Choosing a guinea pig

When picking out your guinea pig, there are several factors for you to consider. Not only must you select a breed, but you must also take care in choosing a healthy animal. The breed you choose will, in some cases, impact the amount of care that your cavy will require, and there are several "warning signs" that can help you determine whether or not your potential pet is ill.

Tips on buying your guinea pig

There are generally four places where one can obtain a guinea pig: a pet shop, a breeder, an animal rescue organization or a friend who's guinea pigs recently had a litter.

Many pet stores mistreat their animals, or provide them with inadequate care, either out of negligence, ignorance or financial constraints. Sometimes a pet store's guinea pigs will have lice or mites, be malnourished or even pregnant. Not all pet stores are bad, however; use your judgement and your common sense, as well as word of mouth, before making your purchase. In some cities, there may even be a local organization which volunteers to inspect pet store conditions, and provide certificates for those stores that meet up with their standards. Although these ratings carry no legal weight, than can provide you with more information which you can use in making your selection. In general, if you do decide to purchase from a pet store, inspect the animal for obvious signs of illness and inquire about the animal's age (especially if female, as any sow over four weeks old may already be pregnant).

Breeders, as the name implies, breed guinea pigs, usually for showing. Any animals that aren't of show quality are typically sold as pets. One advantage of going to a breeder is that you can typically find a breeder that either specializes in, or generally keeps, a specific breed that you may be wanting. In general, most breeders treat their animals well, but you should always be on the lookout for bad breeding practices (such as excessive inbreeding or poor living conditions) before making your choice. Once again, word of mouth and common sense are important.

The animal rescue organizations, which can encompass everything from the local animal shelter to private rescue groups, specialize in abandoned animals, as well as animals that were originally destined for scientific research, or even snake food in pet stores. These outfits tend to treat their animals with the best of care, but there is an element of randomness in the age, overall health and personality of the animals, depending on where they came from. However, it is these animals that are in the greatest need of finding a home.

If you have a friend whose guinea pig(s) recently had a litter, and they are selling them or giving them away, this is an excellent opportunity for you to inherit a pet. There are several advantages to obtaining a guinea pig from a friend: generally, you have a pretty good idea of how the animals have been treated, you can view the entire family before making your choice, and it's libel to be less expensive than purchasing a pet from a breeder or a store. As long as you are allowed to inspect the animals and their home, you can be reasonably certain that you are getting a healthy cavy.

Checking for signs of illness

No matter where you decide to get your guinea pig from, you should always inspect your potential pet before taking him or her home. There is nothing more disheartening than to bring home a new cavy, only to have it die a few days or weeks later due to an illness that was present before you picked it out. Examine both your guinea pig and any cavies it was housed with; here is what you should look for:

• Guinea pigs are social animals; observe them carefully, especially if there are several in the cage. Healthy animals will be alert and lively, and will probably run away from your hand if you try to reach down and pet them and/or pick them up. Sick guinea pigs tend to sit in the cage, apathetic to the events around them. Note, however, that if there is only one guinea pig in a cage, it may be sitting motionless because it is bored.
• Their droppings should be solid; if you see an evidence of diarrhea in the cage, do not choose one of those cavies. Diarrhea can be a symptom of a contagious bacterial infection, and is a serious condition in small mammals such as the guinea pig-- in fact, it can be life-threatening.
• The guinea pig's coat should be examined for thin spots, bare patches or skin ailments. Each type of cavy has its own coat type: Abyssinians should have a rough, textured coat with several rosettes; Peruvians and Shelties should have long, silky hair; the short-haired varieties should have short, silky hair. This is also a good time to look for obvious parasites, such as lice.
• The eyes and nose should be free of any discharges.
• Listen to your guinea pig's breathing by putting its nose close to your ears. Any wheezing or unusual noises could be a sign of a respiratory problem.
• If boars and sows are housed together, any sows that are more than four weeks old may already be pregnant. Pregnant sows that are less then four or five months in age may not be able to successfully carry their babies to term.

Breeds

Photographs of many guinea pig breeds and varieties can be found at Kurt and Karin Stueber's Cavy page. Some of the more popular guinea pig varieties are described below. Note that different countries recognize different standards for guinea pig breeds. If you plan on showing guinea pigs, you should contact your local cavy club for breeding standards.

Each guinea pig is classified by its breed and variety. Some of the breeds that are shown in the United States include the American, Abbyssinian, Peruvian, Silky, American Crested and Teddy. Each breed is most easily recognized by the hair type, though there are other differences, too. Within each breed there are varieties, which specify (essentially) the markings and color of the guinea pig.

The American breeds are short, smooth-haired cavies. The Abbyssinian is a short-haired cavy that features "whorls" in their coat, which are referred to as rosettes. The Peruvian is a long-haired cavy with a coat that parts down the center of the back. Silkies (called Shelties in Great Britain) are also a long-haired breed, but unlike the Peruvian, the hair does not cover the face, nor does it part down the back. The Teddy is a relatively new breed that is being shown in the United States; it has a coarse, short and thick coat with "kinked" hair shafts without ridges or rosettes. The American Crested cavy is a short-hair breed with a single "whorl" of a contrasting color on the forehead.

Varieties

The list given below is neither complete nor definitive; rather, it is intended only as an introduction to some of the many guinea pig varieties.

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.
• Blue. 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 Himilayan 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.

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.

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