Infrared light is excellent for peeking at things inside the dark, but human eyes can’t see it. It is electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light. The infrared light is invisible to human eyes. However, what about guinea pigs? Can guinea pigs see infrared light? Let’s find out!
Can guinea pigs see infrared light? The human’s vision is better than the vision of guinea pigs. So, the answer to this question is no. Guinea pigs cannot see infrared light. Guinea pigs are mammals, which means they can feel the infrared heat but they cannot see infrared light.
Some studies show where guinea pigs were exposed to infrared light. However, even though guinea pigs cannot see infrared light, it has the potential of causing them harm, especially if they were exposed to a higher intensity of it for a long time.
That is why it should not be used in the same room where your guinea pig stays if you leave it for a long time. Guinea pigs are usually preyed upon and because of that, they have strong senses. Since guinea pigs are too small and weak to fight, they usually run away fast if they feel that they are in danger.
This is only possible for animals that have strong senses that will enable them to detect the danger and run away before the danger comes close to them. Because of the strong senses of guinea pigs, they have poor vision, which is why they can’t see infrared lights.
Even though guinea pigs have a wide range of views, their vision is weak. This does not affect their movement, especially during the night. However, it brings to question the ability of guinea pigs to see colors or can they sense infiltrating lights that are invisible to the naked eye.
Today, we will talk about guinea pigs and infrared lights. I will answer various questions related to our topic. So, if you are ready to learn more about guinea pigs, let us move on!
Why Do Guinea Pigs Can’t See Infrared Light?
Warm-blooded creatures produce their own body heat, which is why they are capable of staying warm even when the winter season comes and gets colder. Most of the animals rely on their fur to keep themselves warm. Also, they can adapt appropriately when summer comes and gets very hot.
The ability to regulate body temperature is essential for an animal’s survival. This is the main reason why animals are unable to see some types of light. Infrared light is used to see heat in a certain room, which cannot be seen by human eyes. This same applies to guinea pigs. Warm-blooded animals can’t see infrared. It means that most animals that can see infrared light are cold-blooded animals. Some of them are:
- Frogs
- Snakes
- Fish
- Lizards
Even mosquitoes and some beetles can see infrared light, but guinea pigs are warm-blooded creatures so they cannot see infrared light. Guinea pigs are capable of keeping themselves warm unless they are sedated. This ability of the body to generate its own heat would make it hard to see infrared light even if they could see it.
Also, guinea pigs have poor vision, which contributes to the reason why they can’t see infrared light. Guinea pigs can sense and remember their surroundings but they cannot see distant objects. The function of infrared light is based more on temperature than visibility.
Do Infrared Light Hurt Guinea Pigs’ Eyes?
Many studies have been executed to determine whether different types of light, including infrared, can hurt a guinea pig’s eyes. Guinea pigs are sensitive to light, especially the brighter ones. Since infrared is an invisible type of light, the damage it can cause to your pet guinea pig depends on the intensity of the light.
This was proven in various experiments. The two examples are experiment 1 and experiment 2. It is better to avoid exposing your guinea pigs to infrared light for extended periods for their safety. During this study where guinea pigs were exposed to infrared light, it was done under high observation with precise measures to avoid injuring the guinea pig.
What Kind Of Light Can Guinea Pigs See?
Guinea pigs can see all sorts of visible lights. That is why it is recommended to keep their cage too lit up at night. Whenever your pet guinea pig sees a bright light, they become confused and start thinking it is already morning. It will wake up your guinea pig.
Even though guinea pigs can sleep almost anywhere as long as it is comfortable, it is still better to keep their cage dark at night to allow them to calm down and get some healthy sleep. You can also cover your guinea pig’s cage if it is not dim enough.
The color vision of guinea pigs has even been said to be better than cats and dogs. Despite having some of the best color vision in animals, guinea pigs are not very affected by dim lights. This is why you must keep a low light in your guinea pig’s room and they will manage to sleep.
Some of the guinea pigs may still try to find a less lit-up section on the cage to curl up in. However, other guinea pigs also sleep in the open, especially after they get used to the surroundings and feel safe.
Final Verdict
Guinea pigs make good pets because of their small size, nature, and decently low maintenance. They make great pets for adults as well as children. However, guinea pigs are delicate animals. That is why you have to be very careful about the surroundings that you put them in.
You have to do some proper research to find information about what could be dangerous to your pet guinea pig. Items that use infrared are becoming more common in houses. Using infrared light is good and most of the time it is not dangerous.
However, it is still better if you were sure about the reaction of your guinea pigs when exposed to infrared light to avoid any health concerns that might happen. In most cases, it is fine but just be sure to not expose your pet guinea pig to infrared light for a long period of time.
