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Breeds of Guinea Pigs
There are many breeds of guinea pigs, there are purebred guinea pigs, and crossbred as well. Purebred guinea pigs are guinea pigs who's parents and grandparents are all the same breeds. Purebreds are the most expensive guinea pigs to buy, and are often for show. Crossbred guinea pigs are guinea pigs who are mixed, their parents and grandparents are different breeds. The biggest difference in breeds is the hair length, different breeds have longer or shorter hair.
The American breed is most commonly available guinea pig. It is usually what people think of when they think of guinea pigs. It has very short hair, and grooming is as simple as rubbing its hair from its head to its rump with your hand.
Abyssinian
The Abyssinian guinea pig is not as common as the American guinea pig. An Abyssinian's coat grow in swirls called rosettes, on a good show Abyssinian guinea pig, there must be two shoulder rosettes, four saddle rosettes, two hip rosettes, and two shoulder rosettes.
Peruvian
Peruvian guinea pigs are famous for their long hair, sometimes growing up to 20 inches (approx. 50 centimeters) long! Peruvian guinea pigs are the hardest to care for, as they need a lot of cleaning and grooming. They should be brushed at least once a day.
Silkie or Sheltie
The Silkie is also known as the Sheltie, and has a very silky long coat. In contrast to the Peruvian, the Silkie's soft coat does not naturally part along the back, and grows backwards from the head. A Silkie has long hair that flows back over its body and never forward over the face (as in the Peruvian). When viewed from above it forms a teardrop shape and should never have a central part. In contrast to the Peruvian, where the coat is desired to fall in an even curtain all around the body, the Sheltie is generally accepted to have a somewhat longer sweep of hair in the rear.
Crested
A crested guinea pig is much like the American guinea pig breed, but it has a single rosette on its forehead. The grooming for a Crested guinea pig is much like the American guinea pig, you can rub the hair from its shoulder to its rump. A little more care is also needed for the single rosette.
Teddy
A Teddy guinea pig has a very dense and fuzzy coat, all of its hair stands up. This breed resembles a toy more than any other breeds. A Teddy guinea pig has a fuzzy appearance, and young Teddies can sometimes look similar to the Rex guinea pig.
Rex
Rex guinea pigs have short, fuzzy hair that stand up all over its boxy; the hair are no more than 1 to 2 inches in length. Teddy and Rex guinea pigs look similar, but the two breeds are distinct. Crossbreading a Rex with a Teddy guinea pig will most likely give you an American guinea pig, rather than a Teddy or Rex guinea pig.
Texel
Texel guinea pigs are much like a Sikie/Sheltie guinea pig, but with curls in its hair. A Texel guinea pig's hair must be taken care of by brushing the hair lightly everyday, and the curls should ideally be tightly wound corkscrew curls and should cover the entire body, including the stomach. At first, grooming a Texel guinea pig can be frustrating, but as the guinea pig is groomed more and more, it will become happier and more comfortable.
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