By Sienna Walsh · Last updated 17 May 2026
“Guinea pig” covers about a dozen recognised breeds in the show-circuit world, plus a handful of crossbreed types you’ll see at rescues. The differences are mostly coat — temperament varies more pig-to-pig than breed-to-breed in our experience — but coat dictates grooming workload, and that matters a lot when you’re choosing.
If you’re new, the headline: short-coated breeds (American, Abyssinian, satin shorthairs) are the lowest-maintenance and the easiest first pigs. Long-coated breeds (Peruvian, Silkie, Texel, Coronet) need daily-to-near-daily grooming and regular hair-trim sessions. Hairless breeds (Skinny, Baldwin) need climate control and high-fat diets and aren’t beginner pigs.
Quick comparison table
| Breed | Coat | Grooming | Beginner-friendly | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Short, smooth | Low | Yes | 6-8 yrs |
| Abyssinian | Short with rosettes | Low-medium | Yes | 6-8 yrs |
| Peruvian | Very long, all directions | Daily | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Silkie / Sheltie | Long, swept back | Daily | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Texel | Long, curly | Daily + careful | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Coronet | Long with forehead rosette | Daily | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Teddy | Short, dense, wiry | Low | Yes | 6-8 yrs |
| Rex | Short, woolly, no guard hairs | Low-medium | Yes | 6-8 yrs |
| Crested | Short, single forehead crest | Low | Yes | 6-8 yrs |
| Skinny | Hairless (small face hair) | Skin care | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Baldwin | Hairless (born coated, sheds) | Skin care | No | 5-7 yrs |
| Lunkarya / Alpaca | Long, dense curls | Daily + careful | No | 5-7 yrs |
Short-coated breeds (start here if new)
American
The “default” guinea pig. Short, smooth coat that lies flat. Comes in every colour combination going. Calmer than the Abyssinian on average. Grooming amounts to a brush every couple of weeks and a nail trim monthly. Brilliant first-pig breed.
Abyssinian (“Abby”)
Same short length as American but with 6-10 rosettes (whorls of hair) that make them look like they’ve been through a hedge backwards. More energetic and “chatty” on average. Show-quality Abbys need careful breeding; pet-quality ones are abundant and easy to care for.
Teddy
Short, dense, wiry coat that stands away from the body — like a tiny otter or terrier. Coat doesn’t tangle, so grooming is even easier than American. Skin can get a little oily; spot-clean rather than bath unless needed.
Crested
A short-coated pig with a single white rosette on the forehead (American Crested) or a coloured crest (English Crested). Personality-wise no different from Americans. Pretty if you like the look.
Rex
Coat is short, dense, and woolly without long guard hairs, giving them a permanent “fluffed” look. Whiskers are curly. Very robust. Some Rexes shed visible loose hair more than typical — keep a lint roller handy.
Long-coated breeds (high commitment)
Peruvian
The “Wookie-pig”. Very long coat that grows continuously and falls in all directions, including forward over the face. Show Peruvians are kept on wrappers to protect coat length; pet Peruvians get a regular “haircut” to keep them practical.
Daily comb-out. Spot-clean the bottom (long coat soaks up urine). Trim the body coat to ~5cm and the bum area shorter. Skip the breed if you don’t have time for grooming sessions.
Silkie / Sheltie
Long coat that grows backwards from the head, no forelock. Easier than Peruvians because the hair doesn’t get in their eyes. Still daily grooming. Coat tangles easily — a wide-tooth metal comb is essential.
Texel
Long and curly all over. Looks like a very small angora rabbit. Beautiful, high maintenance. The curls tangle into mats faster than long straight coat. Daily grooming, careful comb-out, regular trims.
Coronet
A Silkie with a single rosette on the forehead — basically a long-coated Crested. Same grooming needs as Silkie.
Lunkarya (“Lunk”)
Scandinavian breed, long curly coat that’s even denser than the Texel. Comb-out required almost daily. Beautiful but a serious commitment.
Hairless breeds
Skinny pig
Born hairless except for a little hair on muzzle and feet. Wrinkly skin you’ll be wiping with a damp cloth weekly. Eats more than a coated pig (no coat = more metabolic heat loss). Needs warmer ambient temps and is very prone to skin damage from sharp bedding.
Baldwin
Born with full coat that sheds out over the first weeks, leaving the pig fully bald. Same care needs as Skinny.
Both are best left to experienced keepers. Indoor only, climate-controlled, soft fleece bedding, careful diet, and they’re more expensive to feed.
