VARIOUS TYPES &
BREEDS OF GUINEA PIG
There are now more than twenty-five different breeds of guinea pig as over the years skilled breeders have taken guinea pigs with slightly different colors and marking and bred them together. However, there are a number of cross-breeds and mixes are breeds which make just as good pets as the pedigrees.
Marked guinea pigs have two or more colors and are found in short, long and rough haired and even hairless guinea pigs.
Varieties
Long Haired
 The most well known of the long haired guinea pigs is the Peruvian. They have very long silky hair, usually down to the floor and covering their face. They require constant grooming and a lot of time to keep their hair clean and as such are not recommended as pets for children.
The Sheltie and Coronet are similar to the Peruvian; however the Sheltie has its hair growing away from the face and around the body. The Coronet is like a Sheltie with a crest on its head.
Short Haired
 The two small pictures here show the difference between long and short haired guinea pigs respectively.
 Short haired guinea pigs have short, smooth, and silky/shiny hair. They do not need the same amount of grooming as the long haired varieties but regular grooming is needed to prevent their coat from getting matted and to help keep it clean. There are many variety of the short haired guinea pig; for example, the English Crested where the crest on the head is the same color as the rest of the body, which can be a range of colors.
The Agouti most resembles the native South American cavy. It has a speckled effect throughout the body as a result of different colors on each individual hair. They are found in gold, silver, salmon, lemon and cinnamon.
 Rough Haired and Rosetted
Abyssinian guinea pigs are the most common of the rough-haired pets. Their hair sticks out in rosette patterns. Pure bred Abyssinians should have ten rosettes: four on the hindquarters, four around the 'saddle' and one on each shoulder. However other patterns of rosettes look just as good. They appear in a range of colors as well as the 'selfs' and 'marked' colors.
Hairless, Skinny and Baldwin
 As their name suggests, hairless guinea pigs have no or little hair. They are mainly found in America but are likely to be seen in Europe and the rest of the world soon.
The Skinny guinea pig has wiry, frizzy hair on their head, face and paws and sometime have hair on the backs and rest of body too, but generally look hairless and skinny, hence their name.
The Baldwin guinea pig is completely hairless. Babies are sometimes born with hair but this usually falls off as they grow.
Breeds
Some of the more popular guinea pig varieties and breeds are described below. Note that different countries recognize different standards for guinea pig breeds. If you plan on showing guinea pigs, you should contact your local cavy club for breeding standards.
Each guinea pig is classified by its breed and variety. Some of the breeds that are shown in the United States include the American, Abbyssinian, Peruvian, Silky, American Crested and Teddy. Each breed is most easily recognized by the hair type, though there are other differences, too. Within each breed there are varieties, which specify (essentially) the markings and color of the guinea pig.
The American breeds are short, smooth-haired cavies. The Abbyssinian is a short-haired cavy that features "whorls" in their coat, which are referred to as rosettes. The Peruvian is a long-haired cavy with a coat that parts down the center of the back. Silkies (called Shelties in Great Britain) are also a long-haired breed, but unlike the Peruvian, the hair does not cover the face, nor does it part down the back. The Teddy is a relatively new breed that is being shown in the United States; it has a coarse, short and thick coat with "kinked" hair shafts without ridges or rosettes. The American Crested cavy is a short-hair breed with a single "whorl" of a contrasting color on the forehead.
The list given below is neither complete nor definitive; rather, it is intended only as an introduction to some of the many guinea pig varieties.
The Selfs
The Selfs are smooth-coated guinea pigs whose coats are all one color, including the hair on the feet. Several colors of Selfs are bred
Black: Eyes, ears and foot pads are black, as are toenails.
White: Eyes are either pink or black. Footpads are flesh, and ears are either white or pink.
Chocolate: Deep brown coat with ears and footpads to match. Eyes are red.
Beige: Eyes are pink. Ears and footpads are pink or beige.
Cream: Eyes are red, footpads are pink. Ears are cream or pink.
Golden: Eyes are pink. Ears and footpads are pink or golden.
Lilac: Medium grey coat with pink eyes and pink or lilac ears and footpads.
Red: Dark red coat with red eyes. Ears and footpads are red or brown.
Blue: Dark blue coat with blue eyes.
The Agoutis
The agouti guinea pigs have short, silky hair that is "ticked" throughout the coat, which gives them a "shimmering" effect. This is the pattern of the guinea pigs' wild ancestors. Various colors are bred:
Silver: Dark undercolor with silver ticking.
Golden: Golden undercolor with dark ticking.
Cinnamon: Cinnamon with silver ticking.
Chocolate: Cinnamon with a light ticking.
The Himalayan
The Himalayan guinea pig has a white, silky coat with black or chocolate ears and feet. The nose is also black or chocolate, and is often times referred to as the "smut". The points on the Himalayan guinea are not as pronounced as they are on the Himalayan rabbit. The eyes are red.
The Himalayan breed can not be easily identified at birth. Himalayan young are born all-white, and are easily mistaken as Self Whites. Their markings gradually appear over the first few months after birth.
The Dalmatian
As the name implies, the Dalmatian guinea pig has a white body with black spotting well distributed across the animal. The head has a white blaze, and is black on either side. The eyes are generally a deep ruby that may appear black in dim light. The ears and feet are black.
The Roan
The Roan guinea pig has a black body with an even mixing of white hairs throughout. Only the head and feet have solid black hairs. Both the ears and the eyes are black. Some Roans are also bred in colors, such as red and white, and red and black and white.
