In this case, you can anticipate that all the baby guinea pigs will resemble their father, displaying the characteristic rosettes of the Abyssinian, simply because this coat pattern is genetically dominant. You will probably notice a slight difference in appearance though, between them and true Abyssinians.

Short-coated guinea pigs have softer hair than Abyssinians, whose coat has a more wiry texture. As a result, this is like to cause the rosettes of your baby guinea pigs to lie flatter than those of pure Abyssinians.

This also explains why self (single-coloured) Abyssinians are less common than other varieties such as the popular tortoiseshell or brindle forms. The coats in these two varieties stand up better than in selfs, because their fur is coarser.

Tortoiseshell Abyssinians (as seen) have evident red and black patterning sometimes in combination with white, whereas in the case of brindles, these colours are mixed together in the coat. When red predominates, such guinea pigs are described as lightly brindled, but those with mainly black coats are said to be heavily brindled. Abyssinian breeders have to be patient though, because it can take up to 18 months for the coat to develop to its full extent.