What should guinea pigs sleep in

We may earn a commission if you click on a link, but at no extra cost to you. Read our disclosure policy for information. Understanding guinea pig sleep cycles and other aspects of guinea pig behavior will allow you to provide your pet with the best care, without much stress and worry.

This means that these cute, pocket-size pets will sleep during short intervals during day and night. Before we continue, check out these top guinea pig sleeping products:. Resist Winter WindSemi-enclosed tent-shaped cabin that resists the winter cool wind, plush fabric can keep your Charming and Comfy DesignOffers a private and dark spot for your lovely pet to rest.

The Hamster Hammock Bed Simple to Use and CleanThe house is washable. It's easy to install in a cage or outside the cage, convenient to Safety MaterialThe pet house is made of plush fabric, and it is safe and non-toxic,natural and eco-friendly.

Quality GuaranteeWe supply 1 year warranty, 30 days money back, 7x24 hours email support. If you have any Multi-function, use as mat tunnel ,pet nest, house or bed. While diurnal animals are awake during the day, nocturnal animals sleep during the day and are active during the night, usually hunting for their prey.

According to studies, guinea pigs are crepuscular animals. The crepuscular lifestyle suits guinea pigs because of their characteristics and unique sleeping habits.

A long time ago, guinea pigs used to worry about bad weather and hungry predators, but that is not the case with domesticated guinea pigs.

Also, being crepuscular meant that a guinea pig could wander without much concern about coming across a starving creature. Guinea pigs originate from the mountains of South America where the temperatures vary from room temperature to below freezing.

However, guinea pigs cannot handle too cold or too hot temperatures, so they would spend their time inside their burrow. Consequently, guinea pigs function best at normal room temperatures, which in the Andes region occurs dawn and dusk.

Just like other animals, when it was too hot, they would sleep during the day to conserve energy but would become active during the night to look for food. Therefore, guinea pigs adapted to their environment and, today, their sleeping patterns correspond to the ones they inherited from their ancestors.

Since guinea pigs are crepuscular animals, they are active at dawn and dusk, meaning they are not much active in the day or night time. A large hutch and a big exercise area provide them with the ideal living area, a cosy bedroom to snuggle up in and plenty of room to run around and explore.

Guinea pigs can live indoors or outdoors, so long as they have enough space and you can keep them at a comfortable temperature in the summer heat or bad winter weather. You can also keep your guinea pigs in their own heated outhouse, a car-free garage or a shed. Their bodies are very low to the ground and they can get cold and dirty on their bellies.

Summer heat or stormy winter days can be a danger to your guinea pigs. Regularly clean out your guinea pigs to make sure their home is healthy and hygienic. There can be hazards around our home that spell trouble for curious pets. Give your home and garden a quick guinea pig safety check and look out for:.

You can get lots more information about potential hazards in your garden and home on our poisons and hazards page. Find out more about the best enclosure for your guinea pigs and other small pets. Get expert advice on what substrate - lining material - is best for your guinea pigs' home. Guinea pigs are very sociable creatures and prefer living in pairs or small groups, like they would in the wild. Donate Menu. Get help. Find us. The ideal home How to create a comfy, safe and interesting home for your guinea pigs.

The ideal home for your guinea pigs. A large hutch - the bigger the better but at least 1. A safe and comfy lining in their hutch. Clean wood shavings or sawdust are suitable. Any lining used should be dust-free.

Clean, dry hay, straw or shredded paper as bedding. One of the more important things when choosing a suitable pet are its sleeping habits. A lot of rodents are nocturnal or crepuscular. The opposite of this sleeping behavior is diurnal, which means that the pet is active during the day and sleeps at night. Are guinea pigs nocturnal? Guinea pigs are extremely odd creatures when it comes to sleeping habits. A guinea pig needs only four hours of sleep each day and will spend most of the day awake.

Guinea pigs will sleep in short intervals during the day and night and might even not close their eyes while asleep. When you look at your guinea pig chances are that it will be active running around in the cage, playing or eating. This is entirely normal and their sleeping habits are not comparable to humans or other rodents.

So guinea pigs are neither nocturnal nor diurnal. They sleep in very short intervals during the day and the night. There are studies that concluded that guinea pigs are crepuscular and show more activity during twilight. There are a lot of different sleeping patterns but basically a pet can show diurnal, nocturnal or crepuscular behavior:.

The sleeping behavior of an animal depends on a number of factors but the most important ones are the environment of the animal and their status as predator or prey animal. In hot climates, an animal will often sleep during the day to conserve energy.

In cooler climates, most animals will be active during the day and will sleep at night. Guinea pigs originate from South America in a mountainous environment. The temperatures in their natural environment vary from room temperature to below freezing. Guinea pigs are happiest at normal room temperatures. In the mountainous Andes region, this kind of temperature will occur at twilight, so at dawn and dusk.

Predators and prey adapt their sleeping habits to each other. Prey, on the other hand, will try to avoid the times when their primary predators are out hunting.