Like each different animal, guinea pigs must sleep. Nonetheless, they don’t sleep in the identical approach as people or different predator species. Guinea pigs are prey animals, which implies they must be cautious about how, when, and the place they go to sleep!
You don’t must do something to create a guinea pig sleep schedule or make certain your piggies sleep–they’ll try this on their very own, and generally you may not even discover them sleeping with their eyes open!
On this article, we’ll talk about all there may be to find out about guinea pig sleep, together with what number of hours guinea pigs sleep, when guinea pigs sleep, and extra!
Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
One frequent query guinea pig house owners have is, why do guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open?
There’s truly a extremely good purpose behind this. As a prey animal, a guinea pig’s intuition is to at all times know their environment. They should know if there are predators round, in spite of everything!
Because of this, guinea pigs usually sleep with their eyes extensive open. Typically they’re even upright on their ft, and the one technique to inform they’re sleeping is that they’re standing very nonetheless.
Nonetheless, you may also spot your fur infants sleeping with their eyes closed once they really feel very comfy and secure. Not like some animals that may’t shut their eyes in any respect, guinea pigs do have eyelids.
How A lot Do Guinea Pigs Sleep?
Guinea pigs typically sleep between 4-6 hours a day, however not . As a substitute, they take small naps all through the day and night time. These naps may be as quick as 5 to fifteen minutes!
This is the reason you by no means wish to maintain your guinea pigs in a small cage or hutch for sleeping, as a result of they don’t sleep as many hours as people, nor like we do.
Retaining them in a small enclosure gained’t make them sleep, however it is going to make them very bored and unable to run round like they need to.
Guinea pigs should at all times be in an enclosure that meets or exceeds the minimal for his or her herd dimension. The one exceptions to this are medical (corresponding to a piggy who’s not meant to maneuver round whereas therapeutic from a surgical procedure) or very non permanent (corresponding to for ten minutes when you clear their cage).
Do Guinea Pigs Sleep at Evening?
Guinea pigs aren’t nocturnal or diurnal. This implies they don’t sleep primarily in the course of the day or night time. As a substitute, they sleep in small bursts all through the day and night time.
To them, it doesn’t matter if it’s gentle or darkish–although they are going to choose to sleep in shadowed areas corresponding to of their hides, as this makes them really feel secure from predators. Bear in mind, a guinea pig’s essential predators are birds of prey, so that they prefer to be hidden from above.
Guinea pigs do thrive on a day-night cycle like they’d get within the wild, so it is very important flip the lights off at night time and let the sunshine in in the course of the day. Nonetheless, your guinea pigs gained’t sleep at night time on schedule such as you may anticipate out of your canine or cat.
You additionally shouldn’t cowl your guinea pigs’ cage up for the night time, as this could stop their cage from having correct air flow. This could result in odor build-up, respiratory points, warmth stroke, and even suffocation.
Lastly, don’t put your guinea pigs right into a smaller enclosure for the night time. They gained’t sleep all of this time, so it’s simply as neglectful as protecting them in a too-small enclosure in the course of the daytime.
Why is My Guinea Pig Sleeping So A lot?
Guinea pigs might sleep greater than typical due to previous age or sickness. In case your guinea pig’s sleeping habits have modified all of the sudden, carry them to an skilled unique pet veterinarian instantly.
As prey animals, guinea pigs conceal their diseases, so it’s necessary to maintain an in depth eye on them to detect signs. And when you see a symptom, like sleeping greater than typical, it’s necessary that they see a veterinarian shortly.
Illness can progress in a short time in piggies and catching diseases early may be lifesaving!
Guinea Pig Sleeping Positions and Their Meanings
- Guinea pigs sleeping on their ft with their eyes open are looking out for predators! This doesn’t essentially imply they really feel unsafe, simply that they aren’t sleeping very deeply.
- Guinea pigs sleeping on their aspect with their eyes closed really feel very secure. This can be a weak place for a piggy, so it is best to really feel particular in the event that they sleep like this in your lap or once you’re close by! Their stomach is uncovered they usually aren’t in a position to search for threats.
- When a number of guinea pigs sleep shut collectively, this could imply that they’re shut to at least one one other and have a superb bond. It additionally may imply that they’re frightened or chilly.
- Guinea pigs sleeping with their head down may be making an attempt to protect their eyes from the sunshine, or simply making an attempt to get comfy whereas they sleep.
Can I Sleep With My Guinea Pig?
Please, by no means sleep along with your guinea pig! Whereas it looks like a cute concept (who wouldn’t wish to cuddle up with their piggies at night time?), it’s very harmful in observe.
The primary menace is that you just’re loads greater than a guinea pig. In case you transfer in your sleep, you would squish them!
Your guinea pig additionally gained’t sleep by way of the night time such as you, so that they’re going to be transferring throughout. Chances are high, they gained’t keep the place you set them till morning.
Guinea pigs are small and delicate, so leaping or falling off of your mattress can injure them. They’ll additionally get into all kinds of hassle free-roaming round your home. They’ll munch on issues they shouldn’t eat like electrical cords or poisonous substances, get damage by different pets within the dwelling, or get misplaced in small crevices round the home.
General, it’s simply not secure to let your guinea pig sleep with you. It’s additionally not sanitary or sensible.
Guinea pigs have very quick digestive techniques which can be consistently transferring, that means you’ll must carry their hay and water to mattress with you as properly in order that they will eat and drink. In any other case, they may undergo from GI stasis after going all night time lengthy with out meals.
They’ll additionally spend that point pooping and peeing in your mattress, or wherever they find yourself wandering to when you’re asleep. That wouldn’t be enjoyable to scrub up within the morning!
We hope this text has taught you extra about your guinea pigs’ sleeping habits! How do your piggies sleep?