NZ Unique & Rare Guinea Pigs: Downloadable Resource Hub

Welcome to our Resource Hub

Welcome to the ultimate educational downloadable resource hub for New Zealand’s pedigree, rare, unique and heritage cavy breeds.  This centralized resource page is designed for everyone who is interested in helping our Kiwi breeds.

Education is our most powerful tool in the fight to preserve New Zealand's unique and rare cavy breeds.  By downloading, printing, and sharing these official materials, you help raise vital public awareness, counter harmful breed biases, and support ethical preservation breeding across the country.  Feel free to print these files for local pet shops, veterinary clinics, school science displays, A&P shows, or to hand out at your next independent cavy club event.

Our mission, with all the Independent Cavy Clubs is to safeguard the genetic diversity and rich history of New Zealand's unique cavy fancy.  Below, you will find breed profile posters and the cavy club brochure available for immediate download.  Bookmark this page, as our library expands alongside our ongoing preservation efforts.

Preserving New Zealand’s rare and unique guinea pig breeds cannot be done in isolation.  Please share offline and online to those who could be interested.

New Zealand Plume & Peruvian Breed Profile Posters

The New Zealand Plume and the New Zealand Peruvian are two pillars of Kiwi breeding innovation, tracing their roots back to the dawn of our domestic cavy fancy in 1976. Developed locally when imported bloodlines were strictly limited, these heritage breeds showcase decades of meticulous selective linebreeding by passionate breeders.

While both capture attention with their dramatic coats, they present entirely different visual masterpieces on the show bench:

• The New Zealand Plume is an architectural roughcoat variety.  It features a crisp, upright, 1cm mohawk-style ridge running down the shoulders, culminating in a dramatic, high-arched "rooster tail" at the rump.

• The New Zealand Peruvian is a triumph of long-haired density and radial flow.  Unlike the imported English Peruvian with its central parting, the unique Kiwi variant focuses on immense coat volume, cascading outward in a flawless, unbroken full circle from a single, dominant center-back rosette.

Tweed & Panda Breed Profile Posters

The Panda and the Tweed represent the incredible evolution of colour and texture within New Zealand's cavy fancy.  Both of these highly distinct varieties were originally created and stabilized right here in New Zealand by renowned cavy judge and breeder Christa Krey of Lessentine Cavy Stud. Through her decades of meticulous linebreeding, these complex genetic traits were successfully transformed into stable, recognized show-standard breeds.  Rather than random color variations, both the Panda and Tweed require rigorous, calculated pairing based on Christa Krey's foundational work to maintain their striking visual characteristics. They stand as proud examples of local innovation, proving that New Zealand continues to pioneer beautiful cavy varieties.

Bonnet Breed Profile Poster & Cavy Club Poster

The loss of the Bonnet serves as a powerful, sobering warning to the entire Kiwi cavy fancy. It proves that without vigilant protection, decades of dedicated local breeding history can vanish in an instant. Today, the NZ Unique and Rare Guinea Pigs Club acts as a definitive shield to ensure our remaining kiwi breeds - the New Zealand Plume, New Zealand Peruvian, Panda, and Tweed never suffer the same fate.  Backed by Independent Cavy Clubs, we are fiercely dedicated to celebrating our heritage, fighting overseas breed bias, and providing the show benches where these beautiful living treasures can be preserved for generations to come.