Guinea pigs can tolerate a lot of different things that can happen to them throughout their lives while you keep them as pets.
One of those things that they’ll have to tolerate is the different types of noises that they’ll hear when they’re in your home.
Guinea pigs can react in different ways when they start to hear certain loud noises depending on if those noises surprise them or if they’re already used to them.
There can also be a limit to how much loud noise that they can take before it starts to affect them in a bad way as well.
So for fellow guinea pig owners, the rest of this article can help better explain the different ways that guinea pigs will handle those loud noises and what can happen if they hear them.
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How Do Guinea Pigs React To Loud Noises?
When a guinea pig starts to hear some loud noises you would expect them to at least react to it most of the time.
So if a guinea pig does hear loud noises then how do they react when they first start to hear them?
Guinea pigs react to loud noises in different ways depending on how they hear the noise.
So if the noise is sudden then they will react in a way that shows that they’re scared of it, but sometimes if they’re used to the noises then they might not react at all.
So for example, if a guinea pig gets caught off guard by a loud noise and gets scared then they may make a certain type of sound.
The sound that you will hear a guinea pig make when something like a loud noise scares them will usually sound like a “drrr” sound.
This sound can mean that a guinea pig is surprised by the noise that they just heard.
That sound is natural for guinea pigs to make and most of the time they can’t control when they do it, especially when something like a loud noise scares them.
Guinea pigs will also react this way even when the noises that they hear don’t surprise them but is just too loud.
So if the noise disturbs or annoys them in any way then you’re just as likely to hear that “drrr” sound as well. Guinea pigs can also react to loud noises by sitting frozen in place when they hear it too.
When they react in this way it can mean that the noise made them feel threatened.
So what they will try to do is sit as still as possible in an attempt to hide from whatever scared them.
Do Guinea Pigs Ever Get Used To Loud Noises?
So it’s true that guinea pigs can get scared of loud noises and that’s definitely normal for them, but do guinea pigs ever get used to those loud noises?
Guinea pigs can sometimes become used to slightly loud noises over time if those noises are constant, but what they won’t get used to is loud noises that are sudden.
So guinea pigs can be okay with loud noises as long as they hear them consistently throughout their lives.
For example, if you have your guinea pig’s cage in a room that has a TV and they’re close enough to the TV to hear it, then they may become okay with the sounds that it makes.
They might not be at first, but as time goes on the sounds from the TV can be like background noise for some of them.
Guinea pigs can also get used to adults and children making loud noises around them constantly as well. So after a while, they can become okay with some loud talking and playing and might not be scared of it.
But what guinea pigs won’t get used to hearing are the loud noises that are sudden.
An example of an unexpected noise that a guinea pig won’t get used to is a phone going off.
So if you have your phone on you and you’re near your guinea pigs and get a message or a call, then the ding from the phone can really surprise them.
Other common noises that they might not get used to can be other animals that you keep in the home.
Animals like dogs, birds, and any other pets that can suddenly get loud out of nowhere can really frighten them and they may never become okay with those noises.
Also, it’ll be hard for them to get used to unexpected loud noises in general like whistles, car horns, and fireworks as well.
How Much Loud Noise Can Guinea Pigs Handle?
Guinea pigs are known to adapt to things that they’re not used to like different types of loud noises, but how much loud noise can guinea pigs actually handle?
Although guinea pigs can handle some loud noises they won’t want or like to hear it and you should try your best to not expose them to too much of it.
So even though they can sometimes get used to loud sounds they generally won’t want to hear them and this is mainly because of how much they can actually hear.
Like most other rodents that you can keep as pets, guinea pigs really rely a lot on their sense of hearing.
They have very sensitive ears so that means that loud noises sound a lot louder to them than they do to us.
That means that just because something doesn’t sound that loud to you it doesn’t mean that it’s not loud for your guinea pigs.
So most of the time if the noise is even remotely loud for you, then that can mean that it’s way too loud for them.
Too many sounds that are too loud for them can make your guinea pigs feel uncomfortable which can make them lock up out of fear.
So guinea pigs can’t handle loud noises too well and if they don’t like it and hear them too much then that can cause them to become a lot more skittish than they usually are.
Can Loud Noises Cause A Guinea Pig To Die?
So guinea pigs can become really scared when loud noises start to happen around them, but can those loud noises cause a guinea pig to die?
Some guinea pigs can die from loud noises if those noises are so sudden that they become too frightened.
But it’s not the noise itself that can cause a guinea pig to die, it’s the reaction from being too scared. So what’s usually happening here is their heart giving out because the sudden loud noise really shocked them.
It’s not the most common thing that can cause a guinea pig to die but unfortunately, it can happen sometimes and it can be hard to deal with that loss.
The main reason why this can happen is that guinea pigs are prey animals and when they hear a really loud sound out of nowhere that can cause them to stress out.
All of that sudden stress that they feel from the noise can affect their heart which is generally fragile in the first place.
So being so stressed and so scared in that small moment where they hear that loud sound can end badly because guinea pigs can die from being scared sometimes.
Again, this isn’t something that all guinea pigs can have happen to them, but it’s definitely something to look out for.
That’s because guinea pigs aren’t all the same, so some of them can handle loud sounds more than others can.
So to be safe, it’s best that you minimize any loud sounds that you can that are around your guinea pigs, that way you can help lower the chance of your guinea pigs dying from loud noises.