<center> BREEDS Page<center>

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Torty

Sheltie

Dalmatian

Silver Agouti

Peruvian

English Crested

Dutch

Himalayan

Self Black

Abbyssinian

Texel

Trotoiseshell & White

Red

American Crested


The list given below is not a complete copy of the Standards.
Rather, a brief introduction to the different Breeds...

The Selfs

The Selfs are smooth-coated guinea pigs whose coats are all one color, including the hair on the feet. Several colors of Selfs are bred:

Black. Eyes, ears and foot pads are black, as are toenails.
White.Eyes are either pink or black. Footpads are are flesh, and ears are either white or pink.
Chocolate. Deep brown coat with ears and footpads to match. Eyes are red.
Beige.Eyes are pink. Ears and footpads are pink or beige.
Cream. Eyes are red, footpads are pink. Ears are cream or pink.
Golden. Eyes are pink. Ears and footpads are pink or golden.
Lilac.Medium grey coat with pink eyes and pink or lilac ears and footpads.
Red. Dark red coat with red eyes. Ears and footpads are red or brown.
Slate. Dark blue coat with blue eyes.

The Agoutis


The agouti guinea pigs have short, silky hair that is "ticked" throughout the coat, which gives them a "shimmering"
effect. This is the pattern of the guinea pigs' wild ancestors. Various colors are bred:
Silver. Dark undercolor with silver ticking.
Golden. Golden undercolor with dark ticking.
Cinnamon. Cinnamon with silver ticking.
Chocolate. Cinnamon with a light ticking.

The Himalyan
The Himalayan guinea pig has a white, silky coat with black or chocolate ears and feet. The nose is also black or chocolate, and is often times referred to as the "smut". The points on the Himalyan guinea are not as pronounced as they are on the Himilayan rabbit. The eyes are red.
The Himilayan breed can not be easily identified at birth. Himilayan young are born all-white, and are easily mistaken as Self Whites. Their markings gradually appear over the first few months after birth.

The Dutch
The Dutch are difficult to breed to show quality. Their bodies are a Self or Agouti coloring with a white "saddle" across the back and around to the belly. There is also a white "blaze" running from the forehead down to the nose, where it meets with the white belly coming up the neck. The ears should match the body color, and not be flesh-toned.
The Dutch also have white foot-stops.

The Dalmation
As the name implies, the Dalmation guinea pig has a white body with black spotting well distributed across the animal. The head has a white blaze, and is black on either side. The eyes are generally a deep ruby that may appear black in dim light. The ears and feet are black.

The Roan
The Roan guinea pig has a black body with an even mixing of white hairs throughout. Only the head and feet have solid black hairs. Both the ears and the eyes are black. Some Roans are also bred in colors, such as red and white, and red and black and white.

The Tortoiseshell
Tortoiseshell, and Tortoiseshell and White The Tortoiseshell is also a difficult variety to breed to show quality. The ideal markings consist of well-defined red and black patches that are evenly spaced and uniformly distributed across the body. The Toroiseshell and White cavy ideally has square cut patches in Red, Black and White on the body. The dividing line between the four patches should run down the middle of the back and across the middle of the belly with colors alternating on each side of the division.

The Abbyssinian

Commonly called an "Aby," it is one of the oldest recorded breeds. The Aby arrived  in England in 1861. The Aby has a short, harsh coat that should display an even pattern of rosettes and ridges The coat is hard to brush, because the hair goes in many directions at once. Care should be taken to keep the coat clean and free of dirt.

Sheltie
The coat of the Silkie should be soft, dense, and have no evidence of any rosettes or forelock. The hair should grow back from the face forming a mane. The mane sweeps from between the ears to flow over the shoulders and back. There should be no part in the mane. The side sweeps may be slightly shorter than the rear sweep. When viewed from above, the Silkie presents a "teardrop" shape This is a particularly cuddly pig, besides the softness of the coat, the personality tends to be very mellow, making for a wonderful lap pig!

Texel
This is a very difficult breed to care for. Not only is the hair long, but it has a wave in it you have to be concerned that you do not hurt the animal when you're brushing its coat! Cavy skin is very sensitive, they do not like it if their coats are pulled in any way.

English Crested.
Some guinea pigs have a special hair crown on the top of their heads. This is called a crest.

Rex
Rex guinea pigs have short, thick hair. Their wavy coats feel coarse when you stroke them. They have curly whiskers like the rex cat. They are the gentle giant of the guinea pigs.

Peruvians.
Peruvian guinea pigs have silky hair that grows down to the ground. The fringe must be brushed back to stop it covering the eyes.

Satins.
Some guinea pigs have very soft and shiny fur. These are called satins. The hair shaft is hollow and light is reflected inside and outside of the hair, this makes them �glow�.

Brindle:
Regular distribution of small flecks in red and black, with dark eyes.

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