A Quick Overview of Different Guinea Pig Breeds
Someone unfamiliar with guinea pigs might actually be surprised to know that there are actually 13 different breeds that exist in the world today.
Furthermore, within each particular breed, different colors exist, so this creates quite a wide variety of looks for these cuddly little critters.
Although many different breeds exist, only a few of these are actually taken home by people as pets.
The ones that pet owners are most familiar with are the Sheltie, Peruvian, Abyssinian, and Short Hair breeds.
With the exception of the Sheltie, all of these guinea pig breeds are widely entered in various competitions.
When one thinks of a guinea pig, its usually the abyssinian breed that comes to mind, being that these are the most recognizable of the breeds.
Their coats are known for having many cowlicks, and the fur is fairly rough and coarse.
Peruvians are one of the long hair breeds, with fur growing up to 20 inches.
The long hair falls over their faces and gives them a "shaggy" look Shelties are also a long hair breed, but instead of their hair falling forward, it naturally flows to the back, so they look a little sleeker and more clean cut than their shaggy peruvian counterparts.
In contrast to the long hair breeds, the "Rex" breeds have short hair that sticks straight up on all parts of their bodies.
This variety of guinea pigs are known as "Rex" because they exhibit the Rex gene, which was in fact responsible for producing other breeds including the Albaca, Texel, and Merino.
A couple other short haired breeds are the American and English guinea pig.
Besides being short, the hair on these animals is also smooth and straight, with wide noses.
These two are considered by many to be the most popular breeds.
Furthermore, within each particular breed, different colors exist, so this creates quite a wide variety of looks for these cuddly little critters.
Although many different breeds exist, only a few of these are actually taken home by people as pets.
The ones that pet owners are most familiar with are the Sheltie, Peruvian, Abyssinian, and Short Hair breeds.
With the exception of the Sheltie, all of these guinea pig breeds are widely entered in various competitions.
When one thinks of a guinea pig, its usually the abyssinian breed that comes to mind, being that these are the most recognizable of the breeds.
Their coats are known for having many cowlicks, and the fur is fairly rough and coarse.
Peruvians are one of the long hair breeds, with fur growing up to 20 inches.
The long hair falls over their faces and gives them a "shaggy" look Shelties are also a long hair breed, but instead of their hair falling forward, it naturally flows to the back, so they look a little sleeker and more clean cut than their shaggy peruvian counterparts.
In contrast to the long hair breeds, the "Rex" breeds have short hair that sticks straight up on all parts of their bodies.
This variety of guinea pigs are known as "Rex" because they exhibit the Rex gene, which was in fact responsible for producing other breeds including the Albaca, Texel, and Merino.
A couple other short haired breeds are the American and English guinea pig.
Besides being short, the hair on these animals is also smooth and straight, with wide noses.
These two are considered by many to be the most popular breeds.
