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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.

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.

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

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 & 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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