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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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
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.
Rare and Emerging Breeds
- Alpaca
- Crested
- Coronet
- English Merino
- Hairless Breeds
- Ridgeback
- Abbyruvian
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