.
“Their markings and colouring have to be right for their breed as well as their overall temperament.
“They don’t get extra marks for tricks. It’s purely on what they look like.”
When Jme isn’t judging guinea pigs, he works as a mobile hairdresser.
The animal-lover, who is married to husband Liam, 34, a chimney sweep, added: “I’ve judged all over Europe.
"The first was Poland, which was a fantastic experience. I’ve done so many countries.
“I go to Denmark two or three times a year. Ukraine, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands.
“It’s a voluntary role but I get my travel expenses and I get to visit so many places I wouldn’t normally see.
“I would say the biggest popularity for guinea pig showing is in England.
“In the national ones you can get up to 1,000 pigs. The last London one got over 1,000.
“The first thing I look for when judging is the breed standard.
"That means the markings, the colour and shape.
“It’s the presentation of the pig too. You could have one pig win one week, then next week not.
“It’s good fun. I don’t know how I’ve learnt it, but it’s just through experience. I’ve just naturally learnt it.
“There’s no plans on stopping, I’m enjoying it. I have an absolute wonderful time doing it.
“How many people can say that their hobby takes them all over the world.
"The fact I get to travel doing something that I love, why would you stop.
“I loved judging in Ukraine, I think that stood out the most because it was a special place.”
His love for guinea pigs is so strong he spent £10,000 building a huge enclosure for his 80 furry pets.
In his collection, Jme has 18 endangered Belted pigs, and tries to breed the rarer species.
Jme said: “For every 20 you have, you may only have two show pigs. A lot will be your breeders.
“You may keep pigs that have extreme attributes. I breed mark breeds. I breed them to get a perfectly marked one.
“You do have more than you need, you have to breed your own. A breeder won’t breed you their best.
“I’ve got six different breeds, that works out as approximately 13 pigs per breed. I have known someone that has had up to 300.
Jme said his dad inspired his love of animals and helped him buy his very first guinea pig when he was just nine.
He added: “I was always brought up with animals, my dad ever since I was a baby he’s had animals around me. I’ve grown up and had doves and pigeons, pheasants, gerbils and rabbits.
“I got my first guinea pig when I was nine and I called him Ron Weasley because he had ginger fur. I was hooked after that and I’ll never be without them.”
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FunTranscript
00:00 My name's Jamie Eglinton-Parks and I'm a UK and international guinea pig judge.
00:07 I run a show in Dudley, but I judge all over the UK and in Europe.
00:20 I've been as far as Ukraine, Denmark, Norway, Sweden.
00:27 This year alone I've done Spain, France and the Netherlands.
00:31 I've currently got approximately 80 guinea pigs and I do breed, but it's a complete non-profit
00:38 breeding. I breed and breed to try and create the best
00:46 show pig. This one is a pretty good one.
00:53 You can see nice straight lines there. We're aiming to get a little bit thicker, but this
00:58 is what I'm trying to breed. I'm always striving to breed that perfect
01:02 pig to win at the show. I had my first guinea pig when I was nine
01:06 years old. My dad took me to an auction and there was
01:10 one going and I'd got three pounds left on my pocket money.
01:15 He said I could bid up to the three pounds and he went for three pounds fifty.
01:19 I was devastated. The lady could see how upset I was next to
01:26 him and said that if I really wanted him that much I could buy it off her for three pounds,
01:33 which was all the pocket money I had. I brought him home and he was my first guinea
01:37 pig and he's where the love for them started. I named him Ron Weasley because my mum was
01:42 reading Harry Potter to me at the time. I've had a guinea pig nearly always since.
01:50 When I was twenty I started going to guinea pig shows and that's where the love for them
01:57 increased tenfold. I soon had about forty as soon as I started
02:04 showing because there were so many different breeds and things that I liked about the different
02:09 breeds. Within that time I then started helping out
02:15 at magic shows and book stewarding and taking the pigs up and taking notes for the judges.
02:22 At some point I got asked to judge the pets. This was my first stage into judging.
02:29 (electronic beeping)