# HELP!! Are tortoises sensitive to loud noises?



## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

hello, my name is Sarah and I need your help urgently!! I have a juvenile Hermann tortoise named Sophie I just got her 4 days ago and she lives in an outdoor encloser be herself. Her encloser is by the fence to my next-door neighbor's house and for some reason early in the morning they started making REALLY loud drilling noises I went over to see and they where drilling this really big hole in there driveway to replace it I guess. then and on top of that they started to make really loud pounding noises. And it was pretty loud. I was REALLY really worried about Sophie becuse she was borrowed in her hay pile so I covered her encloser with a tarp to try to cancel out the noise but I don't know if it is working. And Sophie's encloser is RIGHT next to where they are drilling. I don't won't to move her becuse I don't won't to risk stressing her out more and I don't even have any where else to put her. I have tried everything but the noise is just really really loud. I am behind worried about her and I don't even know when they will stop this drilling noise. Please yell me if there is anything else I can do but I don't think there is so I beg of you to help me will she be alright? I mean the noise isn't to loud for me I can stand it but i heard tortoises don't like loud noises and they are more sensitive then us. Will she get really stressed out? Will she get sick? I am so worried! I don't know what to do! I need help!


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

And It has been going on for almost 2 hours.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

Please answer soon!


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

Tortoise feel the vibration. If there is drilling and the ground is shaking that will stress the tortoise for sure. 
Take it inside.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

I put my hand inside the encloser to feel the ground and it didn't seem to be shaking inside her encloser. If I did take her inside I have absolutely no where to put her. And I really don't wont to stress her out by moving her and she has never been inside before. But I am still really worried about her. Could the loud noise kill her?!


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

Weird - you should always have an indoor place for your tortoise...... for any emergency situations etc. 
Beside the advise above I don’t know what else to tell you. 

??‍

I recommend you look for a care sheet for your tortoise on the forum to provide proper care.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

I know I should get something for inside in case of an emergency. I have been meaning to get inside encloser. I just went outside to check on her and she is out of her hay pile and she is walking around most likely looking for the sun becuse she knows it should be in her encloser by now (she loves to bask in the sun) is that a good sign that she is no longer hiding?


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

She seemed pretty relaxed to me.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

Do you think the noise actually bothers her a lot?


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

I am not a tortoise but I hate noises. 
Maybe she is looking for a different hide maybe she doesn’t care I don’t know. 
I gave you only reasonable advice I had in mind. Maybe others have something different or maybe they know more about a tortoise and drilling noises.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

Ok thankyou


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

If anywhon has any suggestions or anything please let me know. Becuse they are STILL drilling!


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

Are Tortoises Sensitive To Loud Noises?


I'm going to be making a tortoise table in my office for Aioki, but the dilemma I just thought about is my office doubles as my home studio. I'm a musician, and I'm currently recording for a friend's project and composing some stuff right now. I play guitar(acoustic and electric), ukulele...




www.tortoiseforum.org


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## Krista S (Mar 30, 2021)

It doesn’t sound like there’s any other options to suggest. You either leave the tortoise stressed and scared in its enclosure that you say is right beside all of the noise and drilling or you move the tortoise inside for now. It doesn’t sound like you’re prepared to move her, but that is what I would do. If they’re jackhammering or ripping up concrete, your tortoise will be breathing all that dust and debris in.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

I will see what I can do but there doesn't seem to be any dust on are side. And I am not 100% sure but it seems like the stopped all the jackhammering but maybe they are just taking a break. But there is really no way I can bring her inside. But I will try my best


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 30, 2021)

But what I can do is set up a different pen for her on the opposite side of the yard. If they resume jackhammering


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

Take it inside !!!! It’s really not that complex. 
I am sorry but there is no other explanation. Seems like you want us to say oh yeah it’s fine. 
No it is not fine. 
My dogs are scared of the storm. Do I leave them outside and wait till it passes ? 
No I don’t. Cuddle them in bed till it’s done. 
Being a responsible owner of any pet is to be prepared for any form of emergency to the best of your ability. Which includes having an enclosure ready for your tortoise inside. Before you pitches a tortoise! 
I am sorry but you will not hear it’s ok, to keep a tortoise next to the construction zone.


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## Lovethetorts! (Mar 31, 2021)

I know you are right I took him inside last night i used my turtles heat lamp and put Sophie in a little tub with substrate and a house. I should have listened to you in the first place I am sorry. But luckily Sophie seems to be fine. and I talked to the neighbors and they said they where sorry about the loud noise and hopefully it won't happen again soon.


