When it comes to getting some sleep, guinea pigs behave very differently in their sleep than other animals. Let's take a look at what it is and how you can help them get the best sleep possible.
Guinea pigs have very diffuse sleep patterns, often sleeping several times a day for short periods of time. On average, a guinea pig sleeps 4-5 hours a day. They regularly sleep for 15-30 minutes during the day and night.
What do guinea pigs like to sleep in?
First, let's talk about bedding. To keep your guinea pigs as comfortable as possible, always think of bedding as a series of layers. Overall, you want bedding that provides comfort but also effectively absorbs urine. Start with something soft at the bottom to provide a comfortable base. It's good to have some kind of absorbent material in the middle to remove excess moisture from the bedding. As for the top layer, guinea pigs love to sleep on fleece or shredded newspaper.
However, do not use pine or cedar chips because they are problematic for guinea pigs.
How long do guinea pigs sleep?
Some people think that guinea pigs never sleep due to their activity. Others may argue that guinea pigs sleep all day. To some extent, both are right.
You see, guinea pigs sleep a total of about four hours every day. However, their sleep patterns are scattered throughout the day and night. Quite often you will catch them sleeping for about ten minutes at a time.
You can think of guinea pigs as dormant creatures rather than ones that sleep for long periods of time.
Keeping a hamster
Let's figure out how a hamster differs from a guinea pig. Its lifespan is about two years. With proper care – 3-3.5 years. The rodent is small in size. The largest varieties reach 15 cm, dwarf varieties - 4-8 cm. Accordingly, they need less living space.
Hamsters, unlike pigs, are nocturnal. They are very mobile and need special devices to maintain motor activity, for example, a running wheel.
Owners may not like the night fuss and noise of a rotating wheel when their furry pet wants to go for a run. For normal life, he needs to cover 1-2 km a day.
Not all hamsters like to be held. It's better to explain this to your child. They bite much more often than marine ones, for which this is only a way to show that you have hurt them.
How to get your guinea pig to sleep at night?
If your guinea pig's cage is in your bedroom, you may be annoyed when they become active and noisy at night. But don't worry. There are ways to get your guinea pig to sleep at night.
Here's one tactic: use snacks. Like this! Feed them snacks, such as fresh vegetables, right before bed. You will notice that your guinea pig will focus on eating these snacks instead of running around and making noise.
In addition, when the guinea pig finishes eating, he will be too full to run around and make noise for a while. This should keep them asleep or at least less active while you enjoy a good night's rest.
Yes, guinea pigs sleep more in winter. When the temperature drops, guinea pigs sleep much longer than their normal short nap. This is because they are trying not to expend energy while keeping warm.
When this happens, people often feel lifeless. This is wrong! They are simply enjoying deep sleep.
However, you should continue to check them frequently. It is important to make sure your guinea pig can keep warm. If their temperature drops too low, it can cause them other health problems!
Disease Prevention
Timely vaccination is the key to the longevity of any animal kept in captivity. Scheduled administration of vaccines builds the pig’s immunity and helps cope with parasites, viruses, and bacteria. From birth, pigs are vaccinated against worms and diseases that are registered in the region of residence. There are diseases that lead to premature death of pigs. Veterinarians call rickets dangerous. This disease affects the entire body of the piglet. The cardiovascular system and organs of the musculoskeletal system suffer.
To reduce the likelihood of diseases, animals are provided with optimal living conditions, checked for the presence of worms, dewormed in a timely manner, and treated for infectious and viral diseases.
The life of pigs is also extended in other ways. Boars are castrated, they live longer after castration. The number of pregnancies in sows is monitored. Bearing and feeding offspring exhausts the body. On a farm and a private farmstead, the life of meat piglets lasts 7-9 months; tallow piglets are sent for slaughter later, after 10 months. Breeding boars and sows are kept for 5-6 years. Under optimal conditions, pigs raised not for slaughter live for several decades.
What is the ideal temperature for guinea pigs to sleep?
Guinea pigs will sleep peacefully at a room temperature of around 18-23 degrees Celsius. While warmth is good, it is important not to give them too much heat. Therefore, keep their cages away from any direct heat sources such as windows with direct sunlight, stoves or kettles, fireplaces and the like. To make it much easier to monitor the temperature around your guinea pig, you can install a cheap thermometer right on the cage itself. This way, you can always be sure that your guinea pig is sitting comfortably at the ideal temperature.
Conditions for a comfortable stay
Considering the torn and sensitive sleep, for proper rest the pig needs to be provided with the most comfortable home conditions. The animals sleep on a bedding in a cage, and sometimes hide in play tunnels or special houses. This cage equipment provides an additional sense of security.
The pet needs to create comfortable conditions for sleeping: hammocks, loungers, bedding and houses
It is also important that the owner:
- choose a place for your home away from noisy appliances, drafts and direct rays of the sun;
- maintained the room temperature in the range of 18-23 degrees;
- I purchased a spacious apartment for my pet: the minimum parameters are 30x40 with a height of 50 cm and above;
- cleaned the cage several times a week;
- devoted maximum free time to the pet.
In such conditions, the animal will truly feel at home and will be able to rest fully, without trying to hide from danger every second.
How to keep your guinea pig warm while sleeping?
During the winter months or when it is too cold outside, it is important to keep your guinea pigs warm so they can sleep well. Again, the ideal temperature you should aim for is between 18-23 degrees Celsius.
