Marked Cavies in Australia can fall under 10 different pattern varieties and there are different colour combinations in each variety. The marked varieties are Bi-Colour, Brindle, Dalmatian, Dutch, Himalayan, Tri-Colour, Roan, Sable, Harlequin and Magpie. 

Bi-Colours can come in any two Self or Ticked colours. Brindle cavies have black and red hairs evenly intermixed all over. Himalayans can come in Black or Chocolate and will always have pink eyes. Dalmatian cavies can come in any Self or Ticked colours however in Victoria, Black Dalmatians are the most prevalent. Dutch cavies can come in all Self and Ticked colours, there is a wide variety of Dutch breeds in Victoria. Tri-Colour cavies have three colours on their body, ideally evenly patched in a chequerboard pattern of square cut patches of White and any other Self or Ticked colour. Black, Red and White Tri-Colours are known as Tortoiseshell & White. Roan cavies can come in any Self colour and have evenly mixed white hairs throughout their coat with a solid head and feet. Sable cavies are a sepia brown that fades on the chest and flanks. Harlequin cavies patterned with black and yellow patches and then intermixed. Magpie cavies are similar to Harlequins but with either black and white colouration or chocolate and white. 

As of 2025 there are no Harlequin or Magpie cavies in Victoria currently. 

Self cavies are shorthaired and one solid colour over their entire body. Self cavies can come in either pink eyed or dark eyed versions in certain colours. In Australia, self cavies come in the following colours Dark Eyed & Pink Eyed White, Dark Eyed & Pink Eyed Cream, Dark or Pink Eyed Buff, Dark or Pink Eyed Golden, Red, Beige, Chocolate, Lilac, Slate and Black.

Crested cavies are a shorthair cavy with a single deep rosette on their forehead, located between the eyes and ears, giving the appearance of a crest. Crested cavies can come in all the self colour variations as well as both marked and ticked varieties. In Australia, there are two sub breeds relating to the crest colour; the English Crested or American Crested. English Crested have a crest the same colour as the rest of the body of the cavy while American Crested will always have a contrasting white crest on the coloured body.

Ticked cavies have ticking that covers the whole body, other than the belly, which consists of two colours on the hair shaft. There are to be no patches of white or any other colour on the body. Short sharp ticking gives these cavies a slight shimmer and stunning appearance. The belly should be the same colour as the rest of the body but the hair shaft is tipped giving a more brightly coloured belly. The base colour is always darker than the contrasting ticking colour. There are two varieties within the ticked group which is due to the different eye colour. Agouti are the dark eyed ticked cavy while Argentes are the pink eyed ticked cavy. Agouti is the original wild colouration of cavies.

Coarsecoat cavies in Australia come in two breeds; Abyssinian & Rex. They are two very different breeds easily identifiable due to their unique coat types.  Coarsecoats are not defined by colours or patterns and can come in any range. Abyssinian are a cobby breed of cavy with deep rosettes specifically located over the rump, hip, back and sides creating a pointy silhouette with ridges present on the cavy. Rex cavy are one of the largest breeds in Australia and have a crimped stiff coat with no rosettes. The coat resembles a brillo pad and should be short dense and springy with great texture.

Longhaired cavies in Australia are divided into seven breeds, being defined on rosette placement and hair type; rexed or straight. Longhaired cavy breeds should grow an inch of hair a month. Alpacas are a rexed coated longhaired cavy with two rosettes on the rump, pushing the hair forward so it grows around the cavy in a full even circle. Peruvians have the same rosette and hair placement but have a smooth hair gene. Texels have no rosettes on their body, resulting in their growing around their body in a U shape. Shelties are the smooth haired version of texels. Coronets (smooth haired) and Merinos (rexed hair) are the same coat presentation as a Texel or Sheltie but with a crest on their forehead.  Lastly, Shebas are an Australian specific breed that are smooth haired but have multiple non-uniform rosettes creating a tousled look.

Australia has had a closed gene pool for almost 30 years with no cavies being imported into the country. This means that unfortunately there are some breeds and colours that are unavailable in Australia. Please be aware if someone is offering you one of the following cavy breeds then they are either uneducated or could potentially be a scam.

The following are common international cavy breeds that cannot be found or created in the Australian  gene pool.

The Baldwin mutation has just appeared in Australia over the last few years but is still very uncommon. They are not a registered or recognised breed by the Australian National Cavy Council and are considered Unstardardised currently. Baldwin cavies are born fully furred but then lose it gradually over time resulting a in a hairless cavy.  There are a handful of Baldwins in Victoria but are not available to the public right now. You may be able to see one at a club show as they are an unusual sight.