When you pick your first guinea pig, you will want to start with picking the breed. There are currently 13 breeds of cavy that are showable in the ACBA, and a few that aren't accepted, which will not be mentioned here. The breeds are:
American*. This breed is the easiest to groom and the most common. Americans are always good starter piggies.
Abyssinian*. Abyssinians are easy to groom but very hard to breed because their rosettes don't always turn out quite right.They are good pets, though.
Coronet. Coronets have some grooming required. They make good pets or good show/breeding pigs if you have the proper time to groom them.
Peruvians*. Peruvians take a decent amount of time to groom. However, like with the Coronet, they make good piggies if you have the time for them.
Silkies*. Silkies require a little less grooming time than Peruvians, but still take up a lot of time. They can still be good pets, but must be cared for every day.
Teddy*. Teddys are another short haired breed. They do not require much grooming, so they are also good starter pigs, but they aren't as common as Americans.
Texel. Finally, a breed I know a lot about! Texels require a LOT of grooming every day. One breeder I know told me when I asked about her Texels and Peruvians that "Texels are the hardest breed to groom." However, the breed as a whole has many very sweet piggies that could be kept as pets if they were clipped down every few months.
White Crested. These pigs are basically Americans with a single rosette on the head, or the short haired version of the Coronet. They are pretty easy to keep.
*Satins. The breeds marked with a * also have a second identical breed called a Satin. These breeds are called American Satin, Abyssinian Satin, etc. Satin is identical to its non-satin counterpart except for a few things. Firstly, they have "sheen," which makes them look shiny. Secondly, I have been told that sometimes have health issues and do not live as long as other pigs.
No comments:
Post a Comment