Check out the various guinea pig breeds
There are a great number of guinea pig breeds available. Whilst they all have wonderful, affectionate natures, the amount of time and care that individual cavy breeds require does vary hugely. For your cavy’s sake – and your own – it is really important to consider what sort of guinea pig you are planning on adopting. If you are an inexperienced cavy owner, please consider starting with a cavy that is very easy to maintain. Here is a list of the most common cavy breeds.
Short Coated guinea pigs
The following smooth, short-haired guinea pigs make ideal first time pets. They are easy to care for and have an excellent, affectionate temperament.
The English guinea pig (aka American guinea pig)
This is the most popular guinea pig for inexperienced guinea pig owners because it is very good natured and easy to maintain. It has a smooth, short, flat coat. It can be a ‘self’ cavy (all one colour) or come in a variety of colours and patterns.
The American Crested guinea pig (aka the White Crested guinea pig)
The American Crested guinea pig is a ‘self-coloured’ (uniform coloured), short-coated guinea pig which looks just like the English/American guinea pig. The only difference is that it has a crest, usually white, on the top of its head (hence the alternative name: ‘White Crested guinea pig’). This crest contrasts with the colour of the rest of the guinea pig. The American Crested guinea pig is a lot more rare than the English/American guinea pig but just as easy to maintain. So if you want a guinea pig which is a little bit different, but still low maintenance, then this White Crested guinea pig is an excellent choice.
The English Crested guinea pig
This is the same as the American Crested guinea pig but the crest is the same colour as the rest of the coat.
The Ridgeback guinea pig
The ridgeback guinea pig has a short, smooth coat with a ridge of upright fur that runs along the full length of its back, giving it a slightly ‘punk’ look.
Rough Coated guinea pigs
Depending upon the breed of rough coated guinea pig, they can be reasonable easy to care for.
The Abyssinian guinea pig
The Rex guinea pig
The Rex guinea pig has a woolly, coarse, dense coat that is crimped and springy, standing up from its body. It is almost identical to the teddy guinea pig (see below) but with a slightly softer coat. For show purposes, the coat should not be more than half an inch.
The Teddy guinea pig
The Teddy guinea pig looks like a soft, cuddly toy with its dense and bushy coat – hence its name. The Teddy guinea pig has a slightly coarser coat than the Rex guinea pig. However, its short, springy coat is easy to maintain and it has a wonderful temperament – very popular with children. As with the Rex guinea pig, a show Teddy guinea pig should have a coat no longer than half an inch.
Long Coated guinea pigs
The following guinea pigs are beautiful and much favoured by guinea pig breeders and guinea pig show judges. However, they often require a great deal of time and attention. As such, they are not usually recommended as a first time pet.
The Peruvian guinea pig
The Peruvian guinea pig has a very long, silky coat and, for show purposes, must have two rosettes on its rump. The Peruvian guinea pig’s hair flops like an overlong fringe over its face and falls into a central parting down its back. The colour of its coat can vary. Sometimes, the Peruvian guinea pig can have a bi-coloured or, more rarely, a tri-coloured coat. It is usually coloured black, brown, white, or, less commonly, grey. Although very beautiful it is very high maintenance and its hair must be brushed at least once a day. Although it does require a lot of attention, it has a wonderful temperament and is very affectionate and sociable. The Peruvian guinea pig will sometimes chew its own (or its companion’s) hair if it gets bored or is lacking in nutrients, so it does require vigilance.
The Alpaca guinea pig
A coarse haired version of the Peruvian cavy, the Alpaca guinea pig has long and frizzy/wavy hair which forms two rosettes on its rump. Its coat requires brushing (often with difficulty) every day. Unless you are a breeder, best avoided; it is very rare and hard to maintain.
