What breeds of guinea pigs? Meet the 22 races!

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 2 August 2021
Update Date: 20 September 2024
Anonim
Guinea Pig Breeds Explained! Which Breed Are Your Guinea Pigs?
Video: Guinea Pig Breeds Explained! Which Breed Are Your Guinea Pigs?

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When in a wild guinea pig, there is only one breed of piglet, of a single color (grey). However, domestic guinea pigs have been bred over thousands of years and there are different breeds, colors and types of fur.

There are even some official associations that promote the different breeds of this species, such as the ACBA (American Cavy Breeders Association) in the United States and the CAPI (Clube of Friends of the Indian Pigs) in Portugal.

Are you curious to know the different guinea pigs that exist and what breeds of guinea pigs are? In this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain all breeds of guinea pigs which exist and what are their characteristics. Keep reading!


wild guinea pig

Before we talk about the different breeds of domestic guinea pigs, it is important that you know the ancestor of all of them, the wild guinea pig (cavia aperea tschudii). Unlike the domestic guinea pig, this guinea pig has exclusively nocturnal habits. His body is elongated just like his nose, unlike the domestic guinea pig which has a much rounder nose. His color is always Grey, while domestic guinea pigs are found with numerous colors.

Different breeds of domestic guinea pigs

There are different breeds of guinea pigs that can be arranged according to the type of fur: short fur, long fur and no fur.


Short-haired guinea pig breeds:

  • Abyssinian;
  • Crowned English;
  • American Crowned;
  • Curly;
  • Short hair (English);
  • Short-haired Peruvian;
  • Rex;
  • Somali;
  • Ridgeback;
  • American Teddy;
  • Swiss Teddy.

Longhaired guinea pig breeds:

  • Alpaca;
  • Angora;
  • Coronet;
  • Lunkarya;
  • Merino;
  • Mohair;
  • Peruvian;
  • Sheltie;
  • Texel.

Hairless Guinea Pig Breeds:

  • Baldwin;
  • Skinny.

Next we'll tell you a little bit about some of the most popular breeds so you can quickly identify the breed of your guinea pig.

Abyssinian guinea pig breed

The Abyssinian guinea pig is a short-haired breed known for its rough fur. their fur has several whirlpools, which gives them that very funny disheveled look. When they are young the fur is silky and as they become adults the fur becomes coarse.


Guinea pig breed English Crowned and American Crowned

The crowned English has a crown, as the name implies, in the head. There are two different ones, the English crown and the American crown. The only difference between them is that the American crown has a white crown while the English crown has the same color crown as the rest of the body.

Short-haired guinea pig (English)

The short-haired English guinea pig is the most common race and more commercialized. There are several colors and patterns of this breed's piglets. Their fur is silky and short and has no eddies.

Peruvian guinea pig

There are two guinea pigs of the Peruvian breed, the long-haired and the short-haired. Shorthair is not officially recognized by most guinea pig associations.

The Peruvian breed was the first of all long-haired guinea pig breeds. The fur of these animals can be so long that it is impossible to distinguish the pig's head from the back. If you have a pig of this breed as a pet, the ideal is to trim the hair in the front to facilitate cleaning. The pigs of this breed that participate in beauty contests may have 50cm of fur!

Guinea Pig Rex

Rex guinea pigs have a very dense and frizzy hair. This breed from England is very similar to the American Teddy breed.

Somali Guinea Pig

The Somali breed was bred in Australia and is the result of a cross between the Rex and Abissínio breed. This breed is also not officially recognized by most associations.

Ridgeback Guinea Pig Breed

The Rigdeback breed pigs are one of the most coveted pigs for their particular crest on the back. In terms of genetics they are close to the Abyssinian race.

American teddy guinea pig breed

As we have already mentioned, the American Teddy guinea pig is very similar to the Rex. Since the American Teddy are originally from America, as the name indicates, while the Rex is originally from England. The coat of these little pigs is short and rough.

guinea pig breed swiss teddy

A breed originating in Switzerland, as the name implies. These little pigs have a short, coarse fur, no eddies. These little pigs are a little bigger than other races, reaching up to 1,400 kg.

Alpaca guinea pig breed

Alpaca guinea pigs arose from crosses between Peruvians and other breeds. Basically they are identical to the Peruvians but with the curly hair.

Angora guinea pig breed

The Angora guinea pig breed is not recognized by most associations. Apparently, these little pigs look like a cross between the Peruvian and Abyssinian breed. The fur of these little pigs is short on the belly, head and feet and long back. It has a eddy on the back, which makes them look very funny.

Coronet guinea pig breed

The Coronet guinea pig has beautiful long hair and a crown on the head. This breed arose from the cross between the Crowned and the Shelties. Due to the length of the fur, it is important that you regularly brush the piglet and trim the ends whenever necessary.

Lunkarya Guinea Pig and Curly Guinea Pig

The Lunkarya guinea pig is very similar to Texel. You his hair is long and curly.

Curly guinea pig

It's a short-haired variation of the Lunkarya breed, which we'll talk about later. This breed is not yet officially recognized by the guinea pig associations.

Merino guinea pig breed

The Merino breed emerged from the cross between Texel and Coronet. the hairs are long and frizzy and the piggies have a crown in the head.

Mohair guinea pig breed

We've already talked to you about the Angora breed. This little pig, the Mohair, is basically a curly-haired Angora. It emerged from the cross between an Angora and a Texel.

Guinea Pig Sheltie Breed

It is a longhaired guinea pig, similar to the Peruvian. The main difference is that the Sheltie guinea pig there is no long hair on the face.

texel breed guinea pig

The texel guinea pig is very similar to the sheltie but has frizzy fur, no waves.

Skinny and Baldwin Guinea Pig

Skinny and Baldwin guinea pigs, practically have no hair. Skinny may have some areas of hair (nose, feet, head), while Baldwin have no hair on any part of the body.