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!

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."

Buffy goes to the vet!

Today I went to the vet to get a mani pedi and a haircut. SEAVS exotic animal vet is the absolute best in the DC/Northern Virginia area. While waiting to see the vet, I met several other animals, including two friendly guinea pigs also in for a nail trim, a sick baby hedgehog, a bird, and a bunny rabbit. I like that SEAVS doesn't allow scary predators like dogs in their office- I felt much safer.

They trimmed my nails and shaved some of my long curls so they wouldn't become too dirty.

The knowledgeable staff who took care of me.

Getting my hair done :)

Now I look and feel much better! Guinea pigs need regular nail trims, which are best left to the experts. No offense to my human, but I'd rather the professionals handle sharp grooming tools around me.

I feel like a princess! Lola is totally jealous.