Abyssinian Guinea Pig
Known For:
Distinctive rosettes in fur
-
Difficult to breed
-
One of the oldest breeds
Background
The Abyssinian guinea pig is one of the oldest recorded breeds. His ancestors originated in South America and are still found in the wild in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. They were brought to Europe from this area by sailors in the sixteenth century. Selective breeding began that resulted in the current variety of known breeds. As pets, they have many advantages:
Inexpensive to feed
-
Cuddly
-
Easy to house
-
Have few diseases
-
Have very little odor
Physical Appearance
The body of an Abyssinian guinea pig, as is true of all guinea pigs, is rather compact, with an adult length of 10 to 14 inches, a weight of 1 to 3 pounds, and short ears but no tail. His coloring can be one solid color or a combination of colors, and his fur is short and rather rough, making him more difficult than some other breeds to groom. Eight or more rosettes are spread on fixed parts of the body, so the fur stands off the body.
Character
An Abyssinian guinea pig is somewhat problematic to breed. His fur grows in many different directions, so he is rather difficult to brush, but you must keep him well groomed. If you are looking for a low-maintenance pet, you should probably consider a different breed of guinea pig. His life span is about 8 years.
American Guinea Pig
Known for:
Smooth, short fur
-
One of the oldest breeds
-
Easier to groom than some breeds
Background
The American guinea pig is one of the oldest recorded breeds. His ancestors originated in South America and are still found in the wild in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. They were brought to Europe from this area by sailors in the sixteenth century. Selective breeding began that resulted in the current variety of known breeds. As pets, they have many advantages:
Inexpensive to feed
-
Cuddly
-
Easy to house
-
Have few diseases
-
Have very little odor
Physical Appearance
The body of an American guinea pig, as is true of all guinea pigs, is rather compact, with an adult length of 10 to 14 inches, a weight of 1 to 3 pounds, and short ears but no tail. His fur is short and smooth making him easy to groom, and he comes in a wide range of colors.
Character
Because his fur is more or less smooth, your American guinea pig is fairly easy to brush. If you are looking for a low-maintenance pet, the American is an excellent choice. His life span is about 8 years, and he will make an excellent first pet for younger children.
Dutch Guinea Pig
Known for:
Distinctive two-color pattern
-
Easier to groom than some breeds
Background
The Dutch guinea pig has distinctive coloring. His ancestors originated in South America and are still found in the wild in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. They were brought to Europe from this area by sailors in the sixteenth century. Selective breeding began that resulted in the current variety of known breeds. As pets, they have many advantages:
Inexpensive to feed
-
Cuddly
-
Easy to house
-
Have few diseases
-
Have very little odor
Physical Appearance
The body of a Dutch guinea pig, as is true of all guinea pigs, is rather compact, with an adult length of 10 to 14 inches, a weight of 1 to 3 pounds, and short ears but no tail. His coloring is distinct, a primary color and white, with the primary color found on the head and hind quarters. He has white feet, a white saddle across his back and around to his belly, and a white blaze from his forehead down his nose. His fur is short and smooth, making him easier than some breeds to groom.
Character
Dutch guinea pigs are somewhat problematic to breed to show quality. Because his fur is more or less smooth, he is fairly easy to brush. If you are looking for a low-maintenance pet, the Dutch is an excellent choice. His life span is about 8 years, and he will make an excellent first pet for younger children.
Peruvian Guinea Pig
Known for:
Exceptionally long fur
-
Requires daily grooming
-
Comes in many colors
Background
The Peruvian guinea pig is the ultimate longhair cavie, but he is not recommended as a new pet because of the tremendous amount of grooming he requires. His ancestors originated in South America and are still found in the wild in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. They arrived in Europe in the nineteenth century. As pets, grooming necessities aside, they have many advantages:
Inexpensive to feed
-
Cuddly
-
Easy to house
-
Have few diseases
-
Have very little odor
Physical Appearance
The body of a Peruvian guinea pig, as is true of all guinea pigs, is rather compact, with an adult length of 10 to 14 inches, a weight of 1 to 3 pounds, and short ears but no tail. His fur is extremely long and parts in the middle of his back, falling to each side and covering his face. He must be brushed daily to prevent tangling. He comes in a wide range of colors.
Character
Because his fur is so long, your Peruvian guinea pig is very difficult to brush, and you must groom him every day. If you are looking for a low-maintenance pet, you would do better with a different breed. His life span is about 8 years.
Silkie Guinea Pig
Known for
Exceptionally long fur
-
One of the oldest breeds
-
Requires daily grooming
-
Comes in many colors
Background
The Silkie guinea pig is one of the oldest known breeds of guinea pigs. His ancestors originated in South America and are still found in the wild in Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Uruguay. They were brought to Europe from this area by sailors in the sixteenth century. Selective breeding began that resulted in the current variety of known breeds. As pets, they have many advantages:
Inexpensive to feed
-
Cuddly
-
Easy to house
-
Have few diseases
-
Have very little odor
Physical Appearance
The body of a Silkie guinea pig, as is true of all guinea pigs, is rather compact, with an adult length of 10 to 14 inches, a weight of 1 to 3 pounds, and short ears but no tail. His fur is extremely long and does not part in the middle of his back, but falls to each side and does not cover his face as in the Peruvian. He must be brushed daily to prevent tangling and comes in a wide range of colors.
Character
Because his fur is so long, your Silkie guinea pig is very difficult to brush, and you must groom him every day. If you are looking for a low maintenance pet, you would do better with a different breed. His life span is about 8 years.
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