How Many Guinea Pig Breeds Are There?
The question of pedigree is a hard one to answer. Just as with domestic cats and dogs, there are a lot of different breeds of guinea pigs, but not all are recognized by governing organizations. In North America, the American Cavy Breeders Association holds power, while the UK has its British Cavy Council. There are a few more such bodies, but to the ordinary pet keeper those things do not particularly matter. What most people want to know when asking about guinea pig breeds are the different descriptions and aesthetic characteristics. There are about a dozen or so named breeds. Because many of these breeds have “ideal” characteristics in contrast to the natural variability of actual characteristics, confusion may arise. For the sake of argument, we will skip most of the talk on rosettes and focus on the hair length and characteristics as the main points of differentiation. The body shapes of guinea pigs are similar across all breeds, unlike with dogs and cats where one breed can look v
