A guinea pig is a tailless South American species of rodent belonging to the cavy family, brown guinea pig being one of them.
They were originally raised for the sake of food but they are no longer available in the wild because nowadays they are mostly being held as pets and are even used as research lifeforms at laboratories.
They have an average life span of 4 to 8 years, however, some can survive a few more years.
Regardless of having the term pig in their name they are not related to pig even in terms of biology.
They are treated as pets due to their friendly and approachable nature.
Brown Guinea Pig
Brown guinea pigs are quite cute and distinguished from other guinea pigs in terms of colors, read on to find out about the facts, breed info and more.
Can You Have a Guinea Pig As A Pet For Your Child?
Yes, you can.
Guinea pigs are socially intrigued creatures.
They generally turn out as lovely pets, especially for children.
You can buy guinea pigs at a very reasonable price.
Although they require perfect care, attention, time but these are all the basic stuff.
All pets need attention and once you get used to their behavior patterns, taking care of them becomes a lot easier.
So if you can get your hands on a cute, small, and lovely guinea pig on top of it a brown one, I think it is a fair bargain.
Breeds
There are 16 known breeds of guinea pigs.
However, more breeds are still emerging.
Out of 16 nine are famous for being kept as pets.
Following are the breeds:
- Abyssinian Guinea Pig
- Alpaca Guinea Pig
- American White Crested Guinea Pig
- Baldwin Guinea Pig
- Coronet Guinea Pig
- Himalayan Guinea Pig
- Lunkarya Guinea Pig
- Merino Guinea Pig
- Peruvian Guinea Pig
- Rex Guinea Pig
- Ridges Guinea Pig
- Sheba Guinea pig
- Silkie Guinea Pig
- Skinny Guinea Pig
- Teddy Guinea Pig
- Texel Guinea Pig
Let’s discuss all of these breeds.
Abyssinian Guinea Pig
The Abyssinian is a breed of guinea pig that is comparatively well-known as a pet as well as a show animal.
This breed is identified by its coat, which is indicated with a radially expanding swish or cowlicks of hair called rosettes.
The Abyssinian breed is the ancient breed of guinea pigs, that became famous due to their thick and distinctive coat.
The origin of this name is still not in knowledge.
A single Abyssinian hair is up to one and a half inches and their fur comes with different appealing colors and patterns.
Abyssinian is more enthusiastic than other breeds but can be trained very easily.
The Abyssinian requires some recurring brushing to prevent its coat from squabbling.
Alpaca Guinea Pig
The Alpaca guinea pigs are a long hair breed of guinea pig that resembles a Peruvian guinea pig with shaggy ends.
They generally have a single rosette on top of their head and can have more than one rosette on their body as well.
Alpaca Guinea Pigs need frequent exercise and enough space to move around and play.
They require proper brushing to maintain their fur and keep it free from debris.
They are rare and can fetch a high price in the market.
American White Crested Guinea Pig
They are called white-crested because they have a white crown-like structure (rosette) on top of their head
It is the rarest and royal looking breed of guinea pig, that was first discovered in 1974.
They are considered a rare breed due to problems in producing pure show quality offsprings.
Guinea Pigs are delicate creatures and they need extreme care and comfortability, especially in picking these tiny creatures be sure to garb them evenly from the body.
Since white-crested guinea pigs are rare, they fetch a high price in the market depending upon the color and purity.
Baldwin Guinea Pig
The Baldwin guinea pig is a hairless breed, that loses their hair at three to five days of age, but in some cases, they retain the hair on their feet.
They are considered a new breed as compared to others, however, they are getting fame due to their unique look and stylish coat
They need almost the same care and cleaning as other breeds, but you need to feed more to this breed of pigs because they need extra energy to produce warmth in cold weather.
Coronet Guinea Pig
Coronet Guinea Pigs are one of “the long-haired” breeds of guinea pigs.
They also have a rosette on the middle of their head.
Coronets are enthusiastic and interested in social activities, with a unique Aura around them that craves attention.
