Rain Noise

[iser27373]

My grandma has to sleep in the same room as my gerbils and she uses a noise machine every time she sleeps. The noise machine sounds like rain and I don’t know if it will bother my gerbils.

[Markpd]

Well this is an unusual question, is it white noise rather than rain noise? Just curious, although it doesn't make much difference tbh.

I would think that as long as it isn't loud, it shouldn't be a problem.

[betty]

That is a great question! I love the sound of rain and thunderstorms - but as said above if it is just white noise of an actual rainfall event - rather than causing too much higher pitch/frequency (computer generated) I shouldn't think it would be a problem, but I think that is just something we will never know for absolute sure.

I would suggest to keep an eye on their behaviours and feeding to see if it is changing the way they do things (as perhaps there are innate behaviours or physiological changes that can occur in animals during the rainy season that we don't know about).

I wonder if there is anything on Google Scholoar about rainfall patterns affecting gerbils in Mongolia - like heavy rainfall often comes with a drop in baromic pressure don't it? Hmm - how thought provoking?

[Markpd]

I vaguely remember reading in one of the studies into wild gerbils, that with higher rainfall and thus greater vegetation that gerbils weighed less and had smaller litters, the opposite of what you'd expect!
They thought that maybe the drier conditions favoured the gerbils preferred food. No mention of the actual gerbil behaviours when it's raining though.

iser27373

I'd suggest you turn on the noise machine when the gerbils are up and watch their reaction, using this article as a guide to see what their reaction is likely to be.

Then next, turn on the noise machine when they are asleep, and see if it wakes them.

As betty mentioned, high frequency sounds could be a problem for them (see that article I linked), which I wouldn't expect to be in rain noise, but might be if it's white noise?

[barryozzy]

I have a noise machine that I use at night. I don't use the rain sounds much but I don't think they mind it. They seem to like the white noise, the ocean sounds, and the lullaby music best.

At first I was worried they wouldn't like it so I never turned it on. But one night they were making so much noise, and I thought maybe it would calm me or even just drown them out. I think they liked it though because whenever I use it they calm down and go to sleep 

[Markpd]

Interesting to hear!