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Am I the only one who sleeps with their piggie?

Kay13

Kay13

New Born Pup
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I fell asleep with my piggie one night watching a movie. Woke up and freaked out not knowing where he was. But he was asleep still by my side. He must have loved it because now it's a routine. When I start shutting off the lights in the house at night he starts making noise until I grab him. He curls up under my chin and sleeps. An hour or 2 later moves under my blanket and by my side til morning.
 
That sounds adorable! I'm a pretty new piggy owner, and mine aren't tame enough yet where I can have them on the couch with me and not have them take off. I'm curious: how old is your piggy, and how did you tame him to be comfortable cuddling with you on the couch? Also, how long did it take to get to that point? Mine will tolerate pets and cuddles for exactly as long as I still have treats for them 😉
 
Ava will sleep on my boyfriends chest/lap but not all night long and not with me or anyone else. She nips us to tell us when she's tired of being with people. Shes a huge daddys girl though
 
Considering guinea pigs sleep for short periods and don't have matching sleep cycles to humans I wouldn't even try this personally. I certainly wouldn't want to keep a supply of hay in my bed and a full night is too long for them to go without access to hay. I also wouldn't fancy sleeping in the pee and the poop :))

I would be concerned about the risks of co-sleeping. Here in the UK it's highly discouraged for parents and their babies due to the increased risk of SIDS. with an animal as small as a piggy I would be very worried about rolling and squishing or causing injury when moving around in my sleep or the piggy being smoothered by the duvet. To me there's just far too many negatives to this.
 
Lady Kelly said:
Considering guinea pigs sleep for short periods and don't have matching sleep cycles to humans I wouldn't even try this personally. I certainly wouldn't want to keep a supply of hay in my bed and a full night is too long for them to go without access to hay. I also wouldn't fancy sleeping in the pee and the poop :))

I would be concerned about the risks of co-sleeping. Here in the UK it's highly discouraged for parents and their babies due to the increased risk of SIDS. with an animal as small as a piggy I would be very worried about rolling and squishing or causing injury when moving around in my sleep or the piggy being smoothered by the duvet. To me there's just far too many negatives to this.
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:agr:
 
I roll around a lot in my sleep and it would be a risky place for a piggie to be. I would also worry about a piggie overheating or getting dehydrated, under a thick blanket with human body heat could get above comfortable piggie temperatures and with no access to water. It's not a risk I would take
 
I really feel that this is an exceptionally bad practice. Piggies need to eat hay pretty much constantly (on and off throughout the day and night) so while a short lap time cuddle isn’t potentially harmful to them, it’s an entirely different matter doing it overnight as if they don’t have access to hay for an extended period they are at risk of developing stasis.
Not to mention that you may injure or suffocate him if you roll on him or squash him. Or that if he manages to escape your blanket while you are asleep he may injure himself while roaming around unsupervised. Plus in another post you say he has contact with your dog. If that happens unsupervised while you are sleeping there is a real risk of serious injury.
I really wouldn’t recommend this to any other piggy owner.
 
I have a piggy who adores cuddles. He can go for over 2 hours if I don’t move him first. He likes to snuggle down and shut his eyes, it’s adorable. I never let it go beyond 2 hours though, as I then start to worry that it’s time for him to be eating or even to have a drink. I generally keep him out for an hour because of this. I also find that it can be really relaxing to sit with him, sometimes I find myself getting sleepy at which point I put him straight back in the cage as I’d hate myself for the rest of my life if I accidentally smothered him or crushed him during a nap. It isn’t worth the risk, so please don’t do it!
The only reason mothers don’t smother their babies in their sleep is due to instinct as they were connected in the womb - and even then it’s happened before.
A guinea pig isn’t like a dog or cat who can move to safety, defend themselves and go somewhere else if they want to. They’re stuck on your bed with you, which is at a dangerous height for such a small non-climbing creature.
Guinea pigs also need to eat hay constantly. They only sleep for short periods. Their metabolism is incredibly fast and they cannot go all night without eating. They also can’t go that long without drinking either.
I’m guessing your Guinea pig is a single pig? This goes against proper guinea pig welfare guidance, and is actually illegal in Switzerland, because companionship of another guinea pig is a mandatory and basic requirement for them as a species. I’m guessing this is why he is seeking your attention in this way, it isn’t healthy for him despite how cute you may believe it to be. He is incredibly lonely and seeking companionship in whatever way he can, even if it is detrimental to his health.

