# Does smoking affect tortoises?



## Talka (Aug 23, 2012)

Sheldon was a very lethargic tortoise, and I lived in an apartment where the neighbor's cigarette smoke ALWAYS leaked in. I recently moved to a clean house and Sheldon has perked up tremendously. 

I realize there's a thousand factors involved in a tortoise being energetic, but I'm curious to see if there's a trend between smoking and tortoise health.

The poll is anonymous, and applies only to those who have tortoises that live over 50% of the time indoors.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 23, 2012)

I don't know if smoking contributes to lethargy, but I would think it would, given that tortoises' lungs are much smaller and simpler than ours. Also, smoking has been shown to have the same health effects in dogs and cats as in humans.


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## Tom (Aug 23, 2012)

Inhaling smoke particles is not good for any species at any time. Just how damaging it is will always be debatable. I always think of those side by side comparisons of smokers lungs next to healthy non-smokers lungs. Blecch! Nasty stuff.


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## Yvonne G (Aug 23, 2012)

My mother was a smoker. She was disabled and sat in her recliner all day long. After she was moved to a nursing home, we cleaned her house. The bay window next to her chair, the walls, the drapes...everything in that room, had a layer of yellow gunk on it. You could actually scrape it off with a putty knife. I'm assuming it was nicotine from the cigarette smoke. If it sticks to walls and windows, I'd hate to think what it does to your tortoise's lungs.


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## wellington (Aug 23, 2012)

I am a smoker, but I only smoke outside and it's not around my tort. However, i wouldn't think it would make a difference in energy, but it probably does make a difference in his health in the long run.


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## ascott (Aug 23, 2012)

I agree this is a highly debatable topic...until someone learns the proper human husbandry (lol) there will never be a truly fail proof answer to this question..in my humble opinion...


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## StudentoftheReptile (Aug 23, 2012)

Going back to the original question (at least in the thread title anyway): does smoking affect tortoises? I think the simple answer is yes, because logic dictates that it affects any other animal studies have been done on (humans, dogs, cats, rodents, etc.).

The question is: HOW it affects them.

My personal opinion is that it certainly doesn't benefit them in any way (unless some study could indicate that smoking or secondhand smoke inhalation reduces stress is tortoises, although I have no idea how you would perform the tests!), and given the general longterm affect smoking has on one's body (specifically the respiratory system), I doubt prolonged exposure to the habit and/or secondhand smoke is really healthy for a tortoise. Again, just my opinion.

Of course, in the same token, some people claim to have fed their iguanas pizza and popcorn on a regular basis, and the lizards lived impressively for more than 10 years. Surely, everything else in the animals' husbandry is a factor, so like Angela said, I suppose it is debatable how much a healthy, well-maintained tortoise can withstand.


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## Laurie (Aug 23, 2012)

I think smoking around a tortoise, or anything that breathes for that matter, probably isn't a good idea. I smoked for 22 years, a bad habit I started when I was 16. Next month, I will be cigarette free for two years! I've never felt better.


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## SulcataSquirt (Aug 23, 2012)

See I think it would effect the tortoises energy, I know for a fact as a construction worker, everyonce in a while I will get offered a cig and will take and smoke it. well everytime I smoke a cig, I become outta breath and cant seem to get back in to my rythem without feeling drug down and short of breath. So for a tortoise to be breathing cig smoke i think you will see a great difference in energy. anything that cuts your oxygen percentage in half and exchange it for smoke is gonna cause you to be lethargic. Heavy regular smokers may not consder this true because they smoke everyday and dont know what kinda energy they really use to have.


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## wellington (Aug 23, 2012)

Laurie said:


> I think smoking around a tortoise, or anything that breathes for that matter, probably isn't a good idea. I smoked for 22 years, a bad habit I started when I was 16. Next month, I will be cigarette free for two years! I've never felt better.



