You see your guinea pig yawning quite often and you are wondering whether there’s something wrong with your furry friend.
Is your cavy tired and sick?
Guinea pigs are cute little furballs that make excellent first pets.
They are herbivorous creatures.
Their healthy diet consists of hay, grass, certain fruits, and raw, fresh vegetables.
They prefer taking several small naps throughout the day, instead of sleeping for long hours at a stretch, and are most active at dusk and dawn.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Yawn?
Have you ever looked into your guinea pig’s cage and noticed the moment when they start yawning?
It feels like once they’re around you or different guinea pigs they begin doing it all the time.
Therefore, why do guinea pigs yawn?
Guinea pigs yawn when they are attempting to point out aggression or are stressed, relaxed, tired, and even when they are attempting to determine dominance!
It’s a common behavior amongst the pigs and not a matter of concern, as long as actual fights are not started.
There are many reasons why guinea pigs start yawning.
Yawning in Guinea Pigs
Have you ever noticed your guinea pig yawning?
Is your furred little friend bored, tired, or just relaxing?
Let us understand the reason for yawning by guinea pigs.
First, guinea pigs are vertebrates and like all vertebrates, yawning is natural.
Researchers haven’t known the precise science behind yawning but here are some observations that are made:
Yawning involves synchronal stretching of eardrums and air inhalation that is then right away followed by exhalation.
Yawning expels CO2 from the body, breathing returns gas to the lungs, raising the circulation of blood throughout the body and restoring alertness.
It cools down the brain and will flush out brain toxins and helps manage blood heat.
The throat and therefore the tongue is stretched because of yawning.
The typical yawn lasts six seconds and is highly contagious.
Guinea pigs do love a decent yawn!
They yawn by gaping their very little mouth as wide as it can go, showing their front teeth, and sometimes sound them along.
Yawning and stretching typically go hand in hand, therefore you may realize your guinea pig stretching out and yawning at a similar time.
Guinea pigs can yawn for one among 2 reasons.
Firstly, a yawn can return on as your furred very little friend is preparing for a kip or is feeling relaxed.
They’ll additionally yawn as a way of showing their teeth at another gnawer.
Don’t be afraid of this behavior, because it’s their means of showing dominance in a very non-aggressive means.
Piggies love company, therefore it’s best to induce them toys to cuddle up to.
The exact reason for their yawning can be difficult to gauge, as there are multiple reasons for the same.
When a guinea pig yawns it may be because:
- Attempting to point out some aggression
- Setting out to get wired
- Feeling relaxed
- They are simply tired
When a guinea pig begins to point out some aggression towards another guinea pig they will start yawning to show their teeth.
This behavior is seen once a guinea pig is in the process of getting accustomed to other guinea pigs while attempting to determine dominance.
Sometimes though, guinea pigs will yawn to point out their teeth at another guinea pig once there is some sort of disagreement over something.
This can be over their food bowl, their sleeping arrangements, or simply once they get mad at one another.
However, if a guinea pig is yawning simply to point out aggression it will typically cause fighting.
Be careful and separate your furry little friend from other guinea pigs as soon as the fight starts and reintroduce them gradually.
Do Guinea Pigs Yawn When Stressed?
Guinea pigs can yawn to unleash anxiety, if you think that your guinea pig is yawning it may be due to stress that they may feel from their environment.
Here are some factors that you just might want to contemplate.
Is Your Guinea Pig a New Member of Your Family?
A guinea pig in an unfamiliar environment may cause stress-induced yawning.
When you bring a new guinea pig home, it will take time for it to be familiar with the surroundings and start trusting you.
Here are some suggestions which will assist you to get off to a decent beginning.
- Make sure the cage is full of everything your guinea pig can want, bedding, food, water, a little house to hide in, and tunnels to explore
- Keep them in a quiet space
- Avoid speaking loudly, guinea pigs hear higher than they see, therefore speak in a very neutral, light tone
- Speaking loudly or with excitement could startle your guinea and it will take longer to build trust
- Once you and your guinea are snug with one another you can begin fondling him
- Slowly extend to the cage, don’t make any sudden movements
- Let your guinea smell your hand then begin touching his fur, be gentle, invariably use two hands when handling your guinea pig, and hold him firmly to your chest
Following those easy steps ought to facilitate forestall stress yawning.
Changes to guinea pigs’ environment
A change could cause your guinea to feel anxious, leading to stress yawning.
Something as simple as moving the food dish or replacement of the water bottle will send your guinea into a tailspin.
You will have a set to upgrade and splurge on a brand new cage or some fun new accessories, sort of a tunnel, or a new toy.
A good rule of thumb is to make very little changes slowly, significantly if you are going to maneuver the cage into another location.
Allow your furball enough time to acquaint itself with the new environment.
A new guinea pig is introduced to the litter
You may decide at some point to bring another guinea pig into your home.
Although guinea pigs are social animals, an addition to the family will probably cause some extent of stress.
Since there are many factors involved in choosing the right guinea pig and making the introductions, ensure you are doing all your analysis before you produce a judgment.
Understanding the things that trigger stress in your guinea offers you the vantage in providing a secure, cozy atmosphere.
The good news is that the stress yawning will probably stop with time and you and your guinea can relax and experience each other’s company.
Do Guinea Pigs Yawn When Relaxed?
Guinea pigs yawn even when they feel relaxed.
You can easily tell when the cavies are yawning when they are trying to relax because then there will not be any signs of stress.
It will mean they are cozy enough around the completely different guinea pigs to boot as yourself.
When there don’t seem to be any signs of stress or aggression towards other guinea pigs, you will notice that they will be in a very relaxed mood that they start usually yawning.
In this case, it’s generally a good sign and it means they’re calm and comfy.
Do Guinea Pigs Yawn When Tired?
Just like humans and other animals, guinea pigs yawn when they get tired.
They will yawn, sleep for a touch bit, then get on their feet, and still do their completely different activities throughout the day.
So this is usually often another wise sign that they’re happy and most things are going right in their cage.
Do Guinea Pigs Yawn To Show Dominance?
A guinea pig will begin yawning once it wants to make a point of dominance over another guinea pig.
They will yawn to point their teeth and show a slight bit of aggression so that they can establish dominance.
It’s the means for them to undertake to point that they are the leader of the cage, and of course, to show they’re dominant over another guinea pig.
Sometimes your cavies may seem slightly aggressive but that doesn’t mean that they will end up fighting.
Guinea pigs establishing dominance can be a part of their ancient behavior – they exhibit other behaviors as well.
Interrupting them is going can be dangerous.
So if you see your guinea pig yawning and need to know why you at first ought to investigate things.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Yawn When You Hold Them?
Have you ever detected that your guinea pig typically yawns when you hold them and are at a loss why they’re doing it?
Guinea pigs will yawn when you hold them because they feel cozy enough with you, and begin to relax.
It’s a good sign that they feel relaxed and secure enough with you and their general surroundings.
This will generally only happen once your guinea pig has had enough time to get accustomed to you and trusts you sufficiently to be slightly vulnerable around you.
So if you have your guinea pig outside of their cage and are yawning when you are holding them and show no signs of stress, merely grasp that it forever means they are comfortable with you.
They feel secure with you and that they’ll relax enough to be ready to yawn, thus if that happens then you’re doing a good job as their owner.
Is It Normal For Guinea Pigs To Yawn So Much?
If they are yawning all the time, it’s natural to marvel at why your guinea pig is yawning most.
Guinea pigs yawn most as a result of yawning can be a way for them to point a variety of their completely different feelings and it’s completely normal.
Because a yawning guinea pig can mean varied things, it forever sounds like they’re doing it all the time.
Remember, these small animals yawn once they’re stressed, relaxed, tired, and trying to point dominance.
So the reason guinea pigs yawn most is directly related to the particular undeniable fact that it suggests that such an oversized quantity of assorted things for them.
That’s why it’s ancient to determine your guinea pig yawn most.
Is Yawning in Guinea Pigs Bad?
Sometimes pet guinea pig parents will see them invariably yawning and suppose something is wrong, but that’s generally not the case.
For example, yawning doesn’t mean that your guinea pig has health issues.
Generally, guinea pigs seem lethargic and eat less when they are sick.
Yawning is not associated with the health or sickness of guinea pigs in any way.
But still, if you feel that there is something wrong with your guinea pig and you cannot place a finger on the exact cause, you should get them examined by your vet.
You also shouldn’t be too concerned if your pets are yawning at each other when they’re trying to work out dominance.
This is one factor that they normally do and it is completely normal.
The Happy Guinea Yawn
Have you ever commanded your guinea in your hands, with the absolute trust he snuggles in and seems up, his body relaxes, and then it lets out a lovely yawn!
Those very little yawns are going to be welcome respites of joy not just for you but to boot for your well-cared-for guinea pig.
This is a happy yawn.
Guinea pigs tell you they are happy in varied ways in which a good appetite, sleeping but stuffed with energy once awake.
They will be quizzical and curious, exploring the world around them.
Have you ever detected the high-pitched sound your guinea makes once you space a unit around?
Or that constant chattering?
All of this points to an easygoing and happy guinea pig.
Benefits of Yawning
Guinea pig yawns might result in several factors like stress, caused by changes to their atmosphere, or aggression as a result of being territorial.
These small animals also yawn when they feel safe and secure in their surroundings, the result of an easygoing, healthy content pet.
The desire to talk can be a basic need, learning why your guinea pig is yawning provides an opportunity for you to satisfy that demand.
As a pet owner, there isn’t any larger joy than to be assured that your guinea pig isn’t only healthy, but genuinely happy.
Final Thoughts
Guinea pigs are easy to care for, small pets, also known as pocket pets.
Yawning is a way by which guinea pigs express their emotions of aggression, relaxation, tiredness, and such.
They are super active creatures, who prefer small naps instead of long hours of sleep and you may see them yawning a little too many times.
It’s a perfectly normal and harmless way of self-expression.
