Guinea pigs belong to the Caviidae household, generally known as a sort of rodent species, Cavia. Most guinea pigs hint again to the Andean montane guinea pig. With this info, the guinea pig initially got here from Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.
It’s believed that guinea pigs have been domesticated by the Incas in 5000 BC. They bred guinea pigs as pets and different assets. By the 1600s, the Spanish, Dutch, and English introduced guinea pigs to Europe to be bred and saved as pets.
Though many domesticated guinea pigs heat our hearts and houses, there are nonetheless wild guinea pigs. At the moment, we’ll talk about the rarest breeds and their origins.
Prime 7 Uncommon Guinea Pigs
1. The Montane Guinea Pig – Cavia Tschudii
First on the listing are montane guinea pigs. It’s believed that each one breeds of domesticated guinea pigs originated from the Montane Guinea Pig, amongst different breeds just like the Brazilian Guinea.
The Montane Guinea Pig is a wild ancestor who inhabits the areas of South America within the excessive Andes. They like rocky areas with coarse vegetation about 2,000 to three,800 meters above sea stage.
Montanes are a smaller guinea pig breed that appears much like a squirrel with no tail. They seem reddish brown with darkish grey underbellies and common a complete size of roughly 10 inches.
2. Quick-Haired Peruvian
Upon first look of the Quick-Haired Peruvian Guinea, chances are you’ll surprise why it’s referred to as Quick- Haired Peruvian when their hair doesn’t look brief. Lengthy-Haired Peruvian fur can develop as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) lengthy.
Quick-Haired Peruvian guineas are native to Peru, and, like its title, resided in Argentina and Bolivia. Finally, they made their approach to the UK and are one of many oldest breeds of the Cavia household.
Quick-Haired Peruvians vary in colours from browns, black, reds, grays, and multi-colored and have essentially the most prolonged lifespan of the guinea pig household: 12 to 14 years.
3. The Irish Crested Guinea/Bonnett
The Irish Crested Guinea Pig, generally known as the Bonnett Guinea, is much like the Quick-Haired Peruvian Guinea. The principle distinction is Quick-Haired Peruvians have two whorls on their hips, and the Irish Crested have two whorls in the course of their again.
There are additionally two different breeds of crested guinea pigs: the American and English Crested. The precise distinction between the three is the variety of whorls on the again and the scale of the mohawk every has. The Irish Crested piggie’s mohawk reaches the center of its brow, falling between its ears.
4. The Argente Guinea Pig
Argentes are uncommon due to their distinct hair sample. Much like the Agouti, the Argentine Guinea Pig has a ticking sample. Nonetheless, not like the Agouti and different guinea pig breeds, the Argente has multi-colored ticking patterns on every hair, making a dual-colored impact.
What’s fascinating about Argentes is that they solely are available in mild colours starting from white to golden beige. You possibly can discover them out of a crowd essentially the most based mostly on their brilliant reddish-pink eyes. Argentes are a more recent breed, which can be why they’re labeled as uncommon.
5. The Texel Guinea
The Texel Guinea Pig is a uncommon crossbreed of the British Rex and the Silkie. They have been first bred in England, however for the reason that late 1900s, they’ve been globally generally known as a acknowledged breed. Texels have been bred for a cause to take part in exhibits at exhibitions, so that they turned recognized for being well-known cavy celebrities.
Texels are usually shorter than other guinea pigs (as much as 8 inches lengthy) however they’re most well-known for his or her lengthy curly wool coat look, which means they have to be groomed extra typically than different guinea pigs.
Texel Guinea Pigs are available in many colours, together with pure white, golden brown, and black. Although, it’s not unusual to come back throughout a multi-colored Texel.
6. The Swiss Teddy Guinea Pig
Just like the Santa Catarina Guinea Pig, the Swiss Teddy is one other extraordinarily uncommon guinea pig. Once more, what makes the Swiss Teddy Guinea Pig so uncommon is its bodily look. Their adorable and striking appearance resembles coarse, dense, and medium-length (2.4 inches), extraordinarily curly fur.
What separates the Teddy breed from the opposite guineas of the world is that there aren’t any whorls or rosettes although some Teddys have distinctive crests on high of their head. Sadly, Teddy breeds reside a shorter lifespan of 4 to six years.
A enjoyable truth about Swiss Teddy Guinea Pigs is that they have been created by crossbreeding an Abyssinian with an American Guinea.
7. Santa Catarina – Cavia Intermedia
The rarest rodent on this planet, the Santa Catarina guinea pig is uncommon resulting from their inhabitants dimension: 24 to 60 people left worldwide. Santa Catarina is exclusive as a result of it’s presumably the one species of guinea pigs that also reside within the wild which might be native and originate from the sting of South America.
You possibly can spot the Santa Catarina rodent on a coastal Island of Moleques do Sul Archipelago within the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The Santa Catarina Guinea is endangered resulting from pure disasters and searching habits. Additionally, the small Island of just about 10 acres doesn’t make it simple for them to repopulate and develop.
Last Phrases
Guinea pigs have been round for hundreds of years and have been native to much of Peru and Argentina. What most uncommon guinea pigs have in frequent is their hair coloration and look. It’s uncommon to discover a Teddy or Texel Guinea Pig relatively than the American Quick-Haired Guinea that’s out there in most pet shops.
Whereas there are different breeds, just like the Crested Guinea Pigs, the Tuxedo, or the Coronet Guinea Pigs, which fall underneath the uncommon class, the principle variations are look and coloration patterns.
Nearly all guinea pigs are domesticated and adopted as pets, and maybe the rarest guinea pigs are discovered within the wild, just like the Santa Catarina.
Featured Picture Credit score: Arcady, Shutterstock
