Domestic coffee – because this is the proper name of the guinea pig, it has been our pet for many years. We often keep it in apartments, due to the low requirements, as well as the ease of breeding certain varieties. The first people to domesticate the rodent from the caviaceae family were the Indians living in South America. Currently, we can distinguish many guinea pigs, differing from each other in type, mainly in the length and form of their coat. Basically, there are 3 main groups: smooth-haired, hairless, and long-haired.
Hairless pigs
Skinny
It is a breed bred artificially in laboratory conditions. A characteristic feature of this coffee is an almost complete lack of hair. It occurs only in the area of the limbs, genitals, as well as the face. The mammal’s skin is velvety to the touch and at the same time extremely sensitive. As a result, he is easily injured.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Short-haired pigs
Short-haired coffees are still the most popular among breeders. The main breeds include: American, Abyssinian, Crested, American Crested, Kurzhaarer Peruaner, Somali, Curly, Ridgeback, Crested Ridgeback, Rex and Teddy.
Amercian
This cavia is the most widespread breed in Europe. It arrived on our continent as early as the fifteenth century. A characteristic feature in this case is short, smooth fur, as well as a round nose. The coat is thick and fits perfectly to the body.
Source: cavyhouse.org
Abyssinian pig
Rosette pigs are very popular among breeders due to their very specific coat arrangement. In certain places on the torso, as well as the head, the fur decomposes, forming rosettes of various sizes. Their number in the case of purebredly pure mammals should be at least 8. The coat sticks out from the body, and to the touch you can notice that the hair is quite stiff and coarse.
Source: pinterest.com
Crested
This breed, most often monochromatic, bears the typical features of a smooth-haired American. However, in this case, there is one rosette on the head. The rest of the fur fits smoothly to the body and it is quite short. A specific rosette on the animal’s head, also called a crown, should have a clearly visible center
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American Crested
In the case of the American Crested breed, we are dealing with specific requirements when it comes to color. The whole cavia should be monochromatic, and only the crown, already mentioned on the occasion of the previous Creasted breed, must be white. Importantly, no hair in this shade can occur in another place, as then it disqualifies the individual. We also have Irish Creasted, which can take any color, but there should be two rosettes on the shoulder blades of this variety.
Source: guineapigs.bplaced.net
Kurzhaarer Peruaner
Kurzhaarer Peruaner, called KHP for short, is a short-haired Peruvian. In this case, the hair grows in many directions.
Source: tierchenwelt.de
Somalia
A very interesting breed of guinea pigs is Somalia. It was created as a result of crosses between Abyssinian representatives and Teddy, or Rex. So far, it does not occur in Europe. However, they are especially popular in Australia.
Source: emmasguineapigs.blogspot.com
Curly
The Curly breed was bred in Europe, specifically in Sandinawa. A characteristic feature of this type of coffee is strongly curled hair, which gives the impression of being very soft and delicate, but in reality it is extremely rough. This cross was created from the combination of the Rex and Abyssinian breeds and, importantly, it is honored as a separate breed only in the German and English standards.
Ridgeback
The Ridgeback breed is characterized by an extremely interesting hair arrangement. In the case of these coffees, a clear line of fur runs along the spine, creating a form resembling a mohawk. It was created as a result of combining smooth-haired breeds with Abyssinians and Peruvians. Pigs acquire a specific appearance only after 4 weeks of age.
It is also worth mentioning the Crested Ridgeback breed, which additionally has a decoration on its head in the form of a small rosette.
Source: pinterest.com
Teddy
One of the most popular coffee breeds is Teddy. It owes its name to the unique appearance of rodents, which resemble plush mascots. The fur of guinea pigs of this breed often reaches a length of 6 cm, and the weight of males can reach up to 1 kg. A characteristic feature is widely spaced paws, as well as slightly floppy ears and a strongly rounded head.
Source: animal-world.com
Rex
This breed appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. Individuals have extremely smooth, soft fur. In the case of model representatives of this breed, each hair should protrude from the body at an angle of 90 degrees.
Source: pinterest
Long-haired pigs
When it comes to long-haired coffees, we can generally name 9 breeds, including: Peruvianke, Boucle, Sheltie, Texel, Coronet, Merino, Angora, Moher as well as Lunkarya.
Peruvian
However, it is one of the most recognizable long-haired guinea pig breeds. It has an extremely long coat – up to 50 centimeters, which is distributed unevenly along the spine on both sides of the body. It covers the torso in such a way that in many cases it is difficult to locate the head and back of the rodent.
Source: pixabay.com
Bounce
The Bouncle breed, also called Alpaca, is a variety of Peruvian, with the difference, however, that in this case the hair is strongly twisted. These individuals also often have rosettes.
Source: pets4homes.co.uk
Sheltie
Shelties, also referred to as Silkies, differ from Peruvian women in that their coat does not create any turmoil. Instead, it grows in the direction from the head to the torso, being smooth and delicate to the touch at the same time.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Texel
From the crossing of Sheltie and Rex individuals, the Texel breed was created. Pigs of this type have hair that resembles Sheltie in appearance, but nevertheless it is much coarser. However, breeders are gradually trying to eliminate this trait.
Source: guineapigowner.com
Coronet
Domestic Coronet breeds have an extremely long and straight coat that is soft to the touch. It was created by combining Sheltie and Crested. In addition, there is a large rosette on the head of the animals. The Coronet variety is Merino, characterized by curly hair as well as a crown on the head.
Source: thespruce.com
Angora
This long-haired coffee is a perfect reflection of the rosette pig, but of course the hair in this case is much longer. This breed gave rise to the Moher variety, with curly hair.
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Lunkarya
Lunkarya can be confidently described as one of the most attractive guinea pig breeds. The animal’s head is somewhat reminiscent of a rabbit’s, but nevertheless the muzzle is covered with short hair and the rest of the body, on which long, thick, curly hair grows. Although this breed is not yet very widespread, it will certainly be very popular due to its unique appearance.
Source: pixabay.com