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## vladimir (Mar 31, 2021)

We had a new roof installed on our house, and it really upset our sulcata who was inside while all the shingles were being nailed in: 






Unusual behavior for the past week


Hi guys, I'm hoping for some feedback or insight with Vladimir's current behavior. For background, he is approximately 4.5 years old, weighs 45 lbs, and lives in this enclosure: https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/planning-new-indoor-enclosure.163087/ Ambient temperature in the large...




www.tortoiseforum.org


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## MEEJogja (Mar 31, 2021)

That does not sound like a pleasant experience for your tort. Definitely worth moving it if they are using heavy machinery as close as you describe. I suspect tortoises are fairly tolerant of noise though. I'm not sure it's stressed to the point of near death. 

They do not use sound as a form of communication or their primary method of sensing danger like other sound sensitive animals. I had to do some loud work on my torts enclosure spanning several hours last weekend, most of it involving hammering and sawing. I felt immensely guilty and opened the gate so they had access to another area of the garden but they seemed to just go about their business as if I'm not there, sauntering around stopping to nibble on a seedling, having a soak and then returning to their hides for a bit before repeating the process some time later. They didn't seek distance or hide from it.


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## Michael henry (Mar 31, 2021)

I did not read every line. Tortoise are deaf but feel vibration. I use my tube as an emergency place for my guy. Plus it’s a great place for them to get some water time.


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## Lyn W (Mar 31, 2021)

Hi and welcome.
If my tort hears a loud noise he hunkers down straight away so it obviously bothers him as do vibrations, that's why taking constipated torts for a ride in the car usually produces results. 

This up to date caresheet is unrelated to the noise but will be useful to you if you haven't already seen it





The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise


I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...




tortoiseforum.org


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## Lovethetorts! (Apr 2, 2021)

Ok thankyou everybody who answerd! The neighbors said all the Loud drilling is done so thats good! And Sophie is doing just fine she didn't seem bothered at al! She is doing just fine.


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## Jan A (Apr 2, 2021)

Lyn W said:


> Hi and welcome.
> If my tort hears a loud noise he hunkers down straight away so it obviously bothers him as do vibrations, that's why taking constipated torts for a ride in the car usually produces results.
> 
> This up to date caresheet is unrelated to the noise but will be useful to you if you haven't already seen it
> ...


Scares the poo out of them to take them for car rides?


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## AgataP (Apr 3, 2021)

Michael henry said:


> I did not read every line. Tortoise are deaf but feel vibration. I use my tube as an emergency place for my guy. Plus it’s a great place for them to get some water time.



They are not deaf


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## AgataP (Apr 3, 2021)

Lovethetorts! said:


> I know you are right I took him inside last night i used my turtles heat lamp and put Sophie in a little tub with substrate and a house. I should have listened to you in the first place I am sorry. But luckily Sophie seems to be fine. and I talked to the neighbors and they said they where sorry about the loud noise and hopefully it won't happen again soon.



I am glad everything is over and you both can now get some nice quiet and relaxing time together


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## Lyn W (Apr 3, 2021)

Jan A said:


> Scares the poo out of them to take them for car rides?


Yes - usually works if a tort seems constipated and all other options have failed - something to do with the vibrations through the car floor. Not necessarily a reflection on how bad a driver you are?


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## Lovethetorts! (Apr 3, 2021)

Thankyou again! I absolutely adore Sophie and I am sorry she had to go though all that but I am glad she's alright!? she is such a sweet tortoise and I am so happy to be her mom!???


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## Maggie3fan (Apr 3, 2021)

Lovethetorts! said:


> Do you think the noise actually bothers her a lot?


Tortoises do not have ears, they cannot hear. But they are very tuned in to vibrations. So those jack hammers etc, are making vibrations in the air, and the tortoise *hears *those air vibrations.
In one thread here we were talking about if a tortoise can hear. I don't think they "hear" the way we think of "hear". But vibrations in the air is what they hear.


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## Lovethetorts! (Apr 3, 2021)

Ok got it


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## AgataP (Apr 3, 2021)

maggie3fan said:


> Tortoises do not have ears, they cannot hear. But they are very tuned in to vibrations. So those jack hammers etc, are making vibrations in the air, and the tortoise *hears *those air vibrations.
> In one thread here we were talking about if a tortoise can hear. I don't think they "hear" the way we think of "hear". But vibrations in the air is what they hear.











(PDF) The Auditory Sense in Tortoises, using Hermann’s Tortoise, Testudo hermanni (Gmelin, 1789), as an Example


PDF | The turtle as all animals is equipped with sense organs. But its feature is not to have external ear, specificity shared with other animals such... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate




www.researchgate.net


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## Jan A (Apr 3, 2021)

Lyn W said:


> Yes - usually works if a tort seems constipated and all other options have failed - something to do with the vibrations through the car floor. Not necessarily a reflection on how bad a driver you are?


Lordy, I hope not. Driving sometimes calms babies & makes torts poop. Driving made one of my cats drool big gobs of saliva & wail until he tuckered himself out, in cage & out. If you stopped to get gas, it started all over again.


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