Guinea pig adjunct to the American Rabbit Breeders' Association, is the governing body in the United States and Canada. The British Cavy Council governs cavy clubs in the United Kingdom. Similar organizations exist in Australia (Australian National Cavy Council) and New Zealand (New Zealand Cavy Council). Each club publishes its own standard of perfection and determines which breeds are eligible for showing. Allergic symptoms, including rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma, have been documented in laboratory animal workers who come into contact with guinea pigs. Allergic reactions following direct exposure to guinea pigs in domestic settings have also been reported. Two major guinea pig
Rock cavy and the mediodorsal nucleus, a large nucleus in the thalamus, which may provide the rock cavy with strong emotional learning, visual recognition, and object-reward association memory. This may explain why the animals are found to live in large groups. They can sometimes display homosexual behavior, with males courting males. Some paedophilical behavior has also been displayed, with adult males courting juvenile males. Each group has an alpha or dominant male and several females. The males are territorial, defending rock pile shelters against other adult males. These rock piles are built to impress the females. Once a females chooses a rock