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Sleeping Habits

spencera

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I've never owned a pig, but I've spent the last couple months researching them. What are the usual sleeping habits of guinea pigs? The most I could find was that they sleep in short periods at a time. What do they usual do in the nighttime? Thanks to everyone!
 

Simonmaal

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Mine tend to spend an hour or so running around, eating, drinking and playing then the same amount of time resting (not always asleep, just curled up in a cozy or at the back of the cage). If I come into the room just after one of their rest periods, I am usually greeted with a chorus of wheets as they sense food! Interestingly, they all seem to operate on the same schedule as each other.

They are not really active through the night, just occasionally taking a drink or having a quick explore.
 

Haley0489

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They're not nocturnal like a hamster or diurnal like humans. They're on an hour, off an hour, so to speak. They seem to be sensitive to routines, so the first few nights you have them they may keep you up, mine certainly did and I went into a panic I'd never get a good nights rest again. After two or three days they got into my routine and now they sleep soundly through the night. The only time I hear them is if they sneeze.

And of course, they wake me up around the same time each morning too! XD
 

Ly&Pigs

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Cavies only sleep about 4 hours in a 24 hour period. They take short 10-20 minute naps throughout the day and night. The rest of the time, they do what pigs do best, eat and poo mainly. The rest of the time they socialize with each other (unless they are a single pig), play, explore and eat and poo some more.
 

Simonmaal

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They seem to be sensitive to routines, so the first few nights you have them they may keep you up, mine certainly did and I went into a panic I'd never get a good nights rest again.

Hehe! Exactly the same thing happened to me! Their scuttling and being noisy with the water bottle meant I spent the first night lying awake, also worrying that the dust levels and ventilation levels were right. They've settled down now and the only sound I occasionally hear is Bobby drinking from the bottle (he seems to be able to make it bang like a drum!)
 

pigsmakemesmile

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I dote on my pigs and this includes getting up at times during the night just because I'm curios to know what their up to. I've checked on them at 1am, sometimes at 4am or at 11pm...each and every time they're in their hideys sleeping. I find a sleeping pig...just as beautiful as a sleeping baby (at least to me that is). I find their peak times are between 6am and 9am and 7pm to 9pm. When I'm home during the day they do spend brief periods sleeping and periods awake nibbling or cruising around their cage.
 

PixieStix

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Pigs often sleep with their eyes open. I've been alarmed sometimes at their open, but not seeing eyes, but it's just them asleep.
 
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