The Abyssinian is a breed of

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...

that is relatively common as both a

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

and show animal. The Abyssinian is set apart from other breeds of guinea pig by its coat, which is marked with radially growing swirls or

cowlick A cowlick is a section of human hair that stands straight up or lies at an angle at odds with the style in which the rest of an individual's hair is worn. The most common site of a human cowlick is in the crown, but they can appear anywhere on t ...

s of hair referred to as rosettes.

History

The Abyssinian is one of the oldest guinea pig breeds. Despite its name, it did not originate in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, but rather appears to be of

Incan The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...

origin. It drew much attention as an exhibition cavy in

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed th ...

due to its unique coat.

Characteristics

The Abyssinian is set apart from other

s by its unique coat. The hair of an Abyssinian is approximately an inch and a half long and is marked with swirls of hair known as

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

s. Abyssinians must have even-numbered rosettes. On a show quality Abyssinian, there will be eight or ten distinct rosettes: one on each shoulder, two or four on the back, one on each hip, and two on the rump. The fur comes in many colors and patterns, including self, tortoiseshell, brindle, and part-color. However, it is difficult to breed an Abyssinian with ideal rosettes, and many pet-quality cavies have imperfect coats. An Abyssinian also requires special grooming due to the unique nature of its coat. The Abyssinian is described as being more energetic than most other cavy breeds, but easier to train due to its inquisitive nature.

Health

The Abyssinian requires frequent brushing to keep its coat from becoming tangled.

Roan

Two roan Abyssinians should not be bred, because they will produce offspring with genetic problems linked to the white gene that produces the coloration. A roan Abyssinian can be safely bred to any other color, however.

References

{{Reflist Guinea pigs Mammal breeds

History

Characteristics

Health

Roan

See also

References