Breeds of guinea pigs with photos and names 

Bald and with a luxurious long coat, smooth-haired and with perky curls, the breeds of guinea pigs are so diverse that one can only admire the unique and original appearance of these rodents.

Varieties of guinea pigs: breed classification

Most domestic guinea pigs have been artificially bred and are not found in the wild.

Breeders have done a great selection work, as a result of which new types of guinea pigs have appeared, differing in the type and structure of wool and the versatility of colors.

How to determine the breed of a guinea pig, and what are the external characteristics inherent in each of them?

Furry animals are divided into four main categories:

• Longhair. Includes rodents with a long luxurious fur coat, including representatives with curly hair;
• Short-haired or smooth-haired. Combines all types of animals with short fur;
• Wirehaired. The group includes several varieties of pigs, which are characterized by dense hard wool, as well as the presence of rosettes;
• Bald or hairless. This type includes animals that are completely devoid of wool.

As for the smallest or dwarf guinea pigs, there is no such variety.

Longhair

Long-haired guinea pigs are rightfully considered the most beautiful among their compatriots and it is hard to resist their charm. Even in the pictures, these animals delight with their luxurious silky fur, and look more like soft fluffy toys than living creatures.

Peruvian (Angora)

Of all the long-haired breeds, it is the Angoras that are the owners of the longest wool, which can reach a length of up to 50 centimeters. With fine, straight coats and playful bangs that fall over the forehead, these animals resemble decorative lapdogs or miniature Yorkshire terriers.

The fur of the animals grows towards the head, and on the back forms a parting and falls on both sides of the body in even silky strands.

Sheltie

Representatives of this breed are similar to Peruvian pigs, they also have long and straight hair. But unlike the Peruvians, the Sheltie does not have a parting along the spine, and their fur grows in the direction from the head. The coat of the animals is soft, smooth and silky and looks like it was neatly combed back.

Coronet

Another representatives with long hair – coronets, appeared as a result of crossing shelties and cresteds. The animals have a soft luxurious coat, falling in straight strands along the body and a fluffy tuft on the top of the head.

Important: long-haired pigs require more care than their counterparts with short fur. In order for the coat of rodents to have an attractive well-groomed appearance, pets are regularly combed and trimmed if necessary.

long haired curly

Curly rodents look elegant and attractive and it seems as if they have just left the beauty salon.

Texel

These animals, perhaps, have the most memorable appearance, because it is simply impossible to take your eyes off the pig with flirtatious curls. The Texel breed was bred by crossing the Royal Rex and the long-haired Sheltie.

The whole body of rodents is covered with long soft curls that any fashionista can envy. Only on the muzzle of animals the hair is short and straight. As for the color, the texel fur coat can be of any shade, both a single color and a combination of several tones.

Merino

Merino is another type of pig with long curly hair. These beautiful animals came from crossing coronets and texels.

And the animals got the name merino because of their amazing luxurious fur coat, reminiscent of the fur of elite merino sheep. The coat of representatives of this breed is thick and silky, with long curly strands. On the head of the merino, like their progenitors coronets, there is a fluffy pom-pom-tuft.

Alpaca

The most shaggy pets, included in the top three breeds of guinea pigs with curly hair, are alpacas. The entire body of rodents, including the upper part of the head, is covered with long small curls. But unlike merino and texels, the wool of these amazing animals has a more rigid structure.

The color of alpacas is predominantly monophonic, two-color individuals among this breed are considered a rarity.

Shorthair

Animals with short, smooth fur are popular with both breeders and ordinary fans of guinea pigs. These rodents are unpretentious and do not require special care, therefore they are suitable for keeping even beginners.

Self

One of the very first breeds of guinea pigs, which began to be bred as pets. The founders of the breed were breeders from Britain, thanks to which the rodents are called English selfies.

A feature of selfies is their uniform monochromatic color. The color palette of animals is very diverse and ranges from white, cream, sand shades, to blue, black, red and chocolate tones.

Crested (crested)

It is impossible to confuse Cresteds with another breed of guinea pigs! After all, these rodents have a characteristic distinctive feature – a crest on the head in the form of a crown.

Cresteds come in two varieties: American and English.

In American cresteds, regardless of their main color, the crest is always snow-white, which clearly stands out against the background of the main color of the fur.

But in the English Crested, the color of the tuft matches the color of the main color and is not as noticeable as in the Americans.

Satin Smooth

Satin guinea pigs are a subset of the Shorthaired Selfies and not a separate breed. And these animals differ from their counterparts only in a special type of woolen cover.

Satins have unusually soft and shiny fur with a silky texture, which is why the animals are also called satin pigs. Rodents look especially beautiful and impressive in bright light or in direct sunlight. After all, then their hair shimmers with a mother-of-pearl luster, creating the impression that the animals were covered with pearl or gold dust.

The colors of satin pigs are varied, ranging from light yellow and red tones to dark shades, such as black and chocolate. The rarest and most valuable are satins with gold, buffalo and lilac colors.

Bald

This is a decorative, artificially bred breed of guinea pigs, which is characterized by the absence of wool. These animals have a very original and exotic appearance: a rounded body, a blunt, square-shaped muzzle and bare, sometimes folded skin, which makes them look like funny mini-hippos.

There are two types of hairless pigs: skinny and baldwin. And although both breeds have similar external characteristics, each of them has its own history of origin, and their development took place independently of each other.

