All You Need To Know About Smoking Around Turtles!


You’d be surprised to learn that a whole bunch of animals from bees, jaguars, and hoses can get high, more than we do. From shrooms and alcohol to locoweed and urine, the stimulating agents in the Animalia kingdom are just as quirky as the animals that consume them.

Do Turtles Get High?

Absolutely! Turtles can get high. Being reptiles, they have the cannabinoids receptors 1 and 2, which gets them stimulated by THC. For starters, THC, also referred to as Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient responsive to the psychoactive effects of marijuana. The chemical stimulates the brain to release more dopamine, leading to a heightened sense of euphoria. The effects usually begin to become apparent after 10-30 minutes after consumption and can last for over 3 hours. While the marijuana plant has up to 60 cannabinoids compounds, only THC has psychoactive effects.

Another popular cannabinoid found in the plant is Cannabidiol (CBD), which has become popular for its medicinal properties such as easing anxiety, insomnia and helping chronic illnesses. CBD can be used for pets such as dogs, cats, and horses in the form of treats, oils, and chews. As for turtles, no scientific studies have been put forward to prove any benefit of CBD or curated products on them.

How Do Hallucinogens Affect Turtles?

Turtles are not too sociable and expressive, and thus it’s hard to know how THC and other hallucinogens affect them. They won’t stagger or walk backward or even show red eyes. But if you understand your turtle well enough and gets to know their personality, some difference might be visible in their behavior. Check out signs of drowsiness and lethargy.

That said, there’s really no need to get your turtle high unless a stack of marijuana or joints falls into the tank ‘accidentally.’ In many turtle forums, you can find lots of queries and experiences from curious owners about exposing them to the smoke.

Is It Harmful To Smoke Near Your Turtle?

It’s generally not advisable to smoke around any domestic pet due to the risks associated with secondhand smoke, such as exposure to carcinogens. Besides, turtles have a low threshold for stress, and if the environment is exposed to the smoke, it’s bound to provoke stress.

Turtles are likely to get a compromised immune system as a result. It’s therefore essential that you ensure your turtle has a proper environment and diet to maintain its wellbeing. While turtles breathe similarly to humans, their lungs are smaller, they keep air longer, and it’s small in size. Exposure to smoke can put them at a higher risk. As such, it should be your goal to provide a fresh environment and a well-equipped tank that filters water and ensures adequate oxygen.

What Can Get Turtles High?

There’s limited evidence to show what gets turtles high in the wild. However, THC makes turtles high since they have both C1 and C2 receptors. Whether it’s marijuana or black truffles, anything that contains cannabinoids has the potential to make your turtle high. As for CBD, scientists are not sure how it interacts with the turtle Endocannabinoid system, but it’s inevitable that C1 and C2 bind with CBD.

Do Turtles Get High On Jellyfish?

Most sea turtles feed on jellyfish, preferring the tentacles instead of the bell. While the bell is the most nutritious, the main reason for their choice is thought to be the sting that follows shortly after. However, none of the sea turtles are known to eat jellyfish to get high.

Humans respond to jellyfish stings by showing small harpoon-like structures on the skin. It turns out that jellyfish have nematocysts that inject venom into human skin. Turtles are less vulnerable to these because of the scales that cover the skin. The eyes are the only vulnerable region, but the flippers effectively shield these.

How to Smoke Around Turtles?

If you own a turtle and wish to smoke from time to time, here are a few tips you can protect a turtle’s health.

  • Always smoke outside and away from the turtle to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke.
  • If you smoke indoors, ensure to use a separate room, preferably the furthest from your turtle environment, to protect the turtle from the lasting effects of smoke.
  • If you smoke in the same room as the turtle, move away from the tank, preferably out of a window

After smoking, ensure you wash your hands before touching your turtle. Cigarette chemicals may still linger on the fingers, and the residue can reach the shell or body. The results of direct contact with the mucus membrane means the toxic residue can still reach their skin, which is more delicate than humans. The contamination can easily lead to eye, skin, and respiratory infections.

Can You Vape Around Turtles?

Vapes and e-cigarettes are the trend these days, the reason behind the massive production and use among young adults. Although smoking devices are marketed as safer alternatives to cigarettes, they still have the same deadly carcinogens that cause illnesses. As such, owners must treat vapes as they would with a regular cigarette and adhere to warnings given in relation to their pets.

How to Ensure Your Turtle Has a Safe Environment?

It’s important to keep in mind that turtles survive in ways that could protect them from smoke exposure. As said earlier, turtles can hold their breath for more extended periods, so it’s important to ensure that they intake clean air.

Terrestrial turtles like the box turtle love to dig and burrow in the dirt, so I recommend providing someplace with enough dirt as well as a pile of decaying leaves. This will help to provide a comfortable haven for the turtle.

Another great way to promote your turtle’s health is to provide adequate vitamin A. This is beneficial for their skin and mucus membranes, such as the lungs. A deficiency of Vitamin A can result in respiratory illnesses. Your aim is to provide a balanced diet for your turtle to meet its nutritional needs.

Respiratory Illnesses

Turtles can exhibit respiratory disease symptoms when left in a smokey environment. The symptoms can also result from vitamin A deficiency, so you will need to be on the lookout for any infections that might occur on the turtle’s mucus membrane. When left untreated respiratory disease can spread to the lugs, making it more lethal. If you suspect that your turtle has a respiratory complication, you should contact the vet immediately.

Respiratory illness in turtle’s s more likely to occur if the turtle is left in a cold environment. The infection is characterized by a nasal discharge, loss of appetite, and lethargy. The vet will administer the proper antibacterial medication and advise you on steps that you can take to improve your turtle’s safety and diet to ensure a fast recovery.

Why Are Turtles Susceptible to Respiratory Disease?

Turtles are cold-blooded, meaning that it’s hard for them to regulate their internal body temperature when exposed to unhealthy temperatures. Let’s face the fact getting high with your turtle might result in exposing your pet to either low temperatures or high humidity conditions without noticing, which can exacerbate respiratory problems.

Hatchlings and young turtles have incredibly delicate respiratory systems that cannot tolerate smoke and low-quality air as well. These are likely to trigger a stress response or, in the worst-case scenario, start respiratory distress.

Can Turtles Get High From Eating Liverwort?

Liverwort is a tropical plant that sea turtles love, and when they consume it in significant quantities, they end up high. This is due to liverwort’s cannabinol properties. Researchers found this type of moss to produce psychoactive compounds that trigger the same cannabinoid receptors as THC when consumed by box turtles.

In the wild, turtles often run into liverworts and consume them naturally for a less psychoactive hit than those consuming marijuana-derived products. This is because liverworts produce physiologically active compounds derived from fatty acids, so the turtle needs to consume a generous amount before they can get high.

Can THC Kill a Turtle?

In high doses, consumption of THC will affect your turtle by boxing the CB1 and CB2 receptors within its nervous system. In low doses, this effect leads to sleepiness and swing back and forth from extremely lethargy to extreme hyperactivity. If you suspect that your turtle may have contained THC-infused snacks, you should get in touch with your vet immediately.

Wrap Up – Can Turtles Get High?

Yes! Turtles can get high when they consume psychoactive compounds found in weed and by consuming jellyfish and liverworts. Out in the wild, turtles rarely come across these psychoactive compounds, and they only consume them in natural amounts.

However, in captivity, turtles cannot control how high they can get if you expose them to similar compounds, such as when you smoke weed near them. For the sake of your turtle’s health, you should protect them from compounds that can get them unnecessarily high and always get in touch with the vet if you suspect that your turtle is high.

Recent Posts