| This is the list of eleven accepted breeds of cavies as defined by the
American Cavy Breeders Association. |
ABYSSINIAN | SATIN
ABYSSINIAN | AMERICAN |
AMERICAN SATIN |
| PERUVIAN |
PERUVIAN SATIN | SILKIE |
SILKIE SATIN | TEDDY |
| TEDDY SATIN |
WHITE CRESTED | VARIETIES |
ABYSSINIAN (or ABY): A challenging breed, having a rough,
short coat arranged in rosettes (swirls or cowlicks). The ideal Aby has
ten rosettes, evenly positioned over his entire body.
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SATIN ABYSSINIAN: The standard is similar to the normal coated
Abyssinian except its coat consists of hollow hair shafts giving it a
very shiny appearance not unlike that of satin.
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AMERICAN: The classic short, smooth-coated cavy. Purebred Americans
look much different than what you may have seen in pet shops; the
Standard calls for a wide Roman nose and solid cobby body shape, with a
soft, glossy coat.
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AMERICAN SATIN: The standard is about the same as for the American
except for the high sheen the coat must carry. The hair on this animal
also consists of the hollow hair shaft which produces the
"satin" appearance.
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PERUVIAN: Sometimes called the royalty of the cavy world, the
Peruvian has a long, silky coat which falls forward over its face.
Raising Peruvians takes patience, since the coat must be groomed
regularly and wrapped up out of the cavy's way when it is in its cage.
The coat, when grown out and groomed, should form a circular shape.
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PERUVIAN SATIN: The coat consists of the hollow hair shaft which
produces a "satiny" shine. The standard is like that of the
normal coated Peruvian with the exception of points awarded for degree
of shine.
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SILKIE: Similar to the Peruvian in appearance, the Silkie is
genetically an American with long hair. The main difference from the
Peruvian is that the Silkie's hair grows back and away from its face.
Like the Peruvian, the Silkie also requires careful grooming and
wrapping. The coat of the Silkie, when properly groomed, should form a
teardrop shape.
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SILKIE SATIN: The standard is the same as for the normal coated
Silkie with the exception of the hollow hair shaft which produces a
"satiny" shine and for which there are points awarded.
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TEDDY: Named for the teddy bear it resembles, the Teddy cavy has a
short, dense, kinky coat that gives a feeling of resiliency when pressed
with the open palm.
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TEDDY SATIN: Again, the hollow hair shaft produces the
"satiny" appearance on which points are awarded. Otherwise,
the standard of perfection is like that of the Teddy.
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WHITE CRESTED: Similar to the American, but have a single white
rosette placed in the center of the forehead. To add to the uniqueness
of the Crested, the Standard calls for no white hair to appear anywhere
else on the body.
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VARIETIES: There are commonly 23 accepted varieties or colors of
cavy: Beige, black, blue, chocolate, cream, lilac, red-eyed orange, red,
white, dilute agouti, golden agouti, silver agouti, solid dilute, solid
golden, solid silver, brindle, roan, broken color, dalmation, dutch,
himalayan, tortoise shell and tortoise shell and white. The White
Crested cavy can have no white hair on the body other than the crest;
therefore, patterns with white in them are not accepted for this breed.
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