7 Uncommon Guinea Pig Breeds (With Footage)

Guinea pigs belong to the Caviidae household, often known as a kind of rodent species, Cavia. Most guinea pigs hint again to the Andean montane guinea pig. With this data, the guinea pig initially got here from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.

It’s believed that guinea pigs had been domesticated by the Incas in 5000 BC. They bred guinea pigs as pets and different assets. By the 1600s, the Spanish, Dutch, and English introduced guinea pigs to Europe to be bred and saved as pets.

Though many domesticated guinea pigs heat our hearts and houses, there are nonetheless wild guinea pigs. Immediately, we’ll focus on the rarest breeds and their origins.

High 7 Uncommon Guinea Pigs

1. The Montane Guinea Pig – Cavia Tschudii

First on the record are montane guinea pigs. It’s believed that each one breeds of domesticated guinea pigs originated from the Montane Guinea Pig, amongst different breeds just like the Brazilian Guinea.

The Montane Guinea Pig is a wild ancestor who inhabits the areas of South America within the excessive Andes. They like rocky areas with coarse vegetation about 2,000 to three,800 meters above sea degree.

Montanes are a smaller guinea pig breed that appears just like a squirrel with no tail. They seem reddish brown with darkish grey underbellies and common a complete size of roughly 10 inches.

2. Quick-Haired Peruvian

Upon first look of the Quick-Haired Peruvian Guinea, chances are you’ll surprise why it’s known as Quick- Haired Peruvian when their hair doesn’t look brief. Lengthy-Haired Peruvian fur can develop as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) lengthy.

Quick-Haired Peruvian guineas are native to Peru, and, like its identify, resided in Argentina and Bolivia. Finally, they made their approach to the UK and are one of many oldest breeds of the Cavia household.

Quick-Haired Peruvians vary in colours from browns, black, reds, grays, and multi-colored and have probably the most prolonged lifespan of the guinea pig household: 12 to 14 years.

3. The Irish Crested Guinea/Bonnett

The Irish Crested Guinea Pig, often known as the Bonnett Guinea, is just like the Quick-Haired Peruvian Guinea. The primary distinction is Quick-Haired Peruvians have two whorls on their hips, and the Irish Crested have two whorls in the course of their again.

There are additionally two different breeds of crested guinea pigs: the American and English Crested. The precise distinction between the three is the variety of whorls on the again and the dimensions of the mohawk every has. The Irish Crested piggie’s mohawk reaches the center of its brow, falling between its ears.

4. The Argente Guinea Pig

Argentes are uncommon due to their distinct hair sample. Just like the Agouti, the Argentine Guinea Pig has a ticking sample. Nevertheless, not like the Agouti and different guinea pig breeds, the Argente has multi-colored ticking patterns on every hair, making a dual-colored impact.

What’s attention-grabbing about Argentes is that they solely are available gentle colours starting from white to golden beige. You possibly can discover them out of a crowd probably the most primarily based on their brilliant reddish-pink eyes. Argentes are a more recent breed, which can also be why they’re categorized as uncommon.

5. The Texel Guinea

The Texel Guinea Pig is a uncommon crossbreed of the British Rex and the Silkie. They had been first bred in England, however for the reason that late 1900s, they’ve been globally often known as a acknowledged breed. Texels had been bred for a cause to take part in reveals at exhibitions, in order that they grew to become recognized for being well-known cavy celebrities.

Texels are typically shorter than different guinea pigs (as much as 8 inches lengthy) however they’re most well-known for his or her lengthy curly wool coat look, that means they should be groomed extra usually than different guinea pigs.

Texel Guinea Pigs are available many colours, together with pure white, golden brown, and black. Although, it’s not unusual to come back throughout a multi-colored Texel.

6. The Swiss Teddy Guinea Pig

Just like the Santa Catarina Guinea Pig, the Swiss Teddy is one other extraordinarily uncommon guinea pig. Once more, what makes the Swiss Teddy Guinea Pig so uncommon is its bodily look. Their lovable and putting look resembles coarse, dense, and medium-length (2.4 inches), extraordinarily curly fur.

What separates the Teddy breed from the opposite guineas of the world is that there aren’t any whorls or rosettes although some Teddys have distinctive crests on high of their head. Sadly, Teddy breeds stay a shorter lifespan of 4 to six years.

A enjoyable reality about Swiss Teddy Guinea Pigs is that they had been created by crossbreeding an Abyssinian with an American Guinea.

7. Santa Catarina – Cavia Intermedia

The rarest rodent on the planet, the Santa Catarina guinea pig is uncommon on account of their inhabitants dimension: 24 to 60 people left worldwide. Santa Catarina is exclusive as a result of it’s presumably the one species of guinea pigs that also stay within the wild which are native and originate from the sting of South America.

You possibly can spot the Santa Catarina rodent on a coastal Island of Moleques do Sul Archipelago within the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The Santa Catarina Guinea is endangered on account of pure disasters and searching habits. Additionally, the small Island of just about 10 acres doesn’t make it simple for them to repopulate and develop.

Closing Phrases

Guinea pigs have been round for 1000’s of years and had been native to a lot of Peru and Argentina. What most uncommon guinea pigs have in widespread is their hair shade and look. It’s uncommon to discover a Teddy or Texel Guinea Pig somewhat than the American Quick-Haired Guinea that’s out there in most pet shops.

Whereas there are different breeds, just like the Crested Guinea Pigs, the Tuxedo, or the Coronet Guinea Pigs, which fall below the uncommon class, the primary variations are look and shade patterns.

Virtually all guinea pigs are domesticated and adopted as pets, and maybe the rarest guinea pigs are discovered within the wild, just like the Santa Catarina.

Featured Picture Credit score: Arcady, Shutterstock