Police investigating the theft of 12 prize-winning guinea pigs from a top breeder have not ruled out - a rival competitor . Heartbroken owner Tony Tancock believes only an expert could have targetted the dozen show-quality guinea pigs stolen leaving more ordinary rodents behind . Tony , 56 , has won accolades for his specially-bred cavies and has shown them off at events around the country . But he was devastated after a thief snuck into an outbuilding at his home in Crediton , Devon , to steal his prized pets leaving eight behind . Robbed : Police investigating the theft of 12 prize-winning guinea pigs from top breeder Tony Tancock ( pictured ) have not ruled out - a rival competitor . Sabotage : Heartbroken owner Tancock ( pictured ) believes only an expert could have targetted the dozen show-quality guinea pigs . He said : 'They knew exactly what they were looking for . They took two tortoiseshells , two black and two brown , all short-haired guinea pigs that besides being show-quality , were also beloved family pets . 'They left six which were not show quality , plus two other show ones . ' Tony yesterday issued a desperate plea to the thief to return the treasured pets to him . He said : 'Please bring them back . I miss them dearly and am really worried about them . I would like to know they did n't just get bumped off . They were priceless to me . ' Guinea pig fancying took off in the 1890s but a fascination for the furry animals began when they were introduced to Britain from South America in the 1500s . They are still bred for their meat in several countries on the South American continent and are a particular delicacy in the Andes . The biggest event in a guinea pig fanciers calendar - the Bradford Championship Show - draws hundreds of participating critters , competing in categories separated according to breeds . But Tony said that unless his guinea pigs are returned he will not be able to appear at any shows this year . A cavy expert has warned the thefts could be a hate crime from someone with a score to settle . But Bryan Mayoh , chairman of the British Cavy Council , expressed shock at the suggestion a fellow competitor could have deliberately targeted Tony . Heart-broken : Mr Tancock was devastated after a thief snuck into an outbuilding at his home in Crediton , Devon , to steal his prized pets leaving eight behind . He said : ' I would suggest that a personal dispute is a far more likely explanation than that some person was envious of his cavies . 'Real fanciers know how important cavies are to other fanciers and would not dream of trying to steal animals from them . 'In addition , it is very likely that someone attempting to remove cavies at a show would be noticed by other fanciers . 'In 25 years of showing I never had a cavy stolen , nor have any of my fancier friends . ' 'But my advice would be to be vigilant of anyone behaving suspiciously at a show and ensure that garden sheds in which cavies are kept at home are padlocked when the owner is absent . ' Police say they are investigating the thefts and asked anyone with information to contact them on 101 .
Heart-broken Bryan Mayoh , 56 , has won prizes for specially-bred guinea pigs . A thief stole a dozen of his best from his home in Devon and left eight behind . Says only an expert could have targetted them and left ordinary ones behind . 'They knew exactly what they were looking for , ' a devastated Tancock claimed .