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Saturday, September 12, 2009

Type of Guinea Pigs

Common Breeds

Though there are many different breeds of Guinea pigs, there are only a few breeds that are commonly used as for pets. Guinea pigs that a breeded as pets are found desirable and to be good companions.

Short Haired

The short haired Guinea Pig is often called the American or English guinea pig. They has consistently short, glossy hair without a part. This type of guinea pig most resembles its relatives an ancestors from the Cavia Genus.

Short Haired Guinea Pig

Abyssinian

The Abyssinian breed of Guinea pig is know for its short, rough coat that has cowlicks of hair. The name Abyssinian comes from the origin of its geographical region of Abyssinia which is present day Ethiopia. The average Abyssinian has 10 rosettes, 1 on each shoulder, 4 across , on on each of the hips, and two on the rear.

Abyssinian Guinea Pig

Peruvian

The Peruvian is all of modern long hair breeds. It is a Guinea pig with hair that grows all over its body, sometimes to an excess of 20 inches. Because of the long hair it can make caring for this breed a little more difficult then other Guinea pig breeds. They have both a top and an undercoat of hair, and as most Peruvian Guinea pigs are keep as pets they are regularly trimmed for ease of keeping in show coat form. The coat should be keep with an even length all over, with a central part along the spine.

Peruvian Guinea Pig

Silkie or Sheltie

A silkie has long hair that flows back over its body, and never goes forward over the face like the Peruvian. When looking at it from above it forms a teardrop shape and should never have a central part. The Sheltie is generally accepted to have a longer sweep of hair in the rear , in contrast to the Peruvian where the coat is desired to fall in an even coat around the body.

Silkie Guinea Pig

Rex

A Rex Guinea pig has short, fuzzy hair that stands up all over the body. The hair is uniform all over, without any markings and the hair has a length of no more than half an inch in length. The Rex breed can sometimes look similar to the Teddy, but the two types are genetically different.

Rex Guinea Pig

Teddy

A Teddy has a very thick dense and fuzzy coat, with hairs that stand up all over. There fur typically grows to a moderate length and generally makes this breed resemble a soft teddy bear. The Teddy has long hair that covers their bellies, in contract to other breeds whose bellies are almost bare. There are two different kinds of Teddies; The US Teddy and the CH Teddy (Swiss Teddy).

Teddy Guinea Pig

White crested

The white crested is a difficult breed, because the rosette of a Crested guinea pig must be centered between the ears, and no other rosettes can be present. Many guinea pigs will end up with a rosette on top of their head, which gives them this distinctive "stern" look.



Baldwins and Skinny Pigs

Baldwins and Skinny Pigs have no coat, save for patches of hair on Skinny Pigs (Baldwins have no hair whatsoever). Their loose, thick skin needs additional care from sun and irritation. Despite their somewhat prehistoric appearance, their temperament is still docile and cuddly.


Texel

A Texel Guinea pig is like a Silkie but with curls in the hair. The Texel originated in England and was officially recognized as a breed by the ACBA in 1998. The curls ideally are tight wound workscrew curls that cover the entire body, including the stomach. The curls are very good looking, but must be taken care of by brushing the curls lightly to keep it groomed.

Texel Guinea Pig

Rare and Emerging Breeds

  • Alpaca
  • Crested
  • Coronet
  • English Merino
  • Hairless Breeds
  • Ridgeback
  • Abbyruvian
Colors
Guinea pigs carry many colors but the only three different colors can appear on each guinea pig. The three colors include a black series, a red series, and a white series. The Black series includes black, chocolate, lilac, and beige, the red series includes red, orange, buff, cream, and white.