Lily Miller Guinea pigs often sleep with their eyes open. In the wild, wolves and hawks would be able to see them sleeping, allowing them to easily capture them. Therefore, the majority of guinea pigs keep their eyes open while they sleep rather than closing them to ensure that they are aware of any potential dangers.
What led to all of this, then? What’s up with guinea pigs’ eyes appearing to be wide open all the time? Let’s explore together:
Table of Contents
Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open? Why?
Owning a guinea pig is always unusual. The guinea pig’s sleeping patterns are the only distinction between this pet and others. Because they have never been pet before and don’t feel secure enough to sleep, new guinea pigs exhibit this behavior more frequently.
It all depends on the comfort level of the guinea pig. If the guinea pig is content enough in its cage, its sleep pattern shifts to eyes closed. Due to its evolutionary change, the eyelids of the guinea pig do not close very much. In the wild, guinea pigs were regularly targeted by predators, so they learned to keep an eye out. In order to be aware of any threats nearby, they kept their eyelids open even while sleeping. As a result, even after domestication, guinea pigs are perpetually on guard and keep their eyes open even while they sleep. This behavior developed into a habit that was passed on to subsequent generations of the species. Since they were domesticated 1,000 years ago, guinea pigs are no longer found naturally in the wild. A guinea pig can still be found in a home, even though they have some relatives in the wild.
A guinea pig constantly craves human attention, and even though they are relaxed, their natural instinct makes them alert. The guinea pig will occasionally close its eyes when it feels secure, but this rare occurrence only happens very infrequently. A guinea pig sleeping with its eyes open is actually quite fascinating to observe.
Guinea Pigs to Sleep With Their Eyes Open: is It Normal?
Even though it is fairly common for guinea pigs to do so, the pet owner may initially find it startling.
Eyes rarely close in guinea pigs, according to reports. The majority of the time, guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open; only very rarely, when they feel secure, will they close their eyes and drift off to sleep. You can assume your pet is sound asleep if you see them standing still with their eyes open. The animals, however, don’t stay asleep for very long before waking up. They actually don’t sleep for more than five to ten minutes at a time.
The furry friend has adapted to keeping the eyes open and dozing off in the same manner because guinea pigs are food for the majority of animals in the jungle. Pet guinea pigs hardly ever blink, even when they need to moisten their eyes or clear them of dust.
The fear that guinea pigs might experience in the wild, which would cause them to run away from all other animals and raptors, will be beyond our comprehension as humans. The animal is still required to be vigilant even inside the cage because its habit of being watchful did not fade away. Guinea pigs primarily rely on their senses of hearing and smell. Although they have good distance vision, they have poor near vision. The preferred time for guinea pigs to sleep is in the evening, and they can sleep for up to 9.5 hours per day.
Not blinking or sleeping does not mean that there is something wrong with your pet. Actually gentle and amiable animals, guinea pigs. The mice appear awake and prepared to welcome the owner inside or outside the cage.
Other Unusual Sleeping Habits for Guinea Pigs
Let’s start by keeping in mind that our furry friends need what seems unusual to us in order to survive. (Being at the very bottom of the food chain must be difficult, right?
Cavies’ sleeping habits (designed for survival) include:
- short spans of sleep
- snoozing lightly
- strategic times awake
Short Spans of Sleep
While humans typically take about eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, guinea pigs only require four-to-six hours of sleep in a 24 hour span of time (or each day).
Usually, they only drowse for brief periods of time; after a few minutes, they are wide awake.
Your guinea pig is more likely to sleep more frequently as he gets older than younger piglets.
This is due to cavies’ tendency to doze off more during the day as they age, just like us.
By conserving their energy and ensuring that they get enough sleep, they can stay healthier for longer periods of time.
Light Sleepers
Guinea pigs also employ this technique to evade predators.
If you have a guinea pig, you’ll notice that it doesn’t take much to wake him up from his light slumber.
It’s not surprising that this is the case.
Reaction time = life expectancy
The faster your piggie is able to react, then the likelier it is to survive. It will eventually become a meal for a predator if it doesn’t get the chance to flee.
How does a guinea pig maintain its life, then? It snoozes light-heartedly!
Strategic Times Awake
Unlike most creatures in the world who only have one sleeping time (monophasic), piggies are polyphasic, which means they have multiple segments (or nap times) per day.
Additionally, cavies are crepuscular. This means their main activity times are at dawn and dusk.
This doesn’t meant that they’re not active during other times of the day. Simply put, they are more active in the morning and evening.
These two behaviors help them conserve energy in small spurts and increase their chances of surviving, because most predators don’t see very well in dim light.
