Guinea Pigs - Rodents with Attitude

A Texel sow called Kiwi, thanks to forum member Sarah

Welcome to my encyclopaedia of guinea pig breeds. As you have probably already noticed by opening this page, there are lots and lots of different breeds and it can get a bit complicated. I have done my best with some kind photographic donations to explain some of the breed types.

Abyssinian	Alpaca	Coronet
Crested	Peruvian	Rex
Satin	Sheltie	Skinny
Smooth	Swiss	Teddy
Texel

The Abyssinian

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Medium
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! Clip nails once a month.

Abyssinian is pronounced "ab-sin-ee-an". The Abyssinian, also commonly known as the "rosetta" or "rosetted" guinea pig, has very distinctive hair growth in the shape of many rosettes covering the body. This gives the fur a spikey appearance. Many people believe Abyssinians to be prone to cataracts. Your pet can live quite happily and undisturbed with cataracts and this does not cause any discomfort.

The Alpaca

Hair care level	High
Hair length	Long
Care Tips	The fur is thick so brush every day. Bath once/twice a month. The Alpaca can be prone to dry skin so avoid over-bathing. Clip nails once a month. If the guinea pig is not to be shown in competitions, trim the hair once or twice a month.

Alpaca is pronounced "al-pack-a". It is also known by the name Boucle which is pronounced "boo-clay".

The Alpaca is often confused with the Texel. Alpacas are coarse haired Peruvians while the Texel is a coarse haired Sheltie, giving both breeds a slightly different appearance to the way the hair grows. When Alpacas are young they have two rosettes in the rump coat which pushes the coat forward like that of the Peruvian. As the Alpaca matures the hair falls from side to side along a centre parting.

Some owners have found Alpacas to be prone to dry skin and lice. Although this is probably not a problem for many Alpacas, regular checks can be done to check for lice in the fur or signs of scratching.

The Crested

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Short
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! Clip nails once a month.

The Crested guinea pig is not a particularly large breed, and has short hair with a single crest on the head. There are a few types of Crested guinea pig, the English Crested, American Crested and the Marked Crested varieties being the most common:

English Crested
The guinea pig is one solid colour.

American Crested
The guinea pig is one solid colour and the crest is white.

Marked Crested
Bi-Colour, Brindle, Dutch, Tortoiseshell, Tri-Colour, Tortoiseshell and White.

Himalayan Crested
The body and crest are white or off-white. The feet, nose and ears are either black or chocolate and the eyes are pink.

AOV (any other variety) Crested
Magpie, Belted, Harlequin, solid Agouti.

The Coronet

Hair care level	Normal/High
Hair length	Long
Care Tips	Brush the fur every two days. Bath once/twice a month. Clip nails once a month. If the guinea pig is not to be shown in competitions, trim the hair once a month.

The Coronet guinea pig is essentially a long haired Crested guinea pig. These pigs have a single rosette on their heads and long hair covering the body. The hair falls backwards from the head down over the body toward the rump with a centre parting.

Coronets have short hair after birth which grows at a rate of around half an inch each month. By the age of four months the hair should be almost touching the ground.

The Peruvian

Hair care level	Normal/High
Hair length	Long
Care Tips	Brush the fur every two days. Bath once/twice a month. Clip nails once a month. If the guinea pig is not to be shown in competitions, trim the hair once a month.

The hair on a Peruvian guinea pig will grow until it reaches the floor. They require a lot of grooming and Peruvians may not be the ideal pet for a child or someone who wishes to keep maintenance levels low. Especially as the hair can grow up to a foot in length!

When they are born Peruvians have short hair and the hair should grow at a rate of around half an inch each month until the coat has reached adult length. From two weeks onwards you should be able to tell if the pup is going to have long hair. At around the age of four months the coat should be almost brushing the ground. The hair will also begin to fall into the classic forward-falling Peruvian growth pattern.

The Rex

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Short
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! Clip nails once a month.

