Can Guinea Pigs See at Night

Can Guinea Pigs See in the dark? Facts about Guinea Pig’s Eyesight.

Can guinea pigs see in the dark? They are fairly fine with low light, but they can’t see well in pitch blackness as people can.

Guinea pigs have very limited vision at night. During the night, they use a combination of their whiskers and other senses to navigate around. Guinea pigs sleep at night and are most active during the day, so having good night vision is unnecessary.

Have you ever seen your Guinea Pig roaming around the cage or house at night? Now let’s find out how well your Guinea Pig can see at night.

Guinea Pigs are diurnal animals.

Many people believe that guinea pigs are nocturnal like hamsters and rats, but this is not true. Guinea pigs are diurnal, so they sleep at night and are active during the day, just like us.

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Structure of the eye: Rods, Cones, and Photopigment.

Rods and cones in the eye are known as photoreceptors, which allow us to see.

The rod photoreceptors respond to light levels and are responsible for the sensitivity of our vision. The rod photoreceptors are more active in dim environments. As a result of their photopigment, these photoreceptors absorb light.

In contrast, cone photoreceptors are more active in bright environments and are responsible for the clarity and sharpness of vision.

The eye structures of diurnal animals and nocturnal animals are completely different.

Nocturnal animals have photopigment that absorbs light but replaces it rapidly, allowing the eyes to perform well at night.

Diurnal animals have photopigment in their eye’s rods that absorb light and become inactive. This replacement occurs slowly, making it hard to see when the light is dim – for instance, at night.

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Size and shape of pupils

The pupils of nocturnal animals are also larger than those of diurnal animals.

A larger pupil allows more light to enter the eye, and the more light that enters the eye, the better we can see. A nocturnal animal’s eyes benefit from larger pupils at night, but this does come at a cost.

In the dark, nocturnal animals can see the edges of shapes, but their sharpness of vision is less apparent.

Can Guinea Pigs See at Night
Can Guinea Pigs See at Night

The vision of nocturnal animals, on the other hand, is much sharper at the right level of illumination.

A nocturnal pupil is a rounder than a diurnal pupil, which is more slit-like. During the day, the pupil controls the amount of light that enters the eye, keeping the eye from being damaged by too much light.

Then what is the relation between the pupil and Guinea Pigs?

As we discussed earlier, Guinea pigs are diurnal animals, which means they have less accurate vision at night and better vision during the day.

The question is, how well can a guinea pig see at night? Scientifically, it is not entirely clear how well a guinea pig sees in the dark, but we do know they can navigate in the dark.

Although guinea pigs are diurnal, they may have some degree of night vision. The guinea pig relies on scent and memory to compensate for its limited night vision.

Facts about Guinea Pig’s Eyesight.

After learning that guinea pigs can see in the dark, you should know a few other things about your pet’s vision.

Do Guinea Pigs have good eyesight?

We know that guinea pigs’ vision is not that great, but there are still some unknown facts. According to researchers, the average guinea pig can see up to three feet – less than a human.

Guinea Pig’s Wide Field Vision


A guinea pig’s eyes are set on the side of its head, allowing it to see over 340 degrees. This wide field of vision is perfect for spotting any creature, but it impairs in-depth vision.

It is difficult to judge distance with eyes on the sides of a head, so although the guinea pig’s eye can take in a lot of images at once, the images are flat.

Whether Guinea Pigs See Color or Black & White?

A Guinea Pig can see in color. With limited vision and no sense of depth, color can help your guinea pig distinguish objects in its field of vision!

How do Guinea Pigs compensate for their poor vision?


The guinea pig relies on memory and scent to navigate in the dark – this is also true during the day! Due to guinea pigs’ poor vision, they rely heavily on signs and scents to navigate their surroundings during the daytime as well.

Guinea pigs can also navigate with their hearing. Can you believe that guinea pigs have better hearing than humans?

They can pinpoint the direction of the sound due to their funnel-shaped ear and sharp directional sensitivity.

Guinea pigs also use the hairs on their muzzles as navigational aids. They give the guinea pig information about their surroundings.

Summary of your Guinea Pig’s Observations

In summary, your guinea pig can see in the dark, and while that vision is limited, it gets support from the sound, memory, and tactile whiskers on its muzzle.

Guinea pigs’ vision is limited during the day, but they can see colors and observe a wide range of objects.

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