Coronet guinea pigs were first identified in the late 1970s.
They need extra brushing because of their long hair.
Guinea pigs need their own home and exercising equipment so be sure to provide them these necessities.
Himalayan Guinea Pig
Himalayan Guinea pigs are creatures of snow like color, born with dazzling red eyes.
This breed is pretty expressive.
Whenever they are angry, such as in a territorial dispute, they will click their teeth in warning.
When they are afraid, they may squeak in agitation or grumble unhappily.
If you think that the Himalayan guinea pigs are found in the Himalayan regions of Asia, you might be mistaken (as most people), because the Himalayan guinea pigs are not from the Himalayas.
They belong to South America and may look similar to Siamese Cat (in terms of physical appearance).
Himalayan Guinea Pigs need wide and more space as compared to other breeds.
They are accustomed to wildlife so they wide cages, And due to their fast breeding nature they need a companion so be sure to provide one for them.
Lunkarya Guinea Pig
The Lunkarya is a breed of guinea pigs with a characteristic coarse appearance, with a dense, coarse coat that is thick, long, and curly with hairs that jut out in all directions.
This rare guinea pig breed is a phenomenal pet.
They were first discovered in 1983, in England.
It demands frequent grooming to stay free of debris and to prevent tangling, the curls can be brushed out, but they do come back.
The undercoat is particularly dense and means they are unable to tolerate extreme heat; care should be taken to ensure they are not kept in direct sunlight and that they are given plenty of shade during the summer.
Merino Guinea Pig
Merino is a version of a Coronet guinea pig, with swirls of short, frizzy hair on its forehead but is otherwise very similar in both temperament and nature.
The Merino enjoys attention and is an intelligent cavy.
Since it is very friendly, training this creature is much easier.
It is recognized in Europe as a standard breed, also called English Merino, and was discovered in 1987.
They enjoy spending a lot of time exploring so a large cage is essential in addition to some supervised roaming.
Peruvian Guinea Pig
The Peruvian Guinea Pig has a long smooth coat all over its body.
It has a prominent forelock resulting from a portion of its coat on the head and the neck growing forward on the body.
They are from South America in the northern Andes, reared basically for food.
The dense soft coat of Peruvians needs a great deal of grooming, and so most owners tend to trim Peruvian hair to keep them under management.
Wraps can be used to prevent the hair from getting soiled.
Rex Guinea Pig
Rex guinea pig is a short creature.
Its shortness and friendly nature make rex a popular pet and is recognized for its friendly, enthusiastic, and cool temperament.
They are ideal for children who want a pet.
Its coarse coat stands on end and protects them from moisture, they also have very coarse whiskers.
The Rex guinea pig is one of the oldest discovered breeds, that was first bred as early as 5000 BC for food by tribes in the Andean region of South America.
They were also used as a meal and livestock.
A Rex guinea pig needs the same care as most other guinea pig breeds do.
In their playtime, add some “hiding” places for your pet, such as overturned boxes (add at least one hiding place per guinea pig).
Ridges Guinea Pig
The Ridgeback guinea pig has a sleek short coat of hair that is adorned with a noticeable continuous ridge of standing hair that runs down the length of its back from neck to rump.
The hair on their hind feet looks like it’s growing up the leg instead of down and can be in tuffs.
They need extra brushing due to long hair and require vast playgrounds due to their nature.
Sheba Guinea Pig
The Sheba Mini yak, (commonly referred to as a Sheba) is a heavy-set, study guinea pig with a tousled, rosette coat.
They are lovingly referred to as the ‘bad hair day guinea pig and described by some as looking like a combination of the Abyssinian and Peruvian breeds.
This particular breed of guinea pigs originated in Australia, in the 1960s.
In this breed of guinea pigs, regular exercise is important, but an exercise wheel is not good for them, as it can damage their back.
Sheba guineas are social and should ideally be kept in pairs.
Sheba guineas’ hair grows slowly, so they don’t need a huge amount of maintenance.
Their fur is fairly coarse and has rosettes that give its hair that scruffy look.
