List of guinea pig breeds

Guinea Pigs, also known as cavies (Cavia porcellus), have been domesticated since around (or cicra) 5000 BCE, leading to the development of a diverse array of breeds.

The period from 1200 to 1532 CE, which coincides with the Spanish conquest of the Incan Empire, saw indigenous South Americans selectively breeding guinea pigs.

This resulted in numerous landrace varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which have since become the foundation for some of the formal modern breeds.

[1] Early Andean varieties were primarily kept as agricultural stock for food, and efforts at improving cavy breeds (cuy) bred for food continue to the modern era, with entirely separate breeds that focus on size and disease resistance.

With the export of guinea pigs to Europe in the 15th century, the goal in breeding shifted to focus on the development of appealing pets.

Satins, due to their hollow hair shafts, possess coats of a special gloss and shine.

However, there is growing evidence that the genes responsible for the satin coat can also cause severe bone problems, including osteodystrophy and Paget's disease.

[7] For this reason, some cavy breeders' associations, namely the Nordic ones, prohibit showing satin variations because of animal welfare concerns.

The satin trait refers to the glassy sheen found in some guinea pig's coats and are not a distinct breed.

A satin coat is linked to osteodystrophy (OD), an incurable and potentially painful metabolic disease of the bones.

The American should have a broad shoulder, Roman nose, and full crown, and the coat is to be short, straight and feel silky.

Contestants are disqualified for ridges, rosettes, side whiskers, or a satin sheen, though this should not be confused with the natural luster of some varieties.

The American is known for its sweet and docile personality, and is considered by many an excellent breed of cavy for new owners due to these characteristics.

The derivation of the breed's name is unknown, but does not connote an origin in the geographical region of Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia).

The ridges between two rosettes should ideally stand rigidly straight, without breaking down onto either side even if pressed down lightly with the palm of a hand.

Other hair disqualifications include a coat over 1.5 inches in length and a satin sheen (not to be confused by the natural luster of some varieties).

[15] The Peruvian is generally not recommended for first time guinea pig owners, due to the tediousness of grooming their long coat.

[17] They have a long, smooth coat, with hair that flows back over the body that may grow up to 24 inches in length.

[15] The Coronet resembles the Silkie with its smooth coat growing backward over its body, but it has a crest on its forehead.

[15] The Lunkarya, or "Lunk" for short, is a new group of related breeds developed in Sweden and mainly seen in the Nordic countries.

A Rex is a breed of guinea pig known for its short, dense, and very coarse wiry fur that stands upright, giving it a somewhat hedgehoglike appearance.

They are popular pets due to their calm, gentle temperament and low maintenance grooming needs, as their fur doesn't require frequent brushing like some other guinea pig breeds.

A Teddy, developed from a mutation,[15] has a short, rough, very dense, springy coat that stands up all over the body.

The hair typically grows to a moderate length and makes this breed resemble a soft toy more than any other.

The breed was developed from spontaneously mutated pups born to American Crested parents of a single breeder.

The colors include black, chocolate, red, golden, buff, cream, white, lilac, beige, and slate.

A brindle cavy has intermixed hairs of both black and red series colors throughout their coats, with no ticking.

A Himalayan cavy is born solid white, the points slowly gaining color after a few weeks.

An ideal show tortoiseshell cavy has regular, well-defined patches of each color on each side, and appears to have lengthwise "seams" on its back and belly, almost similar to brindle.

The gene is lethal when homozygous, resulting in full white pups with varying combinations of deafness, blindness, loss of smell, and deformities.