By Chris Short
The question of pedigree is a hard one to answer. Just as with domestic cats and dogs, there are a lot of different breeds of guinea pigs, but not all are recognized by governing organizations. In North America, the American Cavy Breeders Association holds power, while the UK has its British Cavy Council. There are a few more such bodies, but to the ordinary pet keeper those things do not particularly matter. What most people want to know when asking about guinea pig breeds are the different descriptions and aesthetic characteristics.
There are about a dozen or so named breeds. Because many of these breeds have "ideal" characteristics in contrast to the natural variability of actual characteristics, confusion may arise. For the sake of argument, we will skip most of the talk on rosettes and focus on the hair length and characteristics as the main points of differentiation.
The body shapes of guinea pigs are similar across all breeds, unlike with dogs and cats where one breed can look vastly different from another. Colors can vary also, and colors are not particularly associated with most guinea pig breeds.
The first on our list is the Rex. The Rex's hair is short and fuzzy, and stands on end uniformly across its entire body.
The Teddy looks kind of like a teddy bear, due to its dense, fuzzy, erect coat. The coat is moderately long, enhancing the huggable appearance much like the stuffed toy it is named after. This breed is quite popular, especially with younger pet owners.
The Abyssinian is another common breed. Its hair varies in length across its body, standing up in clumps or ridges. This creates a messy but rather amusing appearance that lots of pet owners like.
The Peruvian is the original long-haired Cavy. The hair falls like a curtain all around, even in front of the face, and can grow longer than 20 inches (50 centimeters). Trimming and grooming are essential for the best appearance. Such additional maintenance reduces its popularity as a pet, so it is more popular as a show breed.
The Silkie or Sheltie also has long hair, except it tends to flow backward, and never falls forward onto the face like the Peruvian.
Texels are strongly similar to Silkies, except for the addition of corkscrew curls. Mild grooming is required to keep the curls from tangling.
There are a few relatively rarer breeds too, like the following:
· The Alpaca is a curly coated Peruvian. Many of these are first-generation Peruvian hybrids.
· The Crested breed has a singular rosette on the head, giving it the eponymous crest.
· Coronets are long-haired like Silkies, but with crests like the Crested.
· A Ridgeback is genetically similar to the Abyssinian, but with a more uniform coat, with the exception of a ridge of hair running down the spine.
· Abbyruvians or Sheba Mini Yaks are also quite similar to Abyssinians, but with longer hair. The hair tends to curl up and clump, giving rise to the nickname "Bad Hair Day" Cavy.
· There are also hairless guinea pig breeds, but they require a different set of care conditions, and as such are not popular as pets.
There are even more breeds, but these are the most well known ones. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled!
