General Guinea pigs in silence most of the day?

LemonAntlers · Aug 27, 2017

Hello, I'm new to guinea pigs for the most part and am wondering how they do in silence. My two sows are left in silence for the majority of the day (while I'm away at school or doing other things), apart from the occasional talking from the kitchen/dish clattering/etc (they live in a basement room). I'm curious if it bothers them or not.
Do they prefer silence?
Would it benefit them to have some more noise around them, should I start being down there more often to do my daily tasks?
Will they become extra skittish/scared if they don't get more exposure to noise?

Thanks!

CavyTV · Aug 27, 2017

It all depends. You can't really be sure if they prefer silence or noise, but for the most part guinea pigs don't enjoy loud and unfamiliar noises. Going down there to do homework or whatever can help them get used to you, your voice, your smell, etc. Leaving them alone down there for most of the day isn't really good and if I were you I'd try to go down there and spend some time with them whenever possible, not because they don't like the silence but because they can benefit from some bonding time with their human.

Guinea Pig Papa · Aug 27, 2017

I agree with @CavyTV. They are your pets, YOU should be down there as much as possible with them. They'll benefit in every way from spending time with you.

That being said, when I can't be around with my little fellas, I have background noise on, such as the t.v. I find that it gives them a sense of normalcy and routine.

LemonAntlers · Aug 27, 2017

CavyTV said:
It all depends. You can't really be sure if they prefer silence or noise, but for the most part guinea pigs don't enjoy loud and unfamiliar noises. Going down there to do homework or whatever can help them get used to you, your voice, your smell, etc. Leaving them alone down there for most of the day isn't really good and if I were you I'd try to go down there and spend some time with them whenever possible, not because they don't like the silence but because they can benefit from some bonding time with their human.

Would it be beneficial to move my computer downstairs? I feel like that would create too much noise... I have a mechanical keyboard so it clicks whenever I touch the keys.

CavyTV · Aug 27, 2017

No, it wouldn't be too much. They would get used to it. I don't think it'll even bother them.

LemonAntlers · Aug 27, 2017

Guinea Pig Papa said:
I agree with @CavyTV. They are your pets, YOU should be down there as much as possible with them. They'll benefit in every way from spending time with you.

That being said, when I can't be around with my little fellas, I have background noise on, such as the t.v. I find that it gives them a sense of normalcy and routine.

Thank you! I've thought about putting background noise on for them. The silence just seems /too/ quiet at times.

LemonAntlers · Aug 27, 2017

CavyTV said:
No, it wouldn't be too much. They would get used to it. I don't think it'll even bother them.

Ahh okay! I might have to end up doing that, then.

bpatters · Aug 27, 2017

Over the years, our pigs have lived through noisy kids, barking dogs, and my husband's penchant for playing opera CD's at maximum volume. A clicking keyboard is nothing compared to that.

LemonAntlers · Aug 27, 2017

bpatters said:
Over the years, our pigs have lived through noisy kids, barking dogs, and my husband's penchant for playing opera CD's at maximum volume. A clicking keyboard is nothing compared to that.

Whew, okay. I've just gotten them a week ago, and I really don't want to scare them with anything more than they already are. Thank you though! It makes me feel a lot better.

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General Guinea pigs in silence most of the day?

LemonAntlers

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Guinea Pig Papa

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LemonAntlers

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CavyTV

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bpatters

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