Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I have a question for all of you. I guess it is more like I want an opinion from you. My turtle pen is against the fence that separates us from our neighbor. Well, my neighbor's boy has formed a band and they have taken to practicing in the backyard under their patio which is on the side of their house nearest to the fence. My question is: will the loud druming and the electric guitar have any bad effects on the turtles? I am thinking it might stress them out having to hear that loud music. The thing is I don't really call it music. It is a lot of screaching on the guitar and of course the drums. I can't help but think that the drums will vibrate the earth and make the turtles wonder what in the world is going on. Will it make them bury down really deep?

I have thought about the fact that when they practice I could go and bring the turtles back into the garage away from all the noise and then return them when it is over with, but that might be a daily thing. So......what do you all think? I need some advice here!

I hope all of you are enjoying the day. It is gorgeous in my part of Texas today. I just love this time of the year. I need to get my hummingbird feeders ready as every year the hummers return to the spots where they were fed the year before and check out if there is anything there for them. They usually appear the first week of April, so I really better be ready for them.

You all have a good rest of the day. ....9boxies

Ok, this is just my opinion My turtles do not like being moved. I constructed a new pen last year and moved some juveniles into this pen for eventual breeding. They were very stressed out and didn't eat for a couple of weeks. Also, I stopped removing my outdoor turtles from their pens for soaking and feeding. They would get very upset. Now, I let them do their own soaking and eating in things that I've constructed in their pens. BUT, that may be simply because I don't often move my turtles. I like to leave them be most of the time. If a turtle is used to being moved, it may not stress them out.

My point is, it may bother your turtles more to be moved than the noise. I live where there are many thunderstorms. Even without rain, my turtles will come out into the open when the thunder starts. They'll breed, soak, eat, or just walk around. It's almost like they enjoy the thunder. More likely, they're responding to barometric pressure or the promise of their favorite thing...rain. My turtles would probably like the drumming. Then again, it may confuse them to have "thunder" with no life-giving rain.

Ok, I'm high on caffeine right now, so I'm ranting. Basically, you probably know your turtles well enough to determine if they're stressed out. Follow your instincts. If you see that they're reacting negatively, remove them from the situation. If they hardly react, I'd just leave them be. Also, turtles are smart enough to make associations...operant, no, classical conditioning...anyway, you could do something positive for them when the drumming starts. For instance, give them a sprinkler shower or feed them something yummy. They may grow to love the neighbor's music. One good thing is that young bands usually break up after a few months...speaking from experience .
Good luck.

I don't think that you should move your turtles.
However I do think that, since its obviously loud enough to bother you (the human neighbor), it would perfectly reasonable ask them to be more considerate about either keeping the noise down, or request that they construct some sort of buffer, or better yet, move to the traditional practice space for young bands, their garage (if they have one)where they can close a door.
This is about being neighborly, after all: your young neighbors need to realize that not everyone in the vicinity wants to hear their creative output, and that those who don't, shouldn't be forced to.