There are many breeds of Guinea pig which have been developed since its domestication ca. 5000 BC. Breeds vary widely in appearance and purpose, ranging from show breeds with long, flowing hair to those in use as model organisms by science. From ca. 1200 AD to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in 1532, selective breeding by indigenous South American peoples resulted in many varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which form the basis for some of the modern domestic breeds.[1] Early Andean breeds were primarily kept as agricultural stock for food, and efforts at improving the Guinea pig as a food source continue to the modern era. 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. To this end, various competitive breeding organizations were founded by fanciers. The American Cavy Breeders Association, an adjunct to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, is the governing body in the United States and Canada.[2] The British Cavy Council governs cavy clubs in the United Kingdom. Similar organizations exist in Australia (Australian National Cavy Council)[3] and New Zealand (New Zealand Cavy Club).[4] Each club publishes its own Standard of Perfection and determines which breeds are eligible for showing. New breeds continue to emerge in the 21st century.
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Common breeds
Though there many breeds of Guinea pig, with only a few breeds are commonly found off the show table as pets. Most Guinea pigs found as pets were either found undesirable by breeders or were bred to be good companions regardless of how well they meet the breed standard of perfection. The short hair, Abyssinian, Peruvian and Sheltie (aka Silkie) breeds are those most frequently seen as pets, and the former three are the core breeds in the history of the competitive showing of Guinea pigs. In addition to their standard form, nearly all breeds come in a Satin variant. Satins, due to their hollow hair shafts, possess coats of a special gloss and shine.
Short haired
The short coated cavy - often called the American, Self, or English - has consistently short, glossy hair without a part. This breed of cavy most resembles the Guinea pig's relatives and ancestors in the Cavia genus.
Abyssinian
The Abyssinian breed of Guinea pig is known for its short, rough coat that has cowlicked rosettes of hair. The derivation of the breed's name is unknown, but does not connotate an origin in the geographical region of Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia). The ideal Abyssinian has 10 rosettes, one on each shoulder, four across the back, one on each of the animal's hips, and two on the rump. Some judging bodies, such as the ANCC, consider shoulder rosettes optional but desired in show cavies. A harsh-textured coat that stands on end to form ridges is desired; to this end, boars are much preferred for the show ring.
Peruvian
The Peruvian is the progenitor of all modern long haired breeds, being a Guinea pig with hair that grows long continuously all over its body, sometimes to an excess of 20 inches (approx. 50 centimeters). Accordingly, this ornate feature can make caring for this breed more difficult for both owners and breeders; most show Peruvians have their hair folded up in wraps to protect it and keep it clean. Long haired Guinea pigs have both a top and an undercoat, the latter of which will generally only grow to 6-7 inches (15-17 cm.)Though most Peruvians kept as pets are regularly trimmed for ease of keeping, those in show coat should have hair that fans out to make the animal's front and rear completely indistinguishable. The coat should be of an even length all over, and have a central part on the spine. Peruvians of show standard are required to have two rosettes on either side of the rump, which creates the desired height and density.
Silkie or Sheltie
A Silkie has long hair that flows back over its body and never forward over the face (as in the Peruvian). When viewed from above it forms a teardrop shape and should never have a central part. In contrast to the Peruvian, where the coat is desired to fall in an even curtain all around the body, the Sheltie is generally accepted to have a somewhat longer sweep of hair in the rear.
Teddy or Rex
A Teddy guinea pig has short, fuzzy hair that stands on end all over the body. The hair should be uniform all over, without rosettes and no more than 1⁄2 inch (1 1⁄4 cm) in length, preferably shorter.
Texel
A Texel Guinea pig is like a Silkie, but with curls. Originating from England, it was officially recognized as a breed by the ACBA in 1998.[5] The curls should ideally be tightly wound corkscrew curls and should cover the entire body, including the stomach. Unlike a Sheltie, a central part is allowed.
Relatively rare or emerging breeds
Alpaca
A curly coated Peruvian. Hair grows over face like a Peruvian. Most are first generation hybrids of peruvians and other breeds.
Crested
The Crested is similar to the American, but has one rosette on the top of the head. According to ACBA standards, the Crest must be white, with no other white hair present on the animal.
Coronet
A Coronet cavy has longer hair, like the Silkie, along with a crest like a Crested.
English Merino
A curly-coated Coronet with a crest in between the ears on the centre of the head.
Hairless breeds
A very few varieties of hairless Guinea pig exist, the most prevalent breed being the so-called Skinny pig. Currently no international body admits hairless breeds on to the show table, and no standards of perfection exist.
Colors
Cavies come in many colours, including Black, White, Red, Buff/Cream (blonde), Chocolate and Beige. The term "marked" is used for cavies that have a white base with patterns of one or more different colors dispersed around the body. Other colors include:
- Agouti coloured cavies have a hair tip and root that are different colours, much like someone whose roots are showing from dyeing their hair. Golden Agouti has a red tip and black root, Silver Agouti has a white tip and black root and Dilute Agouti can have a variety of different combinations.
- Brindle cavies have two different colours of hair intermixed throughout the body, usually black and red.
- Dalmatian cavies have white hair and black spots. Dalmatians also have a unique eye colour — blue with a red rim.
- Dutch cavies have bands of color, generally on the cheek area and the rear, with bands of white in-between.
- Parti coloured cavies have two or more colours on the body, often white and another colour. An ideal parti cavy has several patches of each color on its body, evenly distributed so that the animal has an equal amount of each color no matter what angle the animal is viewed from.
- Tortoiseshell and white:black,red,and white in a checkard pattern
- Roan cavies have white and one or more coloured.
- Tortoiseshell coloured cavies are black and red.
References
- ^ Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th edition, pp. 1667–1669. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9.
- ^ Constitution. American Cavy Breeders Association (2006-09-29). Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Official Website. Australian National Cavy Council. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ Official Website. New Zealand Cavy Club. Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
- ^ http://www.acbaonline.com/breeds/texel.html