Predator, Prey, and Sleeping Habits
Guinea pigs always have to be on the lookout for danger since they are such easy prey when they sleep. Even though they’re resting, their open eyes give them protection from any possible threats.
Predator and prey animal sleeping patterns are distinctly different.
For example, predators usually close there eyes while sleeping (hey, it’ a perk of being towards the top of the food chain!) while prey animals like guinea pigs don’t.
It’s only logical that your piggies’ eyes should always be open when sleeping since they don’t have any real physical protection from danger.
A guinea pig’s primary line of defense when something nasty and toothy approaches is to flee as quickly as possible.
Their chances of surviving in the wild are increased by deceiving predators with their open eyes.
Predators enjoy ambushing their prey covertly. When they see a “sleeping” animal with its eyes open, it kind of throws the predator off. They’re like “What? An awake animal? What’s going on, should I attack?”
Predators might not strike as quickly if they can’t tell whether their prey is awake right away. The guinea pig may have an advantage because of its open eyes.
Additionally, guinea pigs’ brains are capable of seeing events occurring in their environment even while they are asleep. This also speeds up their response to danger.
Do Guinea Pigs Always Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
When guinea pigs sleep, their eyes may occasionally close. One of your furry child’s most profound displays of trust is this.
Naturally anxious creatures are cavies.
(And let’s be honest, you would be too if you were basically a walking lunch)
So, if your little friend chooses to close her eyes, that means that your furry friend feels safe and comfortable around you – enough to really, truly relax.
But, don’t expect to see this if you’ve brought a new cavy into your home.
The poor thing will probably be too frightened and skittish to be able to sleep at all until she gets used to her surroundings.
Plus, if she’s been traumatized by previous experiences, it might be harder for her to let go of those fears and really relax in your home.
Can Guinea Pigs Close Their Eyes?
Guinea pigs can close their eyes, despite the fact that they don’t do it frequently.
Compared to other animals, guinea pigs don’t feel the need to frequently close their eyes.
They blink infrequently and hardly ever close their eyes, but when they do, they can choose to do so.
A guinea pig needs to feel safe and secure as the first requirement.
However, you can keep an eye out and keep an open mind to see if you can spot your guinea pig letting down its guard. You shouldn’t try to force your guinea pig to close its eyes.
When a Guinea Pig Sleeps With Its Eyes Closed: What Does It Mean?
Because you can’t catch a guinea pig with its eyes closed, you don’t need to be concerned if you have one that never seems to sleep.
It is not necessary for a guinea pig to close its eyelids in order to sleep soundly and feel secure.
Guinea pigs are very difficult for humans to visualize, but that is understandable.
Now that humans have become a sort of apex predator that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago, it makes sense that we’d have difficulty understanding creatures like guinea pigs that are pretty much purely prey.
It will be simpler to empathize with them and put in the effort required to relax and calm them if you can comprehend why guinea pigs are so afraid.
The majority of the time, your guinea pig may keep its eyes open, but if you can help it feel secure around you, your relationship with it will be much more affectionate and fulfilling.
You shouldn’t be concerned if you notice that your guinea pig is sleeping but its eyes are open.
The same is true, however, when you observe your pet guinea pigs dozing off with their eyes shut.
Even though sleeping with their eyes open is typical for guinea pigs, that doesn’t mean they can’t.
If your guinea pig actually sleeps while around you, take it as a major compliment.
My Guinea Pig Close His Eyes When I Pet Him: Why?
An initially dubious guinea pig might eventually come to trust you with its life if you make it feel secure enough.
If you want your guinea pig to completely trust you, your presence and aura are most important. When your pet guinea pig closes its eye while you pet it, enjoy the moment because it happens so infrequently. You would understand guinea pigs’ reluctance to put their trust in a stranger if you could comprehend the struggles they have endured for so many years hiding from predators and fleeing for their lives. As apex predators ourselves, humans, they have only ever known what it is like to be at the bottom of the food chain. You have gained the guinea pig’s complete trust if it closes its eyes with you. Your pet’s comfort is evidence of his or her love for you.
How to Know If My Guinea Pig is Sleeping?
Since the animal is constantly on high alert and won’t risk its life for some sleep, guinea pigs won’t even lie down while they are sleeping.
Guinea pigs never relax and maintain their strict behavior. Your pet may be experiencing a problem if they are lying on one side, in which case a trip to the veterinarian may be required. You can tell a guinea pig is sleeping if it moves very little. Even though this could be the case, sleeping for a longer period of time could be problematic.
