guinea pig types
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How Do I Know Which Type of Guinea Pig Is Right For Me?
All guinea pigs can be great pets when it comes to personality. Every guinea pig has the capacity to be loving, funny, caring, etc. The main differences between guinea pig types is frankly the length, style, and color(s) of hair. While this is largely a superficial characteristic and going to largely depend on your personal preference there is the important issue of care and grooming to consider.
The longer and more textured a guinea pig’s hair, the more grooming it will need. If you choose a breed with short smooth hair, you may not need to brush your guinea pig more often than once a week to remove dust. However, longer haired guinea pigs will need to be brushed and groomed daily to prevent serious tangles. If you choose a show breed with very long hair you will even need to wash it with a special shampoo. None of this is bad per se, it just depends on what you are looking for.
If you want an easy to care for pet and the “classical” type guinea pig – go for the American guinea pig. This type comes in many different colors and is known for its short smooth hair. This is a great choice for busy people and young children. All other breeds have longer or more difficult to care for hair. For example, the Abyssinian has hair that is only slightly longer but it grows in an exotic patterns of swirls. This can make brushing more difficult due to the hair growth patterns. Silkie and Peruvian guinea pigs are known for having extremely long hair. These breeds are only recommended for adults who are happy to put the maintenance time in.
What about other guinea pig types?
The Teddy breed is super adorable with its short wiry hair. Many people think this type resembles a teddy bear.
The Texel is covered with curly hair all over! This type is very hard to groom due to the thickness of the hair.
White Crested guinea pigs have a single white rosette on their head while the rest of their body is a different color altogether.
The remaining types of guinea pigs are just divided according to color, not hair length or type. “Self” guinea pigs are solid in color. Brindles have a combination of light and dark hair all over. Dutch guinea pigs have a colored head with a white streak known as a blaze, white the front and back halves will have the same color hair. A tortoiseshell guinea pig has rectangular patches of red and black allover. A variation of this type would be the Tortoiseshell and White, which incorporates white patches as well. The roan has a blend of dark black or red hairs all over. Albinos are white with red eyes. Dalmatian’s are white with dark spots just like the dog. Agouti’s are known for alternating dark and light bands of color all over. Finally, the Himalayan have red eyes and white bodies with dark noses, ears, and feet.
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