Congrats


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 23, 2012)

The trouble with smoke of any kind, is that it is loaded with carbonized molecules like benzenes and buckminsterfullerines. These are known DNA mutagens that can cause cancer in mammals, and probably harm all other animals as well.

Humans and tortoises can survive forest fires every few years. But inhaling smoke everyday? That's not good for anyone.


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## Moozillion (Aug 23, 2012)

"...buckminsterfullerines..." hahaha!!!


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## Mgridgaway (Aug 23, 2012)

It's definitely possible, but I wonder if there are other factors contributing to his perkiness. I mean, just how much smoke leaked into your place?


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## Jacqui (Aug 23, 2012)

Laurie said:


> I think smoking around a tortoise, or anything that breathes for that matter, probably isn't a good idea. I smoked for 22 years, a bad habit I started when I was 16. Next month, I will be cigarette free for two years! I've never felt better.



Now that is something to be extremely proud of!!!!


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## Laurie (Aug 23, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> Now that is something to be extremely proud of!!!!



Thanks! Thank you too, Barb . It took a few tries, but finally stuck. I was smoking one pack a day @ $10.00/pack , saved a ton of money. I enjoy spending it on my torts more anyway


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## Talka (Aug 23, 2012)

Mgridgaway said:


> It's definitely possible, but I wonder if there are other factors contributing to his perkiness. I mean, just how much smoke leaked into your place?



A lot of smoke. I smelled like a smoker and had to open the windows often. When I moved, I had to wash all my clothes, bedsheets, towels, and even my kitchen towels to get the smell out.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 23, 2012)

Moozilion said:


> "...buckminsterfullerines..." hahaha!!!



Hey, that's what they're called.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Aug 23, 2012)

Laurie said:


> I think smoking around a tortoise, or anything that breathes for that matter, probably isn't a good idea. I smoked for 22 years, a bad habit I started when I was 16. Next month, I will be cigarette free for two years! I've never felt better.



Congratulations!


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## Talka (Aug 23, 2012)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> Moozilion said:
> 
> 
> > "...buckminsterfullerines..." hahaha!!!
> ...



And they're super cool! Almost like carbon soccer balls 
They're known as "bucky balls" too!







They're named after a guy whose name was Buckminster Fuller. The molecules are used to carry other molecules inside them, like contrast agents for medical scans. They're also used to facilitate many chemical reactions, and are being considered for hydrogen storage so we can drive hydrogen-powered cars.

And uh... I think that's enough science for one day.


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## Moozillion (Aug 23, 2012)

WOW!!! ...and I thought you were being silly!! I've learned something new!!!


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## Masin (Aug 23, 2012)

If its a depressant in humans I'm sure it's not a stretch for it to be the same for our torts. 




Laurie said:


> I think smoking around a tortoise, or anything that breathes for that matter, probably isn't a good idea. I smoked for 22 years, a bad habit I started when I was 16. Next month, I will be cigarette free for two years! I've never felt better.



Congrats. Feels good huh?! I was 2 years June, so weird that I can't really remember personally smoking but do have a craving at times, just a random pull that goes as quickly as it came. What worked for you? Hypnosis, will power and tedious hand activities (micro painting) helped me kick it after years of trying to quit.


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## yagyujubei (Aug 24, 2012)

I think that smoking pot around them could make them a little sluggish, but it really increases their appetite.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Aug 24, 2012)

yagyujubei said:


> I think that smoking pot around them could make them a little sluggish, but it really increases their appetite.



A room-mate of mine had a brilliant idea...he put my 1st Hermann's in a paper grocery bag and "shot-gunned" her with some primo Panama Red (while I was at work)...didn't seem to affect her, at all, as she was as energetic as ever, afterwards, and her appetite was always excellent, so it's hard to say if it increased any.

Said room-mate's broken nose healed, eventually...


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## Madkins007 (Aug 24, 2012)

Just to add another data point- tobacco and all derivatives (as well as marijuana) are listed in Mader's "Reptile Medicine and Surgery" as lethally toxic to reptiles.


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