Guinea pig English Self

Selfies are short-haired guinea pig breeds and are often confused with American guinea pigs. Unscrupulous breeders sometimes even pass off plain Americans as selfies. Also, agouti guinea pigs do not belong to selfies, although these two breeds have an external resemblance. Selfies were not in vain singled out as a separate breed, we will consider their distinguishing features below.

The Selfie breed is a rather old breed, its history dates back to the XNUMXth century. It is believed that for the first time selfies were bred in England, which is reflected in the name of the breed. These animals with such a pleasant color appealed to many animal lovers, so the new breed quickly spread throughout the UK, and then beyond.

It is interesting that in the Western Hemisphere, primarily in the USA, it is believed that the Selfie breed was bred from them, therefore these pigs are called American Selfies there. When you meet the phrase “American self” somewhere, keep in mind that we are talking about an English self. Such is the confusion!

The first selfie club appeared in the UK in 1929, and is still functioning today, having received international status today! It’s called the English Self Cavy Club. It is this authoritative organization that develops exhibition standards for the Self breed.

Today, the Selfie is one of a dozen breeds of guinea pigs that have received official recognition in most countries of the world.

So, the main difference between selfies is a monophonic, uniform coat color. If in pigs of the agouti breed each hair is colored in three colors, then the hairs of selfies will be of the same even color along the entire length. The coat grows backwards, from the nose to the sacrum, and its length does not exceed 3 cm. The coat in healthy individuals is shiny, with a characteristic glossy sheen. The color of the hairs on the paws should match the color of the main coat.

Another feature of the pigs of this breed is a special physique. Selfies are real strong men! They have well developed muscles, broad shoulders, large head. In profile, the body of the English Self looks like a soft gentle hillock, gradually rising up first from the nostrils to the shoulders, then leveling off on the back to smoothly go down from the sacrum. The top view is a flat “brick”, rounded at the corners.

Selfies usually have a pronounced “Roman” nose, with a hump, in the form of an inverted “C”. The ears are large, petal-shaped, hanging down.

A specialist can usually determine the sex of a selfie by the shape of the muzzle – in males and females, the shape and size of the head often differ. The average weight of a selfie is about 1000 grams. Males are usually larger than females. Selfies reach the peak of their development (and weight) by 1,5-2 years.

In terms of care, selfies are very unpretentious animals. Such a guinea pig is perfect as a first pet for both beginner breeders and children.

Most importantly, when bringing a new friend into your home, take care of a large and spacious home for him, because it is in the cage that guinea pigs spend most of their lives. For information on how to choose the right home for your pig, read the article “Cage for a guinea pig”

In addition to a spacious house, the pig will need three meals a day. The main diet of these animals is vegetables, fruits, fresh grass or hay and special pellets that can be bought at the pet store. For information on how to feed guinea pigs, see the Nutrition section.

Selfies are very active guinea pigs, especially at a young age. They need a lot of room to move. A spacious cage is a basic need, but even it cannot fully satisfy the selfie’s need for movement. Therefore, if possible, guinea pigs should be allowed to run around the room at least once a day. In the warm season, they are happy to run on the grass, and at the same time have lunch.

Among the English selfies in England, several more subspecies are distinguished depending on the color of the eyes, the color of the ears and the color of the pads on the paws.

The following are the show standard requirements for the various Selfie colors adopted by the English Selfie Breeding Society:

• beige Self (Self Beige). The coat is beige, of medium saturation, the eyes are dark ruby, the ears and pads on the paws are pink or beige;
• black Self (Self Black). In such a pig, everything should be black – eyes, ears, paw pads and wool;
• self buff color, buffalo (Self Buff). Buffalo color with no hint of lemon or apricot. Petal-shaped ears hanging down, eyes as dark as possible (ruby), ears and pads buff or pink;
• chocolate self (Self Chocolate). The coat should have a rich dark brown color. The eyes are dark with a reddish tint, the ears and paw pads are dark brown;
• cream selfie with dark eyes (Self Dark Eyed Cream). The coat is of a delicate creamy hue, similar to condensed milk, without a yellow or lemon hue. The eyes are dark with a ruby ​​tint, the ears and paw pads are pink;
• cream selfie with red eyes (Self Pink Eyed Cream). The coat is of a delicate cream shade, without a yellow or lemon shade. The eyes are dark ruby, the ears and paw pads are pink;
• golden selfie with dark eyes (Self Dark Eyed Golden). Bright golden color, no red or yellow tint, dark eyes, possibly with a hint of ruby. Ears and paw pads are golden or pink;
• golden selfie with red eyes (Self Pink Eyed Golden). Bright golden color, no red or yellow tint, dark ruby ​​eyes. Ears and paw pads are golden or pink;
• lilac Self (Self Lilac). The coat is a muted smoky gray without beige blotches, the eyes are dark ruby, the ears and paw pads are pink or lilac;
• red selfie (Self Red). Intense dark red coat color, eyes, paw pads and ears are dark;
• saffron self (Self Saffron). The coat is a delicate sandy shade, the eyes are pink, the ears and pads on the paws are pink. Saffron selfies are very similar to buff (buffalo) selfies, the difference is only in the color of the eyes. Buffs have dark eyes, while Saffron Selfies have pink eyes!
• white selfie with dark eyes (Self Dark Eyed White). The coat is snow-white, the eyes are dark with a hint of ruby. Ears and paw pads are pink;
• white selfie with red eyes (Self Pink Eyed White). The coat is snow-white, eyes with a hint of ruby. Ears and paw pads are pink.

The classic representatives of the breed are chocolate selfies. They are distinguished in a special way, as they perfectly convey the color to the offspring.