How much sleep do your pets need?
Animal loving Brits are being told the ample amount of sleep their pets need to re energise and live a healthy lifestyle.
Fitted furniture experts at Online-Bedrooms.co.uk have researched how much sleep is considered a normal amount for our pets. All animals are different and they don't all sleep at night. Some will sleep during the day and become active at dusk and dawn.
The amount of sleep they require varies too with pets like cats needing more than sixteen hours of sleep and rabbits needing far less with just eight hours. However, owners who notice that their pet is sleeping for considerably longer than usual are encouraged to check in with a vet just to make sure their pets aren't experiencing any illnesses.
Nic Shacklock from Online-Bedrooms said: "We know how important pets are to owners, they really do become part of the family. Certain animals and pets sleep far longer than others and it can be hard to determine how much sleep your pet needs to live a healthy lifestyle
"I think a lot of people would be surprised to hear just how much snakes sleep. Snakes don't have eyelids so you would never look at them and think they're asleep but they do sleep for around 16 hours.
"This is just a rough guide, it's important for all pet owners to be aware that if your pet is sleeping too much then you should take them to the vet as it could be an indication that something is wrong."
How much sleep does your pet need:
- Dogs: 12 - 14 hours
If you have a dog you'll know that they sure can sleep. They typically spend a short amount of time being up and active and before you know it they're off snoozing somewhere around the house. In fact the recommended amount of sleep for a dog is around 12-14 hours a day. Older dogs and new puppies can sleep even longer.
- Cats: 16 - 20 hours
Cats also spend a lot of time curled up asleep. They need around 16 - 20 hours to avoid feeling tired and grumpy and just like dogs, younger and older cats need more sleep. Cats are pretty flexible sleepers and you may find they're more active at early and late hours as these are the best time to hunt.
- Rabbits: Around 8.5 hours
Just like humans, rabbits need around eight and a half hours of sleep. Rabbits tend to be light sleepers as they are prey animals but it is believed that rabbits who are extremely comfortable in their environment will sleep longer. They also tend to sleep with their eyes open so it can be hard to determine whether they are awake or not but they do have three main sleeping positions - loafing, flopping and sprawling.
- Hamsters: 12 - 14 hours
Although hamsters need around 12 to 14 hours of sleep, these are usually broken up over short periods of time and they typically sleep during the day.
- Tortoise: Around 12 hours
Tortoises are active during the day and sleep at night and they can sleep up to around 12 hours. Of course baby tortoises can sleep much longer, between 19 and 22 hours!
- Snakes: Around 16 hours
Snakes don't have eyelids, instead they have a brille on each eye which is a transparent layer that protects their eye. Because snakes sleep with their eyes 'open', you may not actually realise that your pet snake sleeps for around 16 hours a day.
- Parrots: 10 - 12 hours
Most pet parrots are used to living near the equator where there is around 12 hours of darkness each night - that's why they're used to this much sleep. They're also pretty active which is why this amount of sleep is crucial.
