This Little Piggy & Me

Adoption and Rescue of Guinea Pigs

One more thing before we go into Breeds . . . As you know THIS LITTLE PIGGY & ME Piggies are adopted as pets. We do not allow nor support breeding. There are people all over the world exhibiting (showing) purebred Guinea Pigs much like you would find at a show for cats or dogs. The following is my interpretation of the "standards of perfection" by which piggies are judged. My only intent is to give you some idea of what your special piggie may be.

SO LET'S TALK BREEDS . . .
The following breeds are pretty common in our area

AMERICAN in the U.S. and ENGLISH in the U.K.

Smooth-coated piggies with short, sleek hair
No swirls, no cowlicks - not your 'bad-hair-day' pig
Hair is no longer than one and one half (11/2) inch
Pretty common and pre-dominant in pet stores

CRESTED-AMERICAN (or White Crested) and ENGLISH (or Self Crested)

Same as the AMERICAN or ENGLISH except for one, single, exact rosette of hair on top of the head between the back of the eyes and the front of the ears.
Rosette is white on AMERICAN CRESTED with no other white hairs on the body.
Rosette matches the body color on the SELF CRESTED

ABYSSINIAN

I fondly refer to this breed as my 'bad-hair-day' pig
The hair grows in swirls to form rosettes all over the body.
Common in this area and in pet stores

PERUVIAN

The pig with the LONG hair that grows forward
"Why forward", you ask . . . there are rosettes on his body
It also grows so that it covers the face - a little like a sheepdog!
The hair can grow about 12 inches (one whole foot!) in one year
This one takes lots of care and extra grooming

And These Guys are NOT-SO-COMMON in our Area

TEDDY

Short, dense, kinked hair - resembles a stuffed toy - hence the name!!
Whiskers are curly as is the hairs on the belly and between the legs.
Coat is about three-quarters (3/4) of an inch in length and is even all over - no flat areas or 'saddle dips'

RIDGEBACK

Same as the AMERICAN or ENGLISH except for an erect ridge of hair that runs from the forehead to the middle of the back
May also be CRESTED
Not something you would easily find; I've never even seen one!!

REX

Raised in the United Kingdom
Same as Teddies except for genetics
Coat is about three-quarters (3/4) of an inch in length and is even all over - no flat areas or 'saddle dips'

SILKY (SHELTIE in Europe)

Long, straight hair
Hair flows from a dense mane on the shoulders and joins into the side and rear sweeps
No hair grown over the face
No part in the hair

CORONET

A SILKY with a crest

TEXEL

A curly-coated SHELTIE
Long,dense, curly hair; springy to the touch
Belly has short, dense curls - Whiskers are curly also

MERINO

A crested TEXEL

BOUCLE (ALPACA in Europe)

Pronounced 'boo-clay'
A curly-coated PERUVIAN
Very dense hair

And Then There Are The SATINS !!

SATINS have a beautiful, high-gloss, shiny coat and can occur in any breed. Light passing through the hair's hollow shafts is what give the coat the high-gloss, shiny appearance.