A lot of fruit or vegetables in their diet can cause obesity and diabetes in your guineas and can easily be fatal.
A lot of sugary and wet contents in their food can also cause diarrhea, which can ultimately lead to dehydration.
Silkie Guinea Pig
A Silkie Guinea pig is also called a Sheltie.
It has a long, smooth coat that flows back over the body.
Their hair is very soft and shiny.
It is difficult to resist petting a silkie.
The Silkie guinea pig is a new variety of guineas, first found in the 1970s, and is an outcome of a cross between a Peruvian and black guinea pig.
Its fascinating look boosted its popularity and was known by name of Sheltie Guinea.
Silkie guinea pig comes in a wide range of colors, from brown to the end of basic colors.
Silkie guinea pig needs a proper home and a diet as it will keep it happy and healthy.
They also require plenty of exercise and regulation.
Skinny Guinea Pig
the skinny guinea pig or skinny is an almost hairless breed of the guinea pig.
Skinny pigs have hair on their muzzles, legs, and feet but are hairless over the rest of their bodies.
Some of the Skinny guinea pigs have a thin cover of fuzzy hair on their backs as well.
A healthy skinny guinea pig has mostly smooth skin, with some wrinkling around the legs and neck.
Their body is full with no appearance of spine or ribs.
Skinny guinea pigs are not significantly much different from normal haired guinea pigs, but they are required to eat more to maintain their body heat.
The optimal temperature range for a hairless guinea pig is from 68° to 79°F (20° to 26°C), which is somewhat higher than the optimal temperature range for the haired guinea pig.
The modern breed of skinny guinea pig originated from a cross between haired guinea pigs and a hairless lab strain
Skinny pigs should be housed in a space of at least a medium-sized square box.
They are more energetic than other guinea pigs owing to their fast metabolism, so giving them more space than this is going to be beneficial.
If you have a suitable piggie proof space, you can even leave the cage door open to let them use all the extra space.
Teddy Guinea Pig
A Teddy guinea pig has a short, rough, very dense, springy coat that stands up all over the body.
The hair typically grows to a moderate length which gives it a very toy-like appearance.
Another exciting feature of Teddie’s pig in the United States is the relatively long hair coating their bellies.
The Teddy guinea pig has a frizzy and springy coat that is famous for its soft, cuddly quality, which can be compared to an old teddy bear.
They come in two types, i.e., Plush Coat, and Harsh Coat.
The Teddy guinea pig is the result of a genetic mutation and was later bred competitively, and the Teddy became a recognized unique breed in 1978.
Teddies are now quite common and quite popular and can be bought from any pet store.
Teddy Guinea pigs are usually at a higher risk for getting ear infections which makes frequent ear cleansing very important.
The Symptoms of an infection include an irritating smell from their ears and irregular moving of the head.
Teddy Guinea pigs can also have skin issues (dry skin in particular) as compared to other breeds of guinea pigs.
They should not be bathed more than three times a year and using a shampoo made specifically for them is required.
They also can get skin parasites such as ringworm from the environment.
Urinary tract infections are very common among all guinea pigs.
If you notice them having trouble urinating or a lack of appetite and lethargy, see a veterinary doctor immediately.
Texel Guinea Pig
The Texel guinea pig is one of the newer breeds of guinea pig, which resulted by crossbreeding the British Rex with the Silkie.
They are one of the more striking guinea pig breeds with long, shiny curly hair, and are often found winning beauty show competitions around the world.
The Texel guinea is a calm breed, with a sweet nature and is perfect for people as pets.
Texel pig has a long furry coat so it is hard to maintain so we recommend using a daily brush.
Regularly trim the hairs from the ears to avoid wax build-up.
Take notice of a regular diet to keep your pet healthy.
Final Thoughts
We have mentioned all the details of guinea pigs and their breeds, so long story short if you are seeking a cute, small, and easy to manage pet you.
Especially for your children – guinea pigs might be the best option out there.
They don’t even occupy a lot of space.
Let these adorable creatures get shelter in your homes.
