Guinea pigs, also known as cavy, are species of rodents originated in Andes, a mountain Range in South America. How it ends up being called a Guinea pig when it's not even a pig nor is it from Guinea, is still a big question.
"Cavies" are docile in nature; they are a social animal and they rarely bite even when they are tense. Their receptiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, makes them a popular pet.
Domesticated cavies come in various breeds, which have been developed since their introduction to Europe and North America. Since their introduction to the United States and Europe, developing new guinea pig breeds gears toward development of attractive and appealing pet.
Here are some common breeds:
The American or formerly known as English cavy is the most popular, they are also the oldest breed of Guinea Pig. The good thing about this Cavy because of its short and glossy coat its low maintenance. It's also easy to handle because of its tame personality.
The Abyssinian cavy has a very distinctive appearance. Its coat is multiple swirls of hair referred to as cow licked rosettes. The ideal Abyssinian has 10 rosettes, one on each shoulder, four across its back, one on each of the animal's hips, and two on the rump.
The Peruvian breed has a smooth and straight coat that grows to several inches in length. These type of guinea pig breeds requires a lot of grooming because of its long hair, which makes it harder to take care of. The Himalayan cavy originates in Southeast Asia and is similar to the Siamese cat in coat. Himalayans' coat darkens depending on the temperature.
A Silkie or Sheltie has a silky and very long coat that smoothly flows back over its body and never forward over the face (as in the Peruvian). Compared to the well-known Peruvian, the Silkie's soft coat fails to part, at least naturally, along the back. The hair continues to grow backwards from the head. The Sheltie is normally expected to have a fairly longer sweep of hair in the back. The Teddy is a short-haired cavy characterized by a short dense coat with bent (kinked) hair streak that makes the coat stand on end, giving a very fuzzy look.
There are also a range of color varieties of cavies, aside from the typical guinea pig breeds. The familiar colors are the following:
Self: This cavy only has one color, so it can be completely black or white or any other color. This is one of the most common colors for cavies. An all-black color guinea pig is called self-black.
Agouti: Alternate dark and light bands of color on each hair; the hair roots color is different from the tip. Usually, this type of color is found in short-coated guinea pigs.
Solid: This is almost like the Agoutis, but its belly is marked as well.
Tortoiseshell: This guinea pig is a mixture of black and red; just like the Dalmatian, it comes with patches.
Brindle: Black series and red series hair colors are evenly mixed throughout their coats.
Albino: This is one of the most common colors for guinea pig. It is white with pink eyes.
Dalmatian: Just like its dog counterpart, this "pig" has a white body with black patches or spots.
Himalayan: The color of the Himalayan's body is white, while brown or black is the color of its nose and feet. The color of the eyes is either black or pink.
If you're interested in owning a cavy as a pet, there are lots of other breeds you can choose from.
I have been an owner of Guinea pigs for over 6 years. They are amazing little critters and can bring a family lots of love. I want to give all guinea pig lovers all the information they need to have a healthy and happy Guinea pig for many, many years. http://www.expertguineapigcare.com/
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