The Sheltie guinea pig (aka Silkie guinea pig or Sheltand guinea pig)
The Sheltie guinea pig has beautiful long hair swept away from its face, giving it wonderful ‘Hollywood Star’ looks. Unlike the Peruvian guinea pig, it doesn’t have a parting or rosettes, and its hair should fall away from its face, rather than over its face. Although beautiful, it does need its hair brushed every day.
The Texel guinea pig (aka a long-haired Sheltie)
With its soft, bouncy coat, the Texel guinea pig is a wavy/curly-haired version of the Sheltie guinea pig (or Silkie). It was first bred in England during the 1980s, which seems fitting because the long curly coat looks like a 1980’s perm! Its long hair requires daily brushing and regular trimming, particularly around the anus. It is probably avoided as a first pet – unless it’s too late and you’ve already fallen in love with one! Visit the British Cavy Council for more information.
The Coronet guinea pig
The Coronet has smooth, silky-soft, long hair with a large white crest (or rosette) on top of its head. Apart from its coronet, it is very similar to the Sheltie guinea pig (aka Silkie guinea pig – see below). Just like the Sheltie guinea pig, its long coat requires grooming every day. Many Coronet guinea pig breeders trim the fur between shows because it is so time consuming to groom.
The Merino guinea pig
The Merino guinea pig is the wavy/curly haired version of the Coronet cavy and has a soft, dense and bouncy coat.
The Lunkarya guinea pig
The Lunkarya cavy is similar to the Peruvian cavy in that it has two rosettes on its rump. However, its coat is more coarse and wiry and forms corkscrew style ringlets. Bred initially in Sweden, it is rare in the UK.
Hairless guinea pigs
The Skinny guinea pig
The Skinny guinea pig was first bred in a laboratory for dermatology research during the 1970s. By the 1990s, it had become popular as a pet. The skinny guinea pig is virtually hairless. It is not (or shouldn’t be) actually skinny; it is only its lack of hair which gives it this appearance. It has a smooth body but wrinkly neck and legs. It often has a thin layer of hair on its muzzle, legs and, sometimes, back. Its lack of hair makes it sensitive to the cold. Its ideal temperature is between 24C – 26 C and, because it feels the cold, it does require slightly more food for energy than most other guinea pigs. It is also sensitive to the sun and prone to skin infections so, again, probably not a good choice for inexperienced cavy lovers.
The Baldwin guinea pig
The Baldwin cavy is nearly bald, apart from its feet. However, it is normally born with hair, which it then sheds. It is an entirely different breed to the skinny cavy but its maintenance needs are largely similar; it feels the cold, is sensitive to the sun and is vulnerable to skin infections.
Smooth, short-coated cavy breeds categorised by colouring
Smooth, short-coated cavies are distinguished as separate breeds according to their colouring. There is, of course, huge variations of colouring so the following list of breeds is by no means exhaustive.
Self guinea pigs
Self guinea pigs are smooth, short haired breeds of uniform colour, which can be:
- Self beige
- Self black
- Self blue
- Self buff
- Self chocolate
- Self lilac
- Self red
- Self saffron
- Self slate
- Self dark eyed cream
- Self pink eyed cream
- Self dark eyed golden
- Self pink eyed golden
- Self dark eyed white (DEW)
- Self pink eyed white (PEW)
Ticked guinea pigs
These smooth, short coated cavies have a ticked coat comprising two shades of colour on each strand of hair, creating a flecked and banded appearance. The belly is a solid colour.
- The Agouti guinea pig
The Agouti guinea pig is dark eyed and comes in six colours: black based: gold, silver and lemon and chocolate based: cinnamon, cream and chocolate. If you are interested in learning more, visit the nationalagouticavyclub.com. Very good natured and physically robust, they make an easy to maintain and attractive pet. - The Argentes guinea pig
The same as the Agouti guinea pig but with pink eyes and the following colour combinations: Golden/Lilac Golden/Beige Lemon/Lilac Lemon/Beige White/Lilac White/Beige. (Please visit the British Cavy Council for more details. - The Chinchilla guinea pig
This is similar to an Agouti Cavy but paler.