The Rex is one of the largest breeds of guinea pig and is noted for its cuddly and affable nature. The fur is coarse and wire-like and the whiskers are crinkly. The Rex breed is often confused with the Teddy breed as they look very similar with their plush fur type. There are methods of telling them apart however; the Rex will have crinkly whiskers while the Teddy has whiskers that are longer and straighter, and the fur on a Rex is far more coarse to the touch than that of the Teddy.

The Satin

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Short
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! Clip nails once a month.

Satin guinea pigs have amazingly shiny coats because the hairs in the coat are are hollow. The beautiful shiny Satin coat may be bred into other breeds of both long and short haired varieties, although in the United Kingdom the Satin breed appears to be characterised as a shorthaired variety.

Some Satin guinea pigs may suffer from a very serious condition known as Osteodystrophy. This is a disease of the bone where calcium is deficient, causing bone to solidify and break. If caught early enough, a vet may be able to ease the pain and reduce the speed of advancement, and an x-ray may determine if your pet is suffering from the disease.

Symptoms include:

Faulty movement of the limbs and "bunny hopping"

Brittle teeth prone to breaking

Thickening of the jaw bone

Weight loss

Difficulty picking up and chewing dry mix

Obvious visual and verbal discomfort and pain

The Sheltie

Hair care level	Normal/High
Hair length	Long
Care Tips	Brush the fur every two days. Bath once/twice a month. Clip nails once a month. If the guinea pig is not to be shown in competitions, trim the hair once a month.

The Sheltie is known as the "Silkie" in the USA. The hair falls backwards from the head down over the body toward the rump with a centre parting.

The Skinny

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	None/Short
Care Tips	Please see the guide to hairless guinea pig care for information

This is a hairless breed of guinea pig. They aren't completely hairless however, as they usually have some smatterings of fur on the legs, nose and body.

The Smooth

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Short
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! Clip nails once a month.

The Smooth breed of guinea pig is by far the most common type of guinea pig you will see in pet shops, and is the classic image of what a guinea pig should look like in most people's minds. They have short hair and no crest or any other distinctive feature, other than the uniform short hair all over the body. This particular breed is also the easiest to care for in the hair department, making them an ideal choice for first time owners.

The Swiss

Hair care level	Normal/High
Hair length	Medium
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month. The Swiss can be prone to dry skin so avoid over-bathing. Clip nails once a month.

The Swiss breed comes from Switzerland and has only been introduced into the United Kingdom in recent years. The fur is coarse and sticks up from the body, growing to a length of around 6cm. It is apparently quite difficult to maintain an even coat all over the guinea pig because they can have "bad hair days" with the fur standing up in some places but not others. The Swiss suffers from some skin ailments, especially after excessive bathing, so the skin needs a bit of extra care.

The Teddy

Hair care level	Normal
Hair length	Short
Care Tips	Brush the fur weekly. Bath once a month at most, or less frequently after the guinea pig starts to smell! The Teddy can be prone to dry skin so avoid over-bathing. Clip nails once a month.

The Teddy guinea pig is bred to have the fluffy and cuddly characteristics of a teddy bear. Teddies look similar to the Rex breed, but their fur is soft and fluffy while the Rex has coarse and fuzzy fur. In the USA the Teddy is sometimes referred to as the Rex, and there is some debate over whether the Teddy and the Rex are from the same breed.

The Texel

Hair care level	Normal/High
Hair length	Medium/Long
Care Tips	The fur is thick and wavy so brush every day. Bath once/twice a month. Clip nails once a month. If the guinea pig is not to be shown in competitions, trim the hair once or twice a month.

This guinea pig has naturally long wavy fur. The Texel is genetically a Sheltie with an added Rex gene, giving the long haired Sheltie style, and coarse Rexed hairs. When they are born Texels have short wavy hair and you will be able to confirm the pup will become a longhaired variety by the age of two weeks. Once the guinea pig has matured the hair should have that scruffy permed look!