Guinea pig breeds – Take A Look!

Three musketeer guinea pigsPhoto by Karlijn Prot on Unsplash

There are many breeds of guinea pigs, some people who maybe don’t know much about them, will probably not realise the different breeds that there are. Some will need a lot of time, more than others with grooming. You need to consider the extra work involved with longer haired breeds and whether you may go for shorter haired instead. Long haired will probably need bathing in a small sink, because the coat is long, it may get dirtier, as its brushing along the ground. Another point to mention is it could be harder to spot for example red patches on the skin, because of the long coat covering over. Also, they come in lots of different colours. Some of these listed below are common and others not so common, so please take a look.

 

 

Guinea Pig Poppy
Photo by Eden Kaye

Abyssinian

This is one of the most common breeds and is known to have rosette swirls over the coat. The hair is a bit thicker than a smooth haired and appears more rough looking. I compare it to someone who has just washed their hair and its sticking up from drying with a towel. But they do look very cute and are softer to stroke. Along with the crested, skinny and hairless, abyssinians have smaller eyes than all the others. Three of my four guinea pigs are abyssinians.

Guinea Pig Charlotte
Photo by Eden Kaye

American

Is another one of the popular breeds and has a short and smooth coat. Of course there won’t be as many loose hairs coming off them.

Peruvian guinea pig
Photo by stronytwoichmarzen on Pixabay

Peruvian

They are long haired and need grooming more regularly, as well as hair trimming to keep the coat in tip-top condition. The hair goes over the head and parts at the centre of the back. Also, grows up to several inches.

Sheltie

Is one of the longest haired guinea pigs, where the hair grows right back from the head and the coat is shiny. Another name that is known for this breed is silkie.

Crested

A short haired piggie but with one rosette on the top of the head. There are a couple of types, one is a white crested, where the single rosette is white and the coat is a different colour and the other is a self crested, where it is the same colour as the rest of the coat.

Teddy

Another short haired guinea pig, where the hair stands on its ends and has a fuzzy appearance, probably hence the name, as you could liken to a teddy bear.

Texel

A breed where the hair looks amazing and is extra long and curly, but needs a lot of maintaining. It is not a very common breed.

Skinny pig
                          Photo by tynuse on Pixabay

Skinny & hairless (Baldwin)

Just like other hairless animals, here we have skinny pigs and hairless or baldwin pigs as the proper term for them. Skinny pigs have very fine areas of hair, where hairless has no hair at all. Obviously they are not for everybody, you will have your preferences to a skinny/hairless or a guinea pig with hair. But they still have the same cute personality as any other guinea pig.

Coronet

Another breed that needs more time spent on grooming. It has long hair but with a single rosette on the top of the head

Merino

Longer curly haired with a single rosette swirl on the top of the head.

Alpaca

Longer and curly hair that goes over the head. You will struggle to properly see the face.

If you have any comments for me, please leave them below. Thanks for reading.

 

Source: https://www.thesprucepets.com/guinea-pig-breed-guide-1238896

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12 comments found

  1. I love the American guinea pig…wow how cute! I really didn’t know that there were that many varieties. Which variety is the easiest to get for a pet. I am assuming I would have to go to a pet store? I do remember having one several years ago for my children. They did not take care of it and I had to give it to someone that would give it attention 🙁

    Reply

    1. I would say the longer haired breeds take a lot of work and the shorter haired are easier. Yes you can go to a reputable pet store or rescue centres are great places to give a guinea pig a home. I am pleased that you gave the guinea pig to someone who would give it the attention it needs. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

  3. My business partner’s son wants to get a guinea pig and have been helping with research today and really glad i came across this post.

    I didn’t know there are so many different kinds of guinea pig breeds!  

    I think the breed that looks like a solid option is the Teddy breed as it’s like a teddy bear which i think is awesome.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hello Barry, 

      Yes its brilliant that there are so many breeds of guinea pigs. The teddy breed is cool and also would be easier to look after than the longer haired breeds, because of its short hair with grooming.

      Best wishes 

      Eden

      Reply

  4. Who knew there were this many types of guinea pigs? I sure didn’t!

    My kids never had guinea pigs as pets. I know I’ve seen them in the pet stores but I’ve only seen the one kind of guinea pig which is the first picture shown here.

    How hard or easy are they to take care of and how long do they live?My sister had animals as pets for her kids and she would know. But you learn something and I think it’s important that kids take responsibility before taking on a guinea pig as a pet.

    Reply

    1. Hello Rob, 

      You do need time to look after them, as some areas of their care take a bit longer like cleaning their homes, because you need to put plenty of hay out for them, at all times. Some parts of their care can be physically demanding depending on how many guinea pigs you have. The great thing is in the summer months they can go out in the garden and eat the grass, which will help with not having to mow as much. 

      On average guinea pigs can live from 4 to 8 years, although some past 8 years. It depends on genetics and how you care for them. They are hardy animals, but obviously they are going to have a much better chance of living longer just like any of us, with the proper care. 

      Yes it is important for kids to be able handle looking after them along with an adult, depending on how young they are. 

      Thank you for stopping by

      Regards

      Eden

      Reply

  5. Hi Eden,

    Quite interesting to learn about the different breeds of guinea pigs, I was looking for a low maintenance guinea pig and definitely think that a long hair is not for me. The Peruvian guinea pig looks like a rabbit in that photo haha. Thanks for clearing up the different breeds, I now have some more thinking to do before I get one.

    Cheers,

    Jarrin.

    Reply

    1. Hello Jarrin, 

      The Peruvian guinea pigs hair is amazing but yes a lot of work to look after in terms of grooming. 

      Regards

      Eden

      Reply

  6. Wow! I never knew that there are so many different guinea pig breeds. It feels like almost anybody can find a perfect guinea pig for them. American guinea pig looks nice and cute, and I think if I need to choose one, I will choose this one. I love animals, but I guess that this is the reason why I don’t have pets in my home because I believe that all animals need to be free. I love my freedom too much to imprison someone else. 

    Of course, we all are different and think differently. There are people who love dogs. There are people who love cats. But there are also people who love guinea pigs. 

    So what kind of guinea pig do you have?

    Thank you for sharing this information!

    Reply

    1. Hello Linda,

      It is great that there are many breeds to choose from, but I think people may opt more for the shorter hair breeds, because with longer haired it can take more time in looking after them with maintaining the hair. 

      I have three Abyssinian guinea pigs with the thicker coat, which have rosette swirls in them and then one American short hair. 

      Best Wishes

      Eden

      Reply

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