Guinea Pig Breeds: Peruvian Guinea Pigs

Let's talk some more about guinea pig breeds! We've previously talked about texels and skinny pigs. The breed I want to talk about today is closer to the texel in the hair department: the Peruvian, which is a long-haired breed. The ACBA gives the following description of the Peruvian's appearance: "Coat grows generally back to front, multiple rosettes, mature coat covers face."

That''s a lot of hair! Do Peruvians have faces? (source: Wikimedia)

Oh good, they do have faces! (source: Guineapigcages.com)

The Peruvian originated from Latin America, but were developed by English and French guinea pig breeders. They can come in a variety of colors:

That's a lot of colors! (source: ACBA)

Their top coat can reach two feet long, and their under coat can reach 7 inches long. Unlike American Shorthair guinea pigs (like Broccoli and Lola), Peruvians require a lot of hair trims. Although some websites recommend daily brushing of Peruvians, some Peruvians absolutely hate it, and you are probably better off just sticking to regular trimmings. Regular trimmings can help prevent waste and bedding sticking to their fur.

Look how long that hair gets! (source: guineapigheaven.com)

Hey, you! Get a hair cut! (source: The Wheekly Reader)

In addition to having to worry about keeping their fur clean, Peruvians are also more susceptible to heat stroke than other breeds.

Clearly, Peruvians are a little more work than the average guinea pig, but some humans find their big mop of fur to be irresistible. If you're one of these humans, be aware that this is an uncommon breed, so you might need to search a bit to find one. As we've said before, adopting a guinea pig is much, much better than buying from a pet store. Peruvians do turn up occasionally on Petfinder (for examples, see: Ivy, Marley, Ringo Star, and Lumi). You can also check Craigslist and your local guinea pig rescue. In fact, as of the time we're writing this, there's a Peruvian named Casimir at our local rescue who needs a good home!

Here's a Peruvian eating some parsley:

Have you ever owned a Peruvian? If so, let us know about your experiences in the comments section. We love to see pictures, too, if you want to share!

More Information on Texels!

Hi readers, this is Buffy. I know we've already told you a little bit about texels, but there's more you should know about us! For example:

• Texels are prone to getting hay tangled up in our fur. Fur trims can help prevent this.
• Texels (and certain other guinea pig breeds) are more prone to entropion, a condition where the eyelashes of newborns turn inward and irritate the eye. This can be treated with a sterile eye lubricant.
• It is important to keep the hind leg nails of your texel clipped because if we scratch ourselves with long nails, we can pull hair out or start a tangle.

So we're perhaps a little more work than your average short-haired guinea pig, but we're totally worth it!

Does everyone remember Gloria, the texel I got to meet when we when to the pignic? Well, while we're on the subject of texels, the Metropolitan Guinea Pig rescue recently released a new video of her that I feel I have to share:

Shaved Guinea Pig Baby Hippo

There's an image that's been making the rounds on Facebook recently which you may have seen:

That's also not how you spell "guinea pig."

That's not a shaved guinea pig, by the way. That's a breed of guinea pig called a skinny pig. Skinny pigs originated as a crossbreed between a laboratory breed called an IAF Hairless and another breed called a Teddy in the early 1980s. It is a misconception that skinny pigs are somehow less healthy, although they do require some special care. The right temperature for skinny pigs is 75 - 79°F, a little higher than ordinary guinea pigs prefer. Skinny pigs need to eat more food in order to maintain their body temperature. Cozies are also important for skinny pigs to maintain their body temperature. You may want to use coconut oil on your skinny pig's skin once a week. Skinny pig skin can be sensitive, so some prefer to be pet on their heads where they have hair. Skinny pigs should not be confused with Baldwins, which are another hairless guinea pig breed.

If you happen to see someone post this image on Facebook, make sure that they know that this is a skinny pig. Long-haired guinea pigs like Buffy do need an occasional trim, but as the Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue pointed out, "it would be a truly torturous thing to shave a guinea pig this close."

Guinea Pig Breeds: Texels

In 1980, an English breeder combined a Silkie and a Rex to create Texels. Texels were recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association in 1998.

There are a few things you should know about caring for a Texel:

• Our backs may be sensitive, so we might not like being pet as much as other breeds.
• Some people say Texels should be brushed daily, although many Texels hate that. If you do brush your Texel, you should be careful not to stretch out and ruin our ringlets with the brush. Texels may get used to being brushed over time. Alternatively, you can run your finger through their fur and untangle any knots you find.
• Like all long-hair breeds, we need to washed regularly. We recommend using Gorgeous Guineas.
• We need to get our fur trimmed regularly around our backsides. Otherwise, waste may stick to it, and this could lead to infection.

 Do you think I need another fur trim? 

Texels are just normal guinea pigs, except cuter.