I know it’s cute and you love him very much, but please listen to the advice given as we know you wouldn’t want to do anything that would intentionally hurt him!
 
I snuggle with my piggies and quail at night before going to sleep, putting them back when I start feeling drowsy as I am terrified to risk falling asleep with them as I don't want to risk accidentally squashing them, birds are extremely fragile and so are guinea pigs with their fragile spines. I have been yeeted off the bed by my cat before when I was younger and I rolled on her, but piggies don't have that strength.

Also as Little Ones said, they need to eat and drink near constantly to keep their digestive systems running smoothly.
 
Wow some pretty judgy people on here. Well not that I need to explain myself but first I have 3 piggies, he is not the only one so he does have other company. Second, he has a full set up to get off the bed to food, water and potty when he needs. He is a very happy, chunky, healthy guy.
 
Sorry if you’ve misunderstood, but this isn’t judgyness you’re sensing. This is a forum that is purely based on guinea pig care, with their welfare in mind. None of us are judging you, or calling you a bad owner for it. What we all said comes from a place of concern, we have no doubts that you love your guinea pig/s. But, you have to understand that our priority on this forum is to make sure guinea pigs are being treated safely.
 
But also: the same thing still applies - please don’t sleep with your guinea pig! The risk is very high that you’ll accidentally kill him in your sleep. You’d be devastated if it did happen. Best thing to do is minimise that risk to 0 by keeping him in his cage when you go to sleep.
 
We're just trying to make the risks clear so that people don't read this and think that it's a good thing for them to try. I still wouldn't do it and I wouldn't advise that anyone else does either regardless of what setup they have. It is not a judgement on how much you love your piggie just a warning that although it may seem cute it could end in disaster and I stand by that.
 
Exactly as said above. This is a public forum, people don't need to be members here to read the posts. We pride ourselves on being an excellent source of information on guinea pig welfare. Co-sleeping with your guinea pig is not something we would endorse as best practice for guinea pig welfare. Risks are pointed out on here just incase you weren't aware of them as we do aim to educate. If you choose to co-sleep that is your prerogative but that doesn't mean that the forum needs to endorse your practice.
 
I never sleep at the same time as my piggie if I’m handling them. Too much could go wrong. But my little Odin will often flop onto his side on me and sleep for a good 15-20mins. He’s soon awake again because he either needs to toilet or eat. But it’s lovely that he trusts me so much 💖
 
Lady Kelly said:
Exactly as said above. This is a public forum, people don't need to be members here to read the posts. We pride ourselves on being an excellent source of information on guinea pig welfare. Co-sleeping with your guinea pig is not something we would endorse as best practice for guinea pig welfare. Risks are pointed out on here just incase you weren't aware of them as we do aim to educate. If you choose to co-sleep that is your prerogative but that doesn't mean that the forum needs to endorse your practice.
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Exactly this. :agr:
 
My boys will flop on their sides and snuggle for affection, mainly Percy, but Pedro also has his moments too. Pedro is the one getting neck scratches whilst Percy likes ear rubs. Scrappy is the Quail snuggled in my night gown. ❤

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I have no doubts on your piggy being very healthy and happy, the fact he feels safe enough to sleep besides you is a testament to that! :)

However I am worried for you and your piggie's sakes when you sleep with them. I am a pretty still sleeper now I am older, probably due to my cat teaching me to either sleep still or get booted out of bed. 😆 Though I still don't want to risk accidentally squashing them. I would never be able to forgive myself.
 
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