The first step is to prepare more places for your guinea pig to sleep and stay warm. Find a guinea pig apartment or shelter that can be placed in a cage at your local pet store or online. They will love them as a place to sleep and keep warm at the same time! As another option, you can also buy heating pads that are specifically designed for guinea pigs. These pads are reusable and you can microwave them whenever you want. You can then place them in layers of bedding so your guinea pig can sleep in a nice, warm bed.
Simple but exciting toys
Entertaining a rodent is not difficult. Here are some examples of toys that will not let your pet get bored.
- Mirror. It is better to hang it outside, as the pig may get the idea to try the object on its tooth. The rodent will enjoy admiring and playing with its reflection, and will spend a lot of time doing this activity.
- Paper ball The rodent will love chasing crumpled paper balls, because they rustle so funny.
- Stuffed animals stuffed with hay. An old holey sock or a toilet paper tube can be used to make a stuffed animal. The animal will happily take dried grass out of it.
- Branches of fruit trees. Delicious twigs are a real treat for rodents.
- Balls. Small tennis balls and rubber bouncy balls will also work. The pet chases them with pleasure. The main thing is not to let her start gnawing on them.
- Cardboard box with holes. This is a real hit with rodents. Holes are made in the box for the animal to crawl through. The pig will be captivated by this maze for a long time.
- Wooden toys are a good option for sharpening your teeth. Wooden items must be made from natural wood, without paint or other toxic substances.
Why does a guinea pig sleep a lot?
Believe it or not, there is such a thing as too much sleep. This is especially true when it comes to guinea pigs, who, as we already know, tend to sleep short hours instead of long hours. Sometimes lethargy or excessive sleeping is a sign that your guinea pig is not feeling well.
First, make sure the temperature around the cage is not too hot or too cold. Next, make sure your guinea pig is eating and drinking as usual.
If anything unusual occurs, you should take your guinea pig to the vet for a full checkup. Just like us, guinea pigs get sick from time to time and need medical attention.
General interpretation
The guinea pig is a species of domesticated rodent. In nature, they are very active, clean, social and peaceful. They do not like being alone, so they are constantly looking for a suitable mate. Looking after and taking care of each other is one of the fundamental features of these animals. Personifying an active, current position, they are very proactive and prolific. Females have a unique specialty - to resolve their unnecessary pregnancy or preserve the cubs, carrying them inside themselves for the most suitable option for childbirth.
For the dreamer, such a symbol can predict a lot of exciting and pleasant things. It is important that the rodent in a dream is placed favorably towards you, without showing any anger. The color of the animal is also of great importance for a positive interpretation. The brighter it is, the more joy, fun and happy events you can expect.
The guinea pig is a sign of hard work, benevolence, sociability and collectivism. It can reflect the current bustle, activities inconspicuous to others, some strangeness, emotionality from time to time, debauchery and dissatisfaction.
For ladies who dream of expecting their pregnancy, a guinea pig can signify the long-awaited conception and successful resolution of childbirth. For those ladies who are looking for a companion, such a vision can be a harbinger of a happy meeting with their lover
This person will be a very worthy choice, he will support you in every possible way, show his attention and care
Quite often, this little beast is dreamed of by those who give themselves one hundred percent to labor-intensive work. Sometimes the result of the sleeper’s labor is not immediately noticeable. But if the dreamer goes all the way towards his goal, he will achieve a lot.
This pet symbolizes perseverance and determination for those who take their first steps in business at a young age.
Courage mixed with timidity and caution is inherent in such people. They know what they want and how to achieve it, but they are held back by distrust of those in power. For lonely people, feeling a shaggy animal on your lap that purrs and snores sweetly is a good symbol
This symbolizes a change in your mood and attitude towards the world and people around you. Your gaze has become more open and trusting to those whom you were previously wary of. Peace, tranquility and tranquility will come in your soul, you will experience the happiness of being yourself
For lonely people, feeling a shaggy animal on your lap, purring and snoring sweetly, is a good symbol. This symbolizes a change in your mood and attitude towards the world and people around you. Your gaze has become more open and trusting to those whom you were previously wary of. Peace, tranquility and tranquility will come in your soul, you will experience the happiness of being yourself.
For married people who are experiencing a crisis in their marital relationship, such a plot will serve as a hint at the next step in life with their spouse, where there will again be love, awareness and harmony.
Why else do you dream about a guinea pig?
- to feed the beast - in reality to bring upon oneself streams of various benefits and wealth;
- cleaning a cage for rodents means doing charity and mercy. Your main current goal may be to help the needy and unhealthy;
- snow-white with blue eyes - you will actually experience a lot of positive feelings;
- smooth and please your pet - get a decent reward for a labor-intensive and creative process;
- to see a dead woman - to interrupt and spoil the plans of ill-wishers;
- to tame a feral pig - to be able to solve all your problems, get rid of credit debts, restore your reputation and good name;
- Taking something skinny and ugly from a pet store is a good symbol. This promises success and good profits in any business you undertake. Moral satisfaction and pride in what you have made will go beyond the limit of what is permissible;
- catching a fleeing animal is a symbol of lost profits. You were given a chance or a real opportunity to change your life, but you chose a different path, which you will later regret;
- dreamed of a brutal animal - be prepared for troubles and small dilemmas.
