Site Content

Peruvian guinea pigs are curious, cheerful, and attentive. They have the longest fur out of all guinea pig breeds and can grow up to 20 inch (50 cm) in length if you let it. You could class them as the “hippies” of the guinea pig world. Their coats are especially soft, silky, dense, smooth, and bouncy. Peruvians have long hair on their heads, so it is not always easy to see which end is which. These guinea pigs have a parting on their backs that divides their delicate locks along the spine line so that they fall to the sides. Two whorls, or rosettes, on the hips force the fur forwards, creating the characteristic bangs for a cheeky look.

Shelties (also known as Silkie ) are very popular guinea pigs and one of my favorite breeds, along with the Texel and the American, these are among the smallest breeds. Shelties are like Peruvian guinea pigs without whorls. They have long, straight, soft, silky fur. The short fur on their heads looks like someone has used hair gel to style their bangs (please do not get any ideas - that would be very dangerous for the guinea pig!). They do not have a parting and - unlike Peruvians - their hair does not fall into their faces, but onto their necks. Shelties also have cute little “sideburns”. By the way: if you look at a Shelties from above, it will look like a teardrop. Shelties are very even-tempered and calm animals and you can see a picture of one of mine in the top left of this page. 

Texel guinea pigs were bred by crossing the long-haired  Shelties  and the curly Rex. Their fur is short and curly on their heads. This makes it easy to see the Rex in the Texel. Their fur is beautifully long on their bodies and forms gorgeous curls. The fur is soft and bouncy and curls into tight corkscrew curls that hang from the guinea pig’s body like a walking perm or for Star Wars fans little Ewoks. Texels don’t have any whorls, or rosettes. If a Texel had a whorl on its forehead, you’d call it a Merino. The Texel is a newer breed that was developed in England in the 1980s. It is still rare but has been officially recognized since 1998. As mentioned before these are among the smallest guinea pig breeds. Texels are very curious, friendly, and active when they are young. The older they get, the calmer and quieter they get.

The Alpaca guinea pig could be described as a Peruvian with curls, as it has long curly fur. This guinea pig breed is quite rare and makes a nice addition to anyone’s group. Many guinea pig fans think that Alpacas are among the most beautiful guinea pigs especially as babies. The Alpaca comes from the Peruvian guinea pig and is often mistaken for a Texel. What differentiates the two is their bangs. The Alpaca has bangs that hang forwards. The Texel has no bangs and the short hair on its head falls backwards.  I like to call the curls like dreadlocks unlike the 80's perm of the Texel.

The cute Coronet is a long haired guinea pig breed that has a striking resemblance to the Silkie Guinea Pig. The former, however, has a rosette or coronet in the middle of its head, hence the name. This also gives the appearance of big busy eyebrows which is great ...  As a hybrid between the Silkie guinea pig and a crested cavy, it makes sense that the key physical traits of a coronet will be a blend of the two.  The first trait that stands out for coronets is their long, straight fur. Its texture is smooth, and feels more like hair than a typical coat of fur.  A coronet’s second defining physical trait, and the one that gives it its name, is its crest. Unlike the white crested guinea pig, a coronet can have a crest of almost any color. However, it often is a different color from the rest of its coat.  More hair means a coronet is going to need more time being groomed. Fortunately, guinea pigs take care of much of their grooming on their own. I would however recommend  giving them a gentle but thorough brushing 1-2 times a week. This way, you will keep their long fur from clumping, knotting, or becoming overall unwieldy. So, this breed is best for owners who are ready to spend that extra time keeping their cavy tidy

I have put a page aside to help answer some of those common questions I keep on being asked, I have also added what you can and can't feed your guinea pig. This section has the most common herbs, fruit and vegetables that we can feed our guinea pigs to keep them happy and healthy.

I have put a page aside to help answer some of those more common questions that I keep on being asked, I have also added what you can and can't feed your guinea pig. This section will grow with additional questions being asked that I thing people starting off in the guinea pig world might want to know about so know how to keep their piggy happy and healthy.

I have decided when possible to create and and make some fun houses and play things to go inside hutches or in outdoor runs. These will be available to order from late 2021 and will be created for your guinea pig from someone that understands what they want and understanding what owners need to makes life easy for us in keeping and caring for them. I will also add a boarding page if you require homing your guinea pigs while your away.

I decided to add a photo gallery of guinea pigs I have had within my herds over the years, as you will see I have had some stunning guinea pigs that have given me lots of happiness during these unpredictable times.