The Godfather of Guinea Pigs (Part 1)
Peter Gurney was my friend...
This man needs no introduction for those of us involved in the wonderful world of guinea pigs. We know him; we speak about him with much respect and still mourn the day he left this world in 2006 at age 68.
In a nutshell. Peter Gurney was born in Luton in 1938. He did National Navy Service and became a truck and lorry driver. He bought a guinea pig at a pet shop at age 48, and this is where his story starts for us.
Peter Gurney is the OG, the original gangster of the guinea pig community that supports proper guinea pig care in all its forms. He was often embroiled in bitter disputes with the British Veterinary Board and the veterinarians it licensed. He accused them of a severe lack of knowledge of the species that did more harm than good. This was the driving force that started his writing about guinea pigs, and he was a prolific writer! When he realized how far-reaching his books were and the positive differences they made to guinea pig lives worldwide, he used writing to educate the masses about PROPER guinea pig care. Before Peter Gurney, no one talked about guinea pigs in this way. So, we really can say before PG (Peter Gurney) and after PG.
Peter taught the world about the nutrition guinea pigs needed to be healthy, their housing and cage sizes. He became a resource for information on any ailment your guinea pig could suffer.
He easily knew more about the Cavia Porcellus than those vets at the Veterinary Board. He was bluntly vocal about the lack of knowledge, incorrect diagnosis and sometimes harmful treatments by vets who received no training on the specifics of guinea pig care. Peter was great friends with Vedra Standley-Spatcher, founder of the Cambridge Cavy Trust. It was through her that he ignited his interest in guinea pig medicine. Vedra was a legend in her own right and has also butted heads with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Peter Gurney also dedicated one full day of his week to visiting sick children with his guinea pigs at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. And it was on one of those days, en route to his bedsit in south London, that we met in 1992.
In 1992 Gurney wrote his first book, The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, during recovery from kidney cancer. During this period, Michael Bond, best known for his Paddington Bear books, met Gurney with Olga-da-Polga, and encouraged him in his work and writing.
In the coming issues, I will be sharing my experience of being friends with Peter and being his pupil who sat cross-legged in front of him, a cup of tea in hand, listening while he talked and talked about EVERYTHING guinea pig. I will talk about how I stayed in touch after I moved to Los Angeles, and he helped me start my rescue here…
Bibliography of Peter Gurney's Works:
Piggy Potions: Natural Remedies for Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-004-0
Piggy Potions: Natural Remedies for Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-004-0
The Sex Life of Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-133-0 (Peter toured the USA to promote this book!)
What’s My Guinea Pig? ISBN 1-85279-034-2
All of Their Kind (2002).
Last of Their Kind (Published posthumously in April 2007). Diggory Press. ISBN 978-1846856570
This man needs no introduction for those of us involved in the wonderful world of guinea pigs. We know him; we speak about him with much respect and still mourn the day he left this world in 2006 at age 68.
In a nutshell. Peter Gurney was born in Luton in 1938. He did National Navy Service and became a truck and lorry driver. He bought a guinea pig at a pet shop at age 48, and this is where his story starts for us.
Peter Gurney is the OG, the original gangster of the guinea pig community that supports proper guinea pig care in all its forms. He was often embroiled in bitter disputes with the British Veterinary Board and the veterinarians it licensed. He accused them of a severe lack of knowledge of the species that did more harm than good. This was the driving force that started his writing about guinea pigs, and he was a prolific writer! When he realized how far-reaching his books were and the positive differences they made to guinea pig lives worldwide, he used writing to educate the masses about PROPER guinea pig care. Before Peter Gurney, no one talked about guinea pigs in this way. So, we really can say before PG (Peter Gurney) and after PG.
Peter taught the world about the nutrition guinea pigs needed to be healthy, their housing and cage sizes. He became a resource for information on any ailment your guinea pig could suffer.
He easily knew more about the Cavia Porcellus than those vets at the Veterinary Board. He was bluntly vocal about the lack of knowledge, incorrect diagnosis and sometimes harmful treatments by vets who received no training on the specifics of guinea pig care. Peter was great friends with Vedra Standley-Spatcher, founder of the Cambridge Cavy Trust. It was through her that he ignited his interest in guinea pig medicine. Vedra was a legend in her own right and has also butted heads with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Peter Gurney also dedicated one full day of his week to visiting sick children with his guinea pigs at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. And it was on one of those days, en route to his bedsit in south London, that we met in 1992.
In 1992 Gurney wrote his first book, The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, during recovery from kidney cancer. During this period, Michael Bond, best known for his Paddington Bear books, met Gurney with Olga-da-Polga, and encouraged him in his work and writing.
In the coming issues, I will be sharing my experience of being friends with Peter and being his pupil who sat cross-legged in front of him, a cup of tea in hand, listening while he talked and talked about EVERYTHING guinea pig. I will talk about how I stayed in touch after I moved to Los Angeles, and he helped me start my rescue here…
Bibliography of Peter Gurney's Works:
Piggy Potions: Natural Remedies for Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-004-0
Piggy Potions: Natural Remedies for Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-004-0
The Sex Life of Guinea Pigs. ISBN 1-85279-133-0 (Peter toured the USA to promote this book!)
What’s My Guinea Pig? ISBN 1-85279-034-2
All of Their Kind (2002).
Last of Their Kind (Published posthumously in April 2007). Diggory Press. ISBN 978-1846856570
