Diffusing oil in room with Eastern Box..

[Meepasaurus]

We have a little Eastern Box turtle and are wondering if it's safe to diffuse oil in the same room he is in. We would be using peppermint, rosemary and thyme. I'm thinking that since these are all edible plants, that he should be okay - I know to stay away