So, the simple answer is yes—but ‘loud’ is, when it comes to animals, an extremely relative term.
What would be unbearably loud for one might be just background noise to another.
If you’re concerned about the amount of noise they make, you should acquaint yourself with some before buying any yourself.
Let’s look further into this.
Do pygmy goats make a lot of noise?
The simple answer is yes, they do.
All goats do.
It’s a very natural and normal part of their habitual behavior.
Herd animals in general tend to be like this, and goats and sheep are often considered the most vocal of such animals.
Pygmy goats have just the same instinctive drive to make noise as other breeds of their species.
There’s, generally speaking, very little variation across breeds.
Pygmy goats have just as much drive to make noise.
That said, they are naturally somewhat quieter than larger breeds.
They don’t have the same bellowing voices, though often their high-pitched screeching can actually cut through even more than larger goats.
They aren’t quiet, then, but they’re also not really any louder than other breeds.
If you’re comfortable with the noise other breeds make, then you’ll have no problem with pygmies.
Why do they make all this noise, then?
Why do pygmy goats make noise?
There are many reasons pygmy goats make the amount of noise that they do.
Most of it, though, is completely normal and nothing to be worried about.
Indeed, as we will get to, many who keep goats not knowing how much noise they make tend to assume something is wrong.
Quite the opposite is usually true, though.
Goats make noise as a matter of course.
It’s what they do—it’s part of their natural behavior.
The reasons for this are manifold, though it all, essentially, comes down to communication.
Goats are highly social animals, and being able to communicate is as essential their wellbeing as it is to ours.
They might make noise just to signal to the rest of the herd that they are still around.
They might do it to signal danger—whether imagined or real.
They might make noise when they see you, or to indicate excitement.
Of course, noise can also be a bad sign.
They may use screeching to communicate pain or fear, or often mothers will make noise when they are separated from their kids.
Pygmy goats make noise for all the same reasons any goat would.
You’ve got to keep in mind that making noise can and will be done for any and all reasons.
Even if your goats are happy as can be, they will be making noise.
Which goat breed is the quietest?
So, the first point to make is that, as I’ve said, all goats will make some amount of noise.
They are social, vocal creatures who use sounds to communicate.
That said, there are certainly some breeds which are known to be quieter than other species.
The goat commonly considered the quietest is the Oberhasli breed.
These are most commonly a dairy goat, not so much favored as pets.
The other thing about goats is that they are incredibly highly individualized.
They have very distinct personalities, and even within a breed, one individual may be much louder than another.
So, is there a way to curb a pygmy’s noise tendencies?
How can I stop my pygmy goat making noise?
Again, if it wasn’t already clear, the point I am getting across is that goats are always noisy, to some degree.
They’re loud, vocal, social creatures who make noise.
So, you can’t expect to shut your goat up entirely, nor would you want to.
Vocalizations are a good sign.
A goat that is communicating and vocalizing is a happy and healthy goat.
That said, excessive noise could indicate a problem.
If there is a goat making a lot of noise, and apparently trying to draw attention to itself, then it may be hungry, ill, injured, lonely—any number of things.
Keep an eye out for that, and if you’re really unsure, speak to a vet.
But, for the most part, noises are a good thing.
So, buying a goat is going to involve a bit more decision making than most other pets.
They aren’t like cats and dogs, and they can only be trained so far.
They make noise as a matter of course, whether they are comfortable or not.
It is just something instinctive to them. pygmy goats, naturally due to their size, are quieter than other species, but they’re still pretty loud, and their screeches even more high pitched.
Take a lot of time to consider.