Varieties of Different Breeds of Guinea Pigs

A domestic guinea pig is roughly the same size as its close relation, the wild cavy of Peru, though the latter has a more pointed, almost rat-like face and is speckled greyish brown in colour. When the first specimens of wild cavies were introduced into Europe towards the end of the sixteenth century, they rapidly became popular pets.

Colour Variations
Within these three main varieties are about 25 groupings of colours and markings, the result of skilled breeders taking guinea pigs with slight differences in colour and mating them to produce new colour variations. The science of genetics explains these variants.

In genetics each hereditary characteristic, such as colour, is determined by a pair of genes, one inherited from the male or boar guinea pig, the other from the female or sow. Two pure-bred black guinea pigs will produce offspring which are all black. But a pure-bred black guinea pig mated to a pure-bred white will pass on one black gene and one white, so the offspring may well be grey - a compromise between the colours they have inherited from their parents. Even if some of the young turn out, by chance, to be all black or all white, the next generation may not breed true.

Among guinea pig breeders, single-coloured guinea pigs are known as Selfs, and each colour is recognized as a separate breed: Self White, Self Black, Self Cream, Self Beige, Self Golden, Self Lilac, Self Red and Self Chocolate.

Other guinea pigs have two or more colours, and often distinct body markings. Such guinea pigs with two or more colours in a pattern are classified as Marked.

Some Marked combinations have special breed names, such as Dutch, Agouti, Tortoiseshell and Himalayan. Of these the Dutch is often seen, although those sold as pets are unlikely to have perfect markings. Breeders try to achieve an unbroken saddle band and a flash down the centre of the face in the basic white fur, separating the three dark areas - each side of the face and the hindquarters.

Tortoiseshell and Tortoiseshell and White are other favourite breeds. The coats are patterned with blocks of black and red (tortoiseshell), or black, red and white (tortoiseshell and white), of roughly equal size, arranged alternately on either side of the body.

Himalayan guinea pigs are marked like Siamese cats, although the young do not show the coloured points at birth. The points - ears, nose, and feet - become defined when the young guinea pig is five or six months old.

All short-haired and most rough-haired breeds can be found in all the Self colours and most of the Marked combinations.