Which Breed of Guinea Pig is Best for You?

So you've decided you want a guinea pig. Guinea pigs make a great choice for pets for a number of reasons. They outlive other rodent pets living five to seven years, they are good natured and rarely bite, even when stressed, and most importantly, they are easy to maintain. However, like other pets, guinea pigs come in a variety of breeds, and the breed you choose will be determined by how experienced you are with these hardy rodents and how much time and effort you can put into maintainig them. Major differences between breeds are determined by the length and texture of the coat. I have included some brief descriptions of a number of popular breeds in this article.

Short-haired Guinea Pigs
The guinea pigs most commonly seen in pet stores are short-haired guinea pigs, and the most popular breed is the American guinea pig, also known as the English cavy. This cavy normally comes in color s such as cream, black, white or speckled, or you will see them in a mixture of two or three colors. This is an obvious best choice for a first time guinea pig owner because they are good-natured and hardy not to mention easy to maintain because they require no special grooming.

You can also find other short-haired guinea pigs that also have a smooth coat but have special markings. One popular one is the Dutch guinea pig, and you can recognize it since it has a primarily black coat with a white blaze down the face and a distict marking over the back similar to that of the Dutch rabbit. You might also consider the crested guinea pig which has the smooth coat and a rosette on top of its head.

Rough-coated Guinea Pigs
Guinea pig breeds with rough coats are also short-haired but the coat is not completely smooth. The hair will not grow more than one and a half inches, but they benefit from the occasional brushing. The most popular of these breeds is the Abyssinian, with a coat that has a series of whorls and rosettes. One unusual variety of the Abyssinian breed is the tortoise shell, having an orange and black mottled coat.

Another rough-coated guinea pig to consider is the Teddy, characterized by its short dense coat with hair shafts bent to make the fur stand on end.

Long-haired Guinea Pigs
Long-haired guinea pigs are not for the first-time cavy owner. They require a great deal more grooming than those with shorter coats, especially keeping the longer hair trimmed to keep it from getting soiled. The Peruvian guinea pig is the most well-known of the long-haired breeds. The long straight hair parts naturally down the center.

The Silkie guinea pig, also known as the Sheltie, has a long silky coat as well, but it does not part naturally along the back. It grows backward from the head. A somewhat less common guinea pig breed of interest would be the Texel, with its long curly hair.

Hairless Guinea Pigs
Hairless guinea pigs are rare in comparison to some of the other breeds I've mentioned. These cavies have only recently been introduced into the pet industry and were used mainly for laboratory research before. The care required is much the same as that of other guinea pigs except they are more sensitive to temperature and eat more to maintain body heat and metabolism. There are two types of hairless guinea pigs. The Baldwin is completely hairless, and the skinny guinea pig has wiry frizzy hair ont the head, paws and face.

These are some of the more obvious differences between a number of the guinea pig breeds and should guide you in your choice for your next family pet.