You may need to take your guinea pig to the veterinarian as soon as possible if it is sleeping longer than usual. It could be because of lethargy. A guinea pig may also sleep for longer stretches of time at a time if they are lethargic. A lack of vitamin C is frequently associated with it. Your friend may experience chronic joint and muscle pain due to this deficiency, which can be very uncomfortable. Vitamin-rich fruits like oranges, pears, and apples can revive your pet and get it back to being active.
Do Guinea Pigs Like to Be in the Dark When They Sleep?
Undoubtedly, guinea pigs prefer to sleep in the dark. Guinea pigs are prey animals, so they have a natural fear of things that are bigger than them.
This means that they need to feel safe in order to calm down and feel less anxious. One way you can help this is by creating a dark area for them so they can feel secure throughout the daytime or when it gets dark outside.
If your piggie nods off outside, it simply means that they feel secure around you. (actually, they’re feeling VERY self-assured around you!) Accept it as a symbol of confidence.
Are Guinea Pigs the Only Animals That Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
Animals other than guinea pigs also sleep with their eyes wide open. The same is true of many other species.
- Snakes:don’t even have eyelids to close their eyes.
- Ostriches:sometimes they’ll sleep standing up with both eyes wide open
- South American sea lions: makes sure they don’t miss their prey and that they don’t become a meal themselves!
- Blackbirds: let’s them rest without becoming lunch.
- Rabbits: they’re prey animals, too, so they like to stay alert.
It is evident that other animals besides guinea pigs also keep their eyes open while they sleep. These animals choose to keep their eyes open for a wide range of different reasons.
Do Guinea Pigs Blink?
Yes, guinea pigs are capable of blinking, and they need to do so to keep their eyes protected and lubricated.
Your guinea pig’s eyelids help keep its eyes clean and protect them from debris.
They begin to blink at that precise moment.
Comparatively speaking, guinea pigs blink less frequently than humans do, and when they do, it’s usually unconsciously to clean their eyes of any dust or dirt.
The amount and frequency of a guinea pig’s blinking varies according to its circumstances and state of health.
Intriguingly, a guinea pig that feels secure may blink more frequently.
Should I Give My Guinea Pigs Eye Drops?
You might be tempted to give your guinea pig eye drops to prevent their eyes from drying out because it spends the majority of the time with its eyes open. Unless a veterinarian ordered it, this is wholly unnecessary. Never administer a medical procedure to your pet without seeking advice from a professional.
What to Do If Something Gets in My Guinea Pig’s Eyes?
Guinea pigs blink to clear their eyes of dust, but sometimes the larger pieces aren’t removed. They will become irritated if these hay or filthy bedding fragments stay in their eyes.
Avoid attempting to remove anything from your guinea pigs’ eyes if they turn red, inflamed, or swollen. Bring your pet to your neighborhood exotic veterinarian for treatment. Even when you are trying to help your pet, there are times when you can cause more harm.
A very social species, guinea pigs adore being the center of attention. Engaging and cuddling with your pet is the best way to establish a bond. They will come to cherish your affectionate touch.
During these cuddle sessions, you might notice that your guinea pig occasionally closes its eyes when you gently pet it. If this occurs, it means that your pet trusts you and feels completely safe and secure around you. Any guinea pig owner can celebrate this success!
Do Guinea Pigs Have Good Vision?
Guinea pigs’ ability to see is not the reason they keep their eyes open. Large, expressive eyes are a feature of guinea pigs. They are naturally near-sighted and they can see different colors. Their sides-protruding eyes give them a unique perspective on their surroundings. The entirety of a guinea pig’s tiny body is visible to them. They are able to become more conscious of their surroundings as a result.
Although they are naturally curious and social creatures, guinea pigs will keep an eye out for any potential threats. Most of the time, when they are secure in their cage, they are just watching you and the activity around them.
Your guinea pig will be able to feel your presence even if they are unable to see you if you are close to them. If it’s meal or treat time, your pet may also wait for you at the cage door.
Final Thoughts
Even though guinea pigs are nocturnal creatures that are active all throughout the day and night, they still need to sleep just like everyone else.
The eyes of guinea pigs must also be kept moist and any dust that enters them must be removed.
Guinea pigs can therefore close their eyes, though they do it so quickly that you might miss it.
Additionally, they hardly ever snooze for more than a few minutes at a time, and even then they keep their eyes open.
Guinea pigs were able to avoid their predators by keeping their eyes open while they slept.
Even so, guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open, and you can tell your pet guinea pig is dozing off if it is still and quiet.
When a guinea pig feels completely secure and safeguarded from all harm, only then will it close its eyes and fall asleep.
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