Other breeds categorised by colour
- The Belted guinea pig. The Belted cavy has a solid coloured (usually black) guinea pig with a ‘belt’ of white.
- The Bicolour guinea pig. The bicolour cavy has a two colour chequerboard pattern.
- The Brindle guinea pig. The Brindle cavy has red and black hairs evenly intermingled over its whole body.
- The Californian guinea pig. The Californian cavy is similar to the Himalayan cavy; its nose, ears and feet are much darker than the rest of their coat, which is of a paler, solid colour (e.g. buff, cream, golden etc.). Unlike the Himalayan guinea pig, it has dark eyes. Although quite easy to maintain, it is rare.
- The Dalmatian guinea pig. The Dalmatian cavy displays similar colouring to the Dalmatian dog (hence its name). To avoid Lethal White Syndrome, a Dalmatian cavy should not be bred with another Dalmatian or a Roan cavy.
- The Dutch guinea pig. The Dutch cavy has a white blaze on head.
- The Fox guinea pig. The face, chest and belly of the Fox cavy have white markings.
- The Harlequin guinea pig. The Harlequin cavy has a chequerboard pattern of black (or chocolate) and yellow.
- The Himalayan guinea pig. The Himalayan cavy looks a bit like a Siamese cat (and often dubbed ‘the Siamese cat of guinea pigs’). It is almost totally white apart from its (usually black) nose, ears and feet (known as ;points;). Its short coat makes it easy to look after but is also quite rare so may be hard to track down.
- The Magpie guinea pig. The Magpie cavy has a chequerboard pattern of black (or chocolate) and white.
- The Otter guinea pig. The face, chest and belly of the Otter cavy have cream markings.
- The Roan guinea pig. The Roan cavy has white hairs distributed evenly throughout its coat. These white hairs are in noticeable contrast to the rest of its coat which can be black or golden. To avoid Lethal White Syndrome, a Roan cavy should not be bred with either another Roan or a Dalmatian.
- The Tan guinea pig. The Face, chest and belly of the tan cavy have tan markings.
- The Tortoise and White guinea pig. The Tortoise and White cavy has red, white and black blocks of colour.
- The Tortoiseshell guinea pig. The Tortoiseshell cavy has red and black blocks of colour.
- The Tricolour guinea pig. The Tricolour cavy has a three colour chequerboard pattern.
Miscellaneous breeds
The Swiss guinea pig
This gorgeous Swiss Cavy looks like a frizzy, fluffy ‘puff-ball’. It is semi-longhaired – for show purposes, it should be at least 5cm in length. The Swiss Cavy is rare but not particularly high maintenance; its coat needs brushing no more than once a week. Check out this cute youtube clip!
Sheba Mini Yak (or Sheba)
Known as the ‘Bad Hair Day’ Cavy, the Sheba Mini Yak guinea pig has dense hair which forms rosettes. Be warned: it may have a ‘just got out of bed’ look, but don’t be fooled – it require a lot of grooming. Originally bred in Australia during the 1970s, it is best avoided by inexperienced guinea pig lovers. Not all Cavy associations recognise this breed.
Satin versions of guinea pig
It is important to be aware that the following breeds have Satin versions:
- English guinea pig (aka American guinea pig)
- Abyssinian guinea pig
- Peruvian guinea pig
- Sheltie guinea pig (aka Silkie guinea pig) and
- Teddy guinea pig
These are guinea pigs with an unmistakably glossy (almost metallic) coat, an effect which is created by these types of cavies having hollow hair shafts. However, it is believed they are very prone to osteodystrophy (OD), an incurable type of bone disease, and paget’s disease. If diagnosed early, calcium supplements can be given to ameliorate the devastating effects of this disease. To discourage the breeding of satin versions, on animal welfare grounds, they are not recognised by some cavy governing bodies.