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Why Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open?

Why Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open?

Guinea pigs are the most interesting pets. The more you get to know them, the more fascinating things about them you discover.

One of the fascinating things about them is that they sleep with their eyes open.

You wouldn’t necessarily notice this feature about them if you didn’t spend time observing them.

In fact if you only saw them during the day time, you might assume that they do what we do when we go to sleep.

But this is not the case.

Guinea pigs sleep in cycles, in short bursts of sleep throughout the day and the night. They have no particular period which they sleep.

They sleep when they need to sleep.

So along with this is the fact that they can sleep with their eyes open.

Why Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open?

The reason guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open is that it is a natural defense for them to keep an eye out for predators.

Over time they have learned to keep their eyes open at all times so that they remain alert to predators.

This is even the case when they are asleep.

Although the may look awake, a guinea pig can go into a state of sleep.

However, it also means that they can make a move in a split second even from a sleep state.

It is a quality that has kept them alive and are able to survive throughout the centuries.

Combining this with sleeping for short periods keeps them alert and ready to move when they need to.

So is there any occasion when they close their eyes to sleep?

Do guinea pigs close their eyes at any time?

Guinea pigs do close their eyes to go to sleep. But only rarely.

They only tend to do this when they feel really comfortable and at ease in the environment that they are in.

You can actually tell when a guinea pig is really relaxed when they close their eyes to sleep as it means that they sense no danger around them and feel completely at ease to close their eyes.

They feel that they are not going to be attacked.

It is a great compliment to you when they do this, that you have created an environment that they feel relaxed enough to do this. So well done if this is so!

It is right up there with them licking you, and purring in your presence as a sign that they like you and trust you.