Crosses and rescue mixes
The pigs in most rescues are mixes — usually short-coat with occasional rosettes or partial long coat. They’re as healthy as any pedigree, often friendlier, and cost a fraction of pet-shop pigs. Always start with rescues if you can. The Sydney/Melbourne small-animal rescues alone usually have 20+ guinea pigs waiting at any time.
Common breed-specific health notes
- Hairless — skin abrasions, fungal infections, cooling/heating sensitivity
- Long-coated — coat impactions (poop stuck in coat → urine scald → fly strike), urinary scald from urine soaking long bum coat
- Abyssinian — slightly higher rate of eye injuries from “messy” rosette near eye
- All breeds — dental, URI, ovarian cysts in females over 3, bladder stones (especially in pigs fed too much calcium-heavy veg)
Picking your first pigs
Our pretty consistent advice when people email us:
- Go to a rescue. Always.
- Pick a bonded pair already living together — saves you the bonding-from-scratch headache.
- If you’re choosing between coat types, start short. Move to long-coat for your next pair if you’re hooked.
- Don’t pick by colour. The pig who comes to the front of the cage when you sit down beats the prettiest pig who hides every time.
Further reading
- American Cavy Breeders Association — official breed standards
- British Cavy Council — UK breed pages
- Our complete guinea pig care guide and food safety master list
We get asked — guinea pig food FAQ
How much fresh veg should a guinea pig eat per day?
About 1 cup of fresh vegetables per pig per day, ideally split into two meals (morning and evening). Hay should still be 80% of the diet and available unlimited. Pellets are a small daily addition, not a meal replacement.
What’s the most important nutrient for guinea pigs?
Vitamin C. Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own and must get it daily from fresh food. Bell pepper is the gold-standard source. Vitamin C in pellets oxidises within weeks of opening, so don’t rely on pellets alone. See our food safety master list for daily portion guidance.
What signs should send me to a vet?
- Not eating for 12+ hours (GI stasis — emergency)
- Not pooping (or smaller, drier poops than usual)
- Crusty eyes, wheezing, or sneezing more than once a day (URI)
- Hunched posture, fluffed coat, hiding
- Sudden weight loss (weigh weekly to catch this early)
- Blood in urine, hunching when peeing
A pig that hasn’t eaten in 12 hours is an emergency, not a “wait and see” situation. More detail in our vet warning signs pillar.
Related reading
- The complete guinea pig care guide — diet, housing, social pairs, lifespan
- Master food safety table
- Cage setup & size guide — most pet-shop cages are too small
- RSPCA UK — Guinea pig welfare standards
Portion sizes & serving rules
Across every “can guinea pigs eat X” question, the same portion-size rules apply. A piece of new food should be no larger than a thumbnail the first time, watched for soft poops or gas over the next 24 hours, then offered as part of the regular rotation if no issues. Adult guinea pigs (over 6 months) get about a cup of total fresh veg per day, divided between morning and evening — never one big plate at once.
The “5×5” rule we use: at least five different vegetables across each week, and no single veg more than five days in seven. This rotation prevents calcium build-up (parsley, kale, spinach) and stops one food becoming a fixation that displaces hay intake.
Calcium, oxalates, and bladder stones
Bladder stones are one of the most common reasons guinea pigs end up in surgery. They form when calcium-heavy diet combines with poor hydration. The high-calcium foods you should rotate rather than feed daily:
- Parsley (very high)
- Kale (high)
- Spinach (high — also high oxalates)
- Mustard greens, dandelion greens, beet greens
- Mineral-rich pellets if your tap water is hard
The fix is straightforward: rotate, don’t accumulate. Two days of parsley followed by five days of romaine and bell pepper keeps the calcium load moderate. Filtered water for households with very hard tap water.
Three quick checks before any new food
- Sugar / starch content. Sugary or starchy foods cause gut bacteria imbalances. Limit fruits to 2-3x a week as treats; same for high-starch roots.
- Calcium load. If you’ve been feeding lots of kale/parsley, today is a cucumber day.
- Pesticide residue. Wash everything. Skip waxy supermarket fruits if you can’t peel them.
When to stop and call a vet
Symptoms within 24 hours of a new food that warrant a call:
- No or markedly fewer poops
- Soft, mushy, smelly poops
- Reduced appetite for hay
- Hunched posture, fluffed coat, hiding more than usual
- Drooling or food-dropping (potential dental + diet interaction)
- Bloated, hard belly
Stop offering the suspect food, increase hay, monitor closely. If symptoms last more than 12 hours, that’s a vet call. Our team’s full reference list of warning signs lives in the vet warning signs pillar.
Page last updated 17 May 2026. We re-check our pet-care content regularly and update when something changes.
