Are guinea pigs usually lazy?

ishita

ishita

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My other guinea pig, Mochi, plays around sometimes. But around 40-50% of the time, he's hiding or lying down. Are guinea pigs very active? Or are they all like this? My other guinea pig, before his death, wasn't very active either.
 
Welcome to the forum. They seem lazy because they sleep in intervals rather than getting all their sleep in one session like we do. If your piggies seem well and happy when they are awake then they are fine.
 
Thank you for your help! I was worried for a moment there.
 
ishita said:
My other guinea pig, Mochi, plays around sometimes. But around 40-50% of the time, he's hiding or lying down. Are guinea pigs very active? Or are they all like this? My other guinea pig, before his death, wasn't very active either.
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Hi and welcome

Guinea pigs are crepuscular animals. This means that they are most active at dawn and dusk which are their main feeding times. They will mainly nap and sleep during the day, interspersed with quiet browsing. The very old will sleep a lot.

Once piggies are past teenage, they quieten down a lot, both in terms of vocalising and in terms of energy.
As long as they are alert, coming out for food when you call them and their weight is stable during the weekly body check and weigh-in on your kitchen scales, then you need not worry.

You may find this guide here helpful about guinea pigs as a species:
Wiebke

Thread 'Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview'

1 General facts
- Life expectancy
- What are males, females and babies called?
- What is the mass noun for guinea pigs?
2 Origin and history
- Guinea pig relatives and wild guinea pig species
- Domestic guinea pigs
- How have guinea pigs got their name?
- Famous guinea pig owners
3 Important reproductive and biological facts
- Sexual maturity and reproductive...
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I have also written this article series which follows a guinea pig life from birth to death, charting their development and social challenges at each age which will hopefully help you see your guinea pigs in a new light and understand them better:
Wiebke

Thread 'Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs'

1 First Hours (Birth and newly born)
2 Baby Days (Nursing and weaning)
3 School Weeks (The overlooked formative learning period)
4 Teenage Months (Those pesky hormones...)
5 Adult Years (Looking at some frequent challenges)
6 Old Age (Caring for the elderlies)
7 Facing the End (How to make the most of any precious time left)


This article series has been written for Guinea Pig Magazine and has been published in issues #54-60 (Jan. 2020 - Jan. 2021) under the title 'Days of their Lives'. The article series is property of Guinea...
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This guide here helps you spot the early signs of illness:
sophiew (EAGPR)

Thread 'Early Signs Of Illness'

Prey animals are wired to suppress illness
Early warning signs


Prey animals are wired to suppress signs of illness
As guinea pigs are prey animals, they often continue to act as 'normal' even when they are unwell, as in the wild they would be picked off by a predator if they showed signs of weakness. Unfortunately this can make it hard for us as guinea-pig owners to notice when a piggy may be unwell. If you see signs of illness, your piggy is likely alread rather unwell. Unlike with larger pets you often can't wait for days or weeks before you need...
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Wiebke

Thread 'Heat stroke symptoms and what to do'

- Symptoms of overheating
- Symptoms of acute heat stroke
- On the spot treatment for heat stroke (please contact a vet nevertheless)
- The aftermath of untreated heat stroke or heat exhaustion


This information is part of our comprehensive Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike guide, which contains information on how guinea pigs regulate their body temperature and the dos and don'ts for keeping them as cool as possible during a heatwave or a heat...
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Thanks for the thread. I was really worried bcuz one of my piggies died. Thankfully, my other kid just seem to be lazy and not ill
 
ishita said:
Thanks for the thread. I was really worried bcuz one of my piggies died. Thankfully, my other kid just seem to be lazy and not ill
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I am very sorry for your loss.

It is very likely that your remaining piggy is currently grieving and withdrawn in this case. How are they?

We have a very helpful guide on things you can do for a bereaved companion immediately after a loss and in the longer term:
Wiebke

Thread 'Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig'

1 What can I do immediately after a guinea pig has died?
- Saying goodbye
- What can I do for my grieving piggy?
- Emergency: acute pining (not eating/drinking) or sudden illness
2 New companionship and human grieving
- When can I start looking for a new mate?
- "Replacing" a guinea pig: the conflict between human and cavy needs
- How do I best go about finding a new mate? (Possible options listed for bereaved sows and boars)...

Here is what you can do for yourself:
Wiebke

Thread 'Human Bereavement: Grieving, Processing and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children'

1 The grieving process
- Loss and the start of the grieving process
- Grieving with a terminally ill guinea pig
- Going through the grieving process
2 Ways of coping
- Expressing and processing your feelings
- Regaining your guinea pig
- Burial and marking the passing
- Dealing with special days
3 How do I tell my children?
- Finding local support lines and charities...
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My other guinea pig is eating and roaming about. He is a little quiet. It's only been 1 day. I'm giving him space, and petting him a little. I'm getting a companion for him today, cause they are social animals.
 
ishita said:
My other guinea pig is eating and roaming about. He is a little quiet. It's only been 1 day. I'm giving him space, and petting him a little. I'm getting a companion for him today, cause they are social animals.
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Please give him time to grieve and get him a same sex companion when he comes out of grieving in a few days and becomes more active again, if without his normal sparkle. Guinea pigs don't feel less deeply than humans but they cannot afford to mourn for as long. With bereaved guinea pigs that eat and drink you have ideally between 1-4 weeks' time to find new/set up new companionship; most come out of deep mourning after about 4 days. Only the ones that stop eating/drinking and giving up on life or the ones that really cannot cope on their own need company straight away.

Make sure that you check the gender and if necessary quarantine before you introduce them on neutral ground outside the cage. Guinea pigs are social animals but that doesn't mean that they will accept any new company.

Here is our guide for what to look out for when getting new guinea pigs:
Wiebke

Thread 'New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights'

1 Double-checking the gender upon arrival
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs
4 Common illnesses in new guinea pigs
- Ringworm
- Respiratory infection (URI)
5 List of guinea pig...
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Here is our very step-by-step bonding guide:
Wiebke

Thread 'Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours'

1 Introduction
2 Pre-bonding
- Quarantine and sexing
- The need for a plan B
- The rule-breaker: Youngsters under 4 months (sub-teenage)
3 Setting up an introduction
- Getting to know each other
- ‘Buddy baths’ – why not
- Scent swapping - why not
- Setting up a neutral bonding area
- How to start the bonding
4 Acceptance phase: Do we like...
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Thank you a ton! I'll try to get them accustomed to each other but I won't force it on them!
 
ishita said:
Thank you a ton! I'll try to get them accustomed to each other but I won't force it on them!
Click to expand...

Hi

There comes a point when you have to commit to the bonding process because guinea pigs have a strict manual for working out acceptance (or not), establishing a leader and then a hierarchical group which also needs to settle in its territory. The whole process takes about 2 weeks after the official bonding session.

Be aware that guinea pigs don't do playtime; any meeting is for them a full-on bonding session, which you then frustratingly abort.
 
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