The Teddy is defined by a short, dense coat of kinked hairs that stand up from the body, giving exactly the plush stuffed-toy look the name promises.
The breed arose from a spontaneous recessive mutation in United States stock in the 1960s, and the coat stays short for life, so it never needs the trims and daily grooming a Peruvian demands.
Many Teddies also show the breed's slightly broader, gently arched profile, often called a Roman nose.
It is easy to confuse with the Rex, a separate breed whose similar springy coat comes from a different gene — crossing the two produces smooth-coated pups — but the day-to-day care is the same either way.
Under the fur a Teddy is a standard cavy: a gentle, vocal herd animal that must live with at least one companion and needs far more space and daily work than its cuddly appearance suggests.
Housing
House at least two together.
Welfare bodies set a minimum of about 0.7 square metres (7.5 sq ft) of floor for a pair, but aim for 1 square metre (10.5 sq ft) or more.
Use a solid floor with soft, low-dust bedding, never wire mesh, which injures feet, and give each pig its own hide to defuse squabbles.
The upright coat picks up hay, shavings, and dust more readily than a smooth American coat, so fleece liners and a hay rack keep it noticeably cleaner.
Keep the enclosure indoors at 18-23C (64-73F), away from drafts, and treat heat above 26C (79F) as dangerous.
Guinea pigs need ground-level floor space rather than height, plus daily supervised time outside the cage.
Diet
Unlimited grass hay must form the bulk of the diet, wearing down continuously growing teeth and keeping the gut moving.
Add a measured portion of plain guinea-pig pellets and a daily mix of fresh vegetables.
Like all guinea pigs, Teddies cannot make their own vitamin C and develop scurvy without a daily source, so feed vitamin-rich vegetables such as bell pepper alongside stabilised pellets or a supplement given directly.
Do not dose vitamin C through the water bottle, where it degrades within hours and can put pigs off drinking.
Provide constant fresh water and avoid muesli mixes, sugary fruit, and sudden diet changes.
Health
The Teddy quirk is dry skin: the breed runs drier than smooth-coated cavies, so bathe rarely if ever and ask a vet about persistent flakiness rather than washing more.
Teddies are also known for building up ear wax faster than other breeds, so check and gently clean the outer ears regularly.
Part the dense coat weekly to look for mites, fungal patches, and trapped debris the fur can hide.
Otherwise the breed shares the standard cavy problems: scurvy, dental malocclusion, respiratory infections, bladder stones, ovarian cysts, and bumblefoot from poor flooring.
Any guinea pig that stops eating is a medical emergency, because gut stasis kills quickly.
Weigh weekly and keep an exotics-savvy vet on hand.
Temperament
Teddies have a reputation as one of the mellowest guinea-pig breeds, tolerating calm handling well once trust is built.
They are still timid prey animals that hate being grabbed from above, so approach low, slow, and predictably.
They wheek at feeding time, purr when content, and popcorn when excited, and they clearly recognise their keepers.
They do best with routine, quiet surroundings, and the company of their own kind; a Teddy kept alone becomes stressed and withdrawn no matter how much human attention it gets.
A good fit for
Families wanting a cuddly-looking, mellow breed
First-time cavy keepers able to house a pair
People who want the plush look without long-coat grooming
Owners committed to daily fresh food and vitamin C
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