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Is Loud Music Bad For Lizards? (Or Do They Love It?)

If you have a lizard or thinking of getting one, you may be wondering about its environment and specifically how music might affect it…

Is loud music bad for lizards?

Calmer, less-abrupt sounds are a pleasant experience for many lizards, but sounds that come abruptly are much more likely to stress them out than to be enjoyed. Loud, sudden sounds are a warning sign in nature and as such, the sudden introduction of loud music might well give your lizard a bit of a stressful ‘jolt’.

So, now you know. But, should I keep it in a quiet location? Do lizards have ear flaps? Are reptiles sensitive to sounds, in general? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…

Should I keep my lizard enclosure in a quiet location?

A black speaker on a table.

A black speaker on a table.

Yes. A quiet location that will be nice and dark when you turn off the UV lights for the day is perfect. Just like humans, your lizard needs a place to sleep that is both quiet and dark so that they will feel safe and there won’t be any sudden, unexpected sounds to put them on alert or wake them up unnecessarily.

Some Beardies have been known to like ‘sound machines’, designed for facilitating sleep for humans. These play soft sounds such as raindrops, waves, birds, and other calming, soft sounds that can help your Bearded Dragon to relax and to sleep comfortably.

Where is the ideal place to keep a lizard in your home?

Warm and quiet places are ideal when it comes to placing your aquarium or terrarium, but just as important are the things that you put inside of it. Hollowed faux rocks, for instance, provide a nice hiding place and fake plants also provide a little cover. Branches are even better, as many reptiles climb and even live in trees.

As long as they have plenty of hiding spots and scenery inside the enclosure with them, they will be less stressed, and as such you can put the aquarium just about everywhere that you like – provided that it’s going to be quiet at night so that your lizard can get enough sleep!

Do lizards hear sound?

Yes! Lizards can definitely hear, although they do not hear as well as humans do. They DO, however, have much better hearing than snakes, so they aren’t doing so badly in the world of sound where reptiles are concerned.

Lizards don’t have earflaps like we lucky mammals do, but instead, they have visible openings and subdermal eardrums that perform the function of receiving sounds. They do have a hard time with very high and low tones, but sounds that fall within a range of 100 to 4000 hertz they can definitely hear and their best hearing performance is at 100 to 1500 hertz.

Do lizards like loud music?

That really depends on the lizard, but we should state from the beginning that most lizards don’t like music at all! Soft, soothing music is pleasant, but to them, it can also mimic some of the sounds of a sneaky predator. Loud music, on the other hand, can surprise them as loud sounds in nature are generally a warning.

That said, some lizards do seem to like music, and you can watch for certain signs. If your lizard tries to crawl towards the speakers or becomes playful, these are good signs. It’s also good if they look relaxed and especially if they turn towards the music and close their eyes.

On the whole, they tend to prefer soothing music, but you can experiment with different types and pay close attention to their body language – with a little time and patience, you might find a nice compromise that you and your lizard can enjoy together!

Does loud music hurt leopard geckos?

A leopard gecko on a rock staring.

A leopard gecko on a rock staring.

Leopard Geckos are not fond of loud music. Loud noise tends to frighten and stress them, as they are quite sensitive to this, and you need to be very careful as this can dissolve their trust in you. If you have handled your leopard gecko while playing loud music, did you notice them trying to get away?

If so, then this is a definite sign that the music is making them mistrustful and it can quickly turn into an association – they’ll think of you as being the source for this strange, loud, and disturbing sound and it will take a while for you to earn their trust again.

Try handling them when it’s quiet and avoid loud music around your gecko and you should be able to mend this with a little time and patience. Also, you can use other sounds to your advantage. Making a clicking sound or another identifiable sound that is not so abrupt while feeding them mealworms or other things that they like can build pleasant associations.

Just keep the loud music in the other rooms and you and your leopard gecko will get along just fine.

How do you know if your bearded dragon likes music?

Bearded Dragons do respond well to certain types of music, typically enjoying those a little on the calmer side. Their ear structure has a few things in common with ours, though it looks very different.

Your dragon’s ears are basically holes in the side of their heads, covered with a membrane known as the tympanic membrane, which is known more commonly as an ‘eardrum’. Sounds travel through this and conduct through bones as well but as far as what they will like… well, that’s up to the Beardy.

Try a sampling of different sounds and songs and look for signs that they enjoy it.

If happy, your Beardy might face the music and close their eyes, try to move towards it, or they might even be more receptive to being held. All of these are good signs so if you see them, then you can rest assured that you’ve found some sounds or music that they like.

Are reptiles sensitive to sound?

Yes. Reptiles are sensitive to sounds and the types of sounds will vary based on the reptile and where it would normally make its home in nature. For instance, subterranean reptiles will be more sensitive to low-frequency sounds, as this is much more important in their environment.

Snakes don’t hear very well, but they are sensitive to vibrations in the ground.

Most Lizards hear best at a range of 500 to 1500 hertz, though their ability to discern low and higher frequency sounds will vary based on the species and their natural environment.

This is not to say that you don’t have the rare reptile friend that happens to enjoy your music, but you might try something lighter to see how they react to it. Check the signs of stress specific to your pet lizard, such as skin darkening, tensing up, or other reactions common to that particular species.

Once you know these, you’ll be in a better position to know when they like or are simply tolerating something because they have to.

Do lizards have earflaps?

Nope! Lizards don’t have earflaps the way that mammals do, but will typically have a hole on each side of their head and an eardrum just below the skin (although sometimes it will be a covering over the ‘earholes’.

While it seems to us not to be as efficient as human hearing, for their natural environment and types of local predators their hearing actually serves perfectly well.

What sounds can irritate a lizard?

A lot depends on the lizard itself. On average, loud noises are going to stress out your lizard, but for some even soft noises can be stressful – reminding them of predators creeping in stealthily.

The best thing that you can do is to learn and to watch your lizard’s body language and it should tell you right away if your lizard likes the tunes or if they might not like a little something different.

Wayne
 

Hi, this is me with my daughter and my Lizard friend. I hope you enjoy my research. Please feel free to check out my "About Me" page to find out more about me.