If you have recently got a pet guinea pig, you might be wondering if your pig sleeps at all.There are many things to love about these adorable creatures and people love them, making them one of the favorites among pets. However, most guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open and it might scare some people if the information is not known prior.A new guinea pig owner will have a lot of questions and this question, if guinea pigs close their eyes while sleeping or not, will be among the ones at the top of the chart. Many pet owners are surprised when they find out their guinea pig sleeps with their eyes almost open and lead many to believe guinea pigs are nocturnal animals, which isn’t true. A guinea pig’s eyes do not work similarly to our human eyes. It is normal behavior for guinea pigs to seem alert and awake all the time. However, this does not mean that guinea pigs do not blink and close their eyes occasionally, because they do. Don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with your beautiful guinea pig. Guinea pigs are used to being prey animals and getting eaten by larger predators. Being alert is the first nature for these little pigs and that is the reason why guinea pigs closing their eyes is a myth. They keep their eyes open so that quickly they can run away and hide. This sleeping behavior comes as an instinct to them even though they stay in a domesticated environment being your pet. However, when they will feel completely safe in the environment, guinea pigs’ eyes will slowly close and sleep. It can be pretty confusing seeing your pet’s eyes open even though it is sleeping. Guinea pig eyes are very big and express a lot, and due to the positioning of the eyes, the cute pig can get a good perspective vision. Guinea pigs can even see down their whole lengths.Apart from the threat of potential predators, guinea pigs are also very curious and smart and that is one of the reasons they keep their eyes open. Guinea pigs are very social and once you put them in the cage, they will always be curious about their surroundings and what the other pets in the house are doing. Guinea pigs do not need their eyes always to see as if you have a closer relationship, they will wait for you when they sense your presence.Guinea pigs are not like other animals and keep their eyes open even when they are sleeping. In fact, guinea pigs might even sleep more than you do. The real reason for this is that before guinea pigs were domesticated, they lived in the wild and were lower in the food chain, if not the lowest. So to avoid being eaten, these small rodents had to stay alert all the time, in other words, could not sleep with their eyes closed. Resting while keeping the eyes open was the only way to feel safe for the guinea pigs.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about do guinea pigs sleep and do guinea pigs smell here on Kidadl?Is it normal for guinea pigs to sleep with their eyes open?It is pretty normal for guinea pigs to sleep with their eyes open, however, it might be a shock for the pet owner at first sight.Guinea pigs are known to rarely close their eyes. A guinea pig will mostly sleep with the eyes open and only on some rare occasions when the pet feels safe, it will close its eyes and sleep peacefully. If you see your pet standing still with eyes open, you can assume the guinea pig is fast asleep. However, the pets do not sleep for long periods and will wake up right away. In fact, they only sleep for short intervals of 5-10 minutes at a time.Due to the guinea pigs’ nature of being food for most animals in the jungle, the furry friend has adapted to keeping the eyes open and falling asleep the same way. Guinea pig pets only even blink rarely when they need to moisten their eyes or remove dust particles from the eyes.We humans won’t understand the fear that guinea pigs might have in the wild, fleeing all the animals and birds of prey. That habit of being alert did not die off for the animal and it still needs to keep its eyes peeled even inside the cage. Guinea pigs mostly rely on their sense of hearing and smell. They have good nearsightedness but don’t see much clearly far away. Guinea pigs prefer sleeping in the evening and get up to 9.5 hours of sleep in a day.Not blinking or sleeping does not mean that there is something wrong with your pet. Guinea pigs are actually very gentle with a friendly attitude. The rodents seem already awake and ready to greet the owner, in or out of the cage.Do guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open and why?It is always unique to own a guinea pig. The only difference between this and other pets is the guinea pig’s sleeping habits. New guinea pigs have this habit more as they have never been petted before and don’t feel safe enough to fall asleep.It all depends on the comfort level of the guinea pig. The guinea pig sleep pattern changes to eyes closed if it is comfortable enough in the cage. The guinea pig’s eyelids do not close much because of its evolutionary change. Guinea pigs were always hunted by predators in the wild and to be aware of this situation, they started to keep their eyes open. Even when they slept, they kept their eyelids open so that they come to know if any threat was nearby. This became a habit and was passed on to the future species and now, even when guinea pigs are domesticated, they are always on alert and keep their eyes open even when they sleep. Guinea pigs are not found naturally in the wild now and were domesticated 1000 years ago. They have some family in the wild, but a guinea pig will only be found in a home now.A guinea pig always craves human attention and even though they feel comfortable, the natural instinct kicks in, and they become alert. There are some moments when the guinea pig will feel safe and sleep with the eyes closed, but it’s a rare occurrence and seen once in a blue moon. It is actually very interesting to see a guinea pig asleep with open eyes.How do I know if my guinea pig is sleeping?A guinea pig won’t even lie down while sleeping as the animal remains always on high alert and won’t jeopardize its life for some sleep.Guinea pigs always remain strict and do not lie down. If you see your pet lying on one side, it might indicate a problem and a trip to the vet might be necessary. If there is very little movement from the guinea pig, you will know it is sleeping. While this might be true, sleeping for a longer time may indicate an issue.If your guinea pig is sleeping more than the regular time, you might need to take the animal to the veterinarian as soon as possible. Lethargy might be the cause. Lethargy can also lead to a guinea pig sleeping for longer periods at one time. It is commonly linked with Vitamin C deficiency. This deficiency can cause a lot of discomfort to your friend with regular joint and muscle pain. Fruits containing the vitamin including oranges, pears, and apples can get your pet up to speed and be active again.Why does my guinea pig close his eyes when I pet him?A guinea pig might be a little skeptical at first, but if it becomes comfortable enough, the pig might trust you with its life.Your presence and aura matter the most if you want your guinea pig to trust you fully. It is a very rare moment, so you should savor the moment when your pet guinea pig closes its eye when you pet it. If you could feel what guinea pigs have gone through for so many years running away from predators and hiding to live another day, you would understand their hesitation to trust someone new. They have only known what it’s like to be one of the lowest ones in the food chain, while we humans are, ourselves, apex predators. If the guinea pig you own closes its eyes with you, you have earned its complete trust. The comfort proves the love of your pet for you.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘Do guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open? Here’s the truth!’, then why not take a look at ‘Where do pickles come from? Food facts about tangy tasting pickles’ or ‘Mosquito menace: when do mosquitoes come out?’ facts pages?
If you have recently got a pet guinea pig, you might be wondering if your pig sleeps at all.
