Do Guinea Pigs Sleep With Their Eyes Open?

Guinea pigs are certainly fascinating creatures, and many of their behaviors might leave you scratching your head. One very interesting phenomenon with guinea pigs is their sleep routine. In today’s article, we are going to cover why guinea pigs sleep the way they do, and whether they sleep with their eyes open.

Do guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open?

Yes, most guinea pigs will sleep with their eyes completely open. While it might seem bizarre to us humans, there is actually a pretty logical explanation.

In the animal kingdom, there are two types of animals, predators and prey. As you would expect, guinea pigs fall into the latter category. Since guinea pigs are essentially at the bottom of the food chain, they must always be on alert.

Over hundreds and thousands of years, guinea pigs had to learn to adapt to survive. The reason they sleep with their eyes open is actually a survival technique they developed through evolution.

When guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open, it allows them to stay alert even while they slip into a slight subconscious. This allows them to wake up very quickly. This can mean life or death in the wild, especially with predators such as birds or hawks that can make an attack in the matter of seconds.  

For guinea pigs, every minute that they have their eyes closed is a minute that they are left more vulnerable to predators. Therefore, a guinea pig will try to keep its eyes open as long as possible.

Luckily for you, it can be quite cute if your guinea pig sleeps with its eyes open, especially if it is a blue-eyed guinea pig.

Can guinea pigs still see when they sleep?

Now this is a great question, and the answer is sort of. When a guinea pig sleeps with its eyes open, it allows visual components to be transmitted to their subconscious brain. Since their brain is technically in a subconscious state, it can’t really process most of the information. However, it does allow a guinea pig to react a lot quicker once they wake up. These couple of split seconds could mean life or death for them in the wild.

It is also common for some guinea pigs to twitch in their sleep. This is because their body doesn’t reach a deep sleep. Instead, their body is in-between a subconscious and awake state.

Do all guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open?

No, all guinea pigs don’t sleep with their eyes open. Therefore, there is no need to panic if your guinea pig is sleeping with their eyes shut.

In fact, it could be a good sign if your guinea pig sleeps with their eyes closed. This means that your guinea pig feels save in their environment.

It is also more common for older guinea pigs to sleep with their eyes closed.

How do guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open?

Now you might be wondering how guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open, especially if there is a bright light near them. Guinea pig’s brains have evolved over time to sleep at any time of day, regardless of how much light is around them.

While guinea pigs can easily sleep in the light, they are still very sensitive to changes in light. Therefore, if you turn the light on and off, there is a good chance it will wake them up. Guinea pigs are also very sensitive to noises while they sleep. This is also an evolutionary adaptation they inherited while living in the wild.