Hi guys, I’m Caroline from Nigeria Guinea Pig Rescue. Welcome back to the article. This article will help you identify which official guinea pig breeds your pets are closest to.
Guinea pigs are very diverse. They’ve been pets for a long time, and people have bred them for different traits, which makes them attractive pets. I knew a bit about guinea pig breeds before, but I was surprised to learn that there are 51 official breeds accepted by the British Cavie Council. Often, these breeds are just different combinations of hair types and colors. A simpler way to understand guinea pig breeds is to look at their hair colors and then the different hair types or hairstyles.
Most pet guinea pigs aren’t purebreds, but that doesn’t mean this information isn’t relevant. Your pets might have traits from different breeds, which is really cool. When I was creating this article, I asked for photos of guinea pigs, and I was amazed by the huge response. Most of the beautiful piggy photos in this article are real pets. Thank to everyone who sent in photos!
Let’s start by looking at hair types. First, we have short-haired guinea pigs. There are three types in this category. Self piggies are all one color, and if you’re going for a pedigree, they can’t have a single hair of a different color. There are around 15 different color types that self guinea pigs can be.
Next is the American short-haired piggy, which is another common breed. They can be all one color or have color combinations, maybe two or three different colors in their coat. Thirdly, we have crested guinea pigs. I’ve included them with short-haired piggies because you often see this feature in short-haired pigs, especially from pet shops. Crested guinea pigs have a rosette or crest on top of their head between the ears, giving them a funny wig-like appearance. In American crested guinea pigs, the crest hair is a different color from the rest of the body, while in English crested pigs, the crest hair is the same color.
Long-haired piggies and rough-haired piggies can also have crests, whether they are purebreds or mixed breeds. Next, we have rough-haired guinea pigs, which include Abyssinians, teddies, rexes, Swiss piggies, and ridgeback pigs.
Abyssinian piggies are identified by multiple rosettes along their bodies, giving them a spiky, funky hairstyle that many people love. To be a pedigree Abyssinian, the rosettes and ridges between them need to be perfectly spaced. Most pet shop piggies won’t meet this standard, but if your piggy has rosettes, it indicates they have Abyssinian genes. In my own pigs, I can see that Willow, Phoebe, and Roxy all have Abyssinian genes, as they feature rosettes along their bodies.
Next is a group that includes the rex, teddy, and Swiss breeds, all of which have a dense, fuzzy, and bouncy coat. Teddies and rexes have short hair, while Swiss piggies have medium-length hair. It’s common to find mixed breeds with some rex or teddy genes. Look for coarse hair that stands on end. These piggies are super cute. Lastly, we have ridgeback piggies, which are an emerging breed with fewer rosettes than a full Abyssinian. If you have a piggy that isn’t quite a full Abyssinian and has a ridge hairstyle, they might resemble a ridgeback piggy.
Next, let’s look at long-haired piggies, which have a lot of variation in hair types. First, we have shelties and coronets. Shelties, also known as silky guinea pigs, are long-haired piggies with no rosettes, and their hair sweeps back from the face. Coronets are similar but have a cute crest on top of their heads.
Next are Texel and Merino piggies. Like shelties, they have hair that sweeps back from the face, but the rest of the coat is long, coarser, and curly. The difference between Texels and Merinos is the crest on their heads.
The Peruvian is another traditional long-haired breed. Unlike shelties and Texels, Peruvians have a couple of rosettes that send the hair forward and over the face. Peruvian hair is one of the longest of all guinea pig breeds, reaching up to 50 centimeters in length. If you keep a purebred Peruvian or other long-haired piggies as pets, you’ll want to trim their hair to keep it manageable and clean.
Moving on to newer long-haired breeds, we have the Luncaya piggy. These are similar to Peruvians but have curly hair that forms ringlets, making it hard to see any rosettes. My piggy Lyra is a purebred Luncaya. She was sold as a pet because her coat wasn’t show quality, and I’m so glad I picked her up.
Another newer breed is the alpaca guinea pig, which is between a Texel and a Peruvian. They have a couple of rosettes, but their hair is coarse, fuzzy, and curly. Lastly, we have the Sheba mini yak guinea pig, which is recognized as a breed in Australia. These are a cross between an Abyssinian and a Peruvian, featuring multiple rosettes and long smooth hair. Their hair goes in various directions and doesn’t get as long as a purebred Peruvian.
Now let’s look at hairless guinea pigs, which include skinny pigs and Baldwin pigs. They are almost hairless but may have some hair on their noses and paws. The main difference is that Baldwin pigs are born with a full coat of hair that falls out after about two months, while skinny pigs are born almost hairless and stay that way. Both types need extra care to keep them warm and help regulate their body temperature.
Next, let’s discuss hair colors. Guinea pigs can be all one color, bicolored, or tricolored. While some breeds, like self piggies, must be all one color, most breeds can have different color combinations. The colors and patterns often define a breed. Plain self colors include white, black, cream, golden, red, chocolate, beige, lilac, saffron, buff, and blue.
Bicolors are a mix of two colors. One recognizable breed is the Dutch guinea pig, which has white paired with another color, such as brown, with brown patches on either side of the face and a white stripe down the middle. Other bicolor patterns include tortoiseshell, dalmatian, harlequin, magpie, roan, and Himalayan piggies, which are white with black or chocolate on their ears, nose, and paws.
Tricolored piggies are tortoiseshell and white guinea pigs. Interestingly, guinea pigs can’t have two colors from the same color group. The color groups are black, red, and white. Black includes browns and darker shades, red includes ginger and lighter browns, and white is just white. A tricolored piggy has one color from each group.
You might also see agouti guinea pigs, which have amazing coloring. Each hair changes color and is ticked with a different shade at the end. Common agoutis include silver and golden, but there are also chocolate, cinnamon, and lemon. Agouti hair can occur with plain hair in bicolored and tricolored piggies.
Another variation is the satin hair type, which can apply to many breeds. Guinea pigs with satin coats have hollow hair fibers, making their hair reflective and shiny. Satin coats are not usually seen in pet guinea pigs, and the genes for this coat type have been linked to health problems. In some countries, satin guinea pigs are no longer recognized as an official breed to protect their welfare.
That’s all about the different hairstyles and color combinations. I hope you found it interesting! If this helped you identify the breed characteristics of your guinea pigs, please leave a comment below.
While it’s nice to know about different guinea pig breeds and recognize their features, don’t let this be the main factor in deciding where to get your guinea pigs or what type to choose. Whether your guinea pigs are purebreds or mixed breeds, their personality is what truly matters as an owner, not just their appearance.
That’s all for this article. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. If you made it to the end, please leave a little hamster face in the comments so I know you got this far. That’s everything for today, and we will see you in the next article. Bye-bye!