Skinny

Skinny has a strong, muscular body and smooth, velvety skin, covered with soft, short down. On the muzzle and paws there are hard, slightly curly tufts of wool.

Any skin color is allowed: chocolate, black, white and bluish-silver. Among breeders, hairless animals with pale pink skin color are considered the most valuable specimens.

Baldwin

Baldwins differ from Skinnies not only in their more graceful and fragile physique, but also in the complete absence of wool. The skin of animals is dense and feels like tight rubber to the touch. Interestingly, newborn Baldwins are no different from ordinary guinea pigs, as they are born with short hair. But already after the first month of life, the cubs begin to go bald, and by the age of two months their skin becomes completely bare.

Important: hairless guinea pigs are still not very common, since their breeding is a rather complicated and time-consuming process. For this reason, hairless rodents are the most expensive, and the price for one individual ranges from 80 to 120 dollars.

Wirehaired

Representatives of wire-haired rodents are classified as a special variety due to the harsh structure of their coat. The fur of such guinea pigs is not smooth and soft, but rather coarse and bristles in different directions.

Abyssinian

One of the oldest breeds of guinea pigs, which are considered unique and one of a kind. After all, the Abyssinians have one distinctive feature: their body along the entire length (except for the tummy) is covered with peculiar funnels or, as they are also called, rosettes. The sockets are arranged symmetrically, and their number varies between 8-10 pieces.

There are also Abyssinians with “double rosettes”, when instead of one funnel two small ones are formed. Animals whose entire body is covered with small rosettes have a very unusual and original appearance.

american teddy

Another representative of wire-haired pigs, the American Teddy, also looks interesting. The animals have short, curly hair that stands on end, making them look like little teddy bears.

These rodents are also considered one of the largest guinea pigs, because the average weight of adults is 1-1,2 kilograms.

Rex (royal)

Short-haired Rex have a hard, thick and dense fur coat. Short, slightly curly hairs stick out in all directions and give the animals a resemblance to prickly hedgehogs.

By the way, of all breeds of guinea pigs, Rex are the smartest, they are quickly tamed, highly trainable and able to perform funny tricks on command.

rare breeds

In addition to ordinary guinea pigs familiar to most people, there are breeds with a non-standard appearance that look very exotic and original.

Qui

These are real giants in the kingdom of guinea pigs. Adult kui can reach a length of up to 50 centimeters, and the largest pigs weigh from 1,5 to 4 kilograms.

In their homeland, Peru, these animals serve as a source of meat, where they are grown on special farms. And although some hobbyists keep furry giants as pets, kui are not the best pets, as they are quite aggressive and often bite their owners. In addition, the life expectancy of kui is much shorter than their small counterparts, and on average they live no more than 3 years.

swiss teddy

These rodents are considered the most fluffy among their short-haired tribesmen. The main feature of the Swiss teddy is their “corrugated” wool. Fluffy and curly animals look like a soft fur ball, and some owners compare their pets with dandelions.

Ridgeback

Very interesting representatives of short-haired pigs, in which a woolen comb is located along the spine, giving the rodents a somewhat aggressive and angry look.

At the moment, Ridgebacks remain small and rare representatives of guinea pigs that have not received official registration as a separate breed.

Himalayan

Animals of the Himalayan breed have a specific and original appearance. In fact, they are albinos, in which pigmentation is present in certain parts of the body, in this case black or dark gray.

The fur of animals is completely white, and the ears, the tips of the paws and the area around the nose are painted with a dark tint.

Like Ridgebacks, Himalayans are not yet recognized as a separate breed, and breeding work to consolidate their standards is still underway.

Tortoiseshell with white (cakes)

A rare and very valuable guinea pig among breeders, on the body of which black, red and white spots alternate in a certain way.

Unlike the usual tri-color “turtles”, the tortoiseshell with white on the back has an interesting checkerboard pattern formed by even colored squares. Because of this three-layer effect, the animals are affectionately called “cakes”.

Lunkaria

Relatively new breed, not yet widely used. Lunkaria have a long luxurious fur coat, and each strand is curled into a tight, slightly harsh curl. And, if in the rest of the curly pigs, the hair straightens out when combing and becomes just fluffy, in the lunaria, after such a procedure, the strands again fold into a tight curl.

Kerley

These beautiful animals are similar to curly lunaria, as they also have tight, hard curls. The only difference between the two is that the Curly has a shorter coat. Pedigree individuals have dense curly fur, the hair on the stomach is also curled into curls, and sideburns are always present on the cheeks.

Mini-how

One of the most recently bred and rarest breeds. These delightful animals combine the features of three breeds: the long hair of the Peruvians, the rosettes characteristic of the Abyssinian pigs and the hard, slightly curly fur of the Rex.

The mini-yak has long strands sticking out in different directions due to the vortexes that form, and the bangs fall over the eyes or sideways, so the rodent looks a bit like a disheveled parrot.

Somalia

A new and very rare breed that is just waiting for official recognition. Somalis look like Abyssinians, as they have rosettes on their bodies, but at the same time, the structure of their coat resembles the curly fur of royal rexes.

All types of guinea pigs are so different, but they have one thing in common: they are extremely trusting, affectionate and gentle pets. And it doesn’t matter at all how long or structured the coat of a cute rodent is, because in any case, a small animal needs love, care and attention.