Sleeping behaviour

[Mizzpigz]

I rescued two beautiful boys back in nov 2012 and they were already a very bonded pair so no problem with that apart from some normal boar type behaviour. When I first got them coco the sandy coloured agouti was definitely the more dominant piggy with twiglet who is the breed with those lovely tufts of rosettes in his fur.. sorry i can never remember the name of the breed was quite nervous and shy. Since having them indoors there personalities have really grown and twiglet is now the more dominant piggy which coco seems to take on board and everything between them is fairly good. They like to eat and play together and would use to sleep together snuggled up and over the past few weeks I have noticed a new behaviour and wondered if you have ever had this and what it means. Both boys have different places they can sleep or hide in and sometimes I find them both in the rabbit cottage house just sitting together and sometimes they are under the ledge in their cage which they love. Coco sometimes like ps to curl up in a ball in the rabbit cottage house with his back slightly poking out of the front of the house when he is laying on his side. Now I have noticed that whenever coco is sleeping in the rabbit cottage asleep twiglet sits right outside the house just sitting there awake but alert. I just wondered is this a protective behaviour over coco or do you think this is again dominant behaviour. I find it interesting and wondered what you guys thought

 

[neuroticmum]

My boys do this too! They've been together for about 4 years now and whenever one of them is sleeping inside the pigloo or a cardboard box the other sits outside, almost as if they are waiting for the other. Its very cute, and infact its not just the dominant one that sits outside for the other, they both do it for each other.

 

[Freela]

I see this a lot with both of my girls- during the day, one will be in the pigloo and the other will be laying next to the door. They do seem to sleep in there together at night, but only at night. During the day they seem to sleep in shifts!

 

[Mizzpigz]

Aw.... Thankyou for your replies. I'm pleased its a fairly common behaviour as it did worry me as to why twiglet did this. It does look quite cute though as when coco is sleeping quite deeply twiglet seems fully alert and quite protective of him. I think your right about them sleeping in shifts in the day time as mine tend to do this too.

 

[Guinea pigs <3]

Aww bless them, I have it too. I'm sure one of them is keeping a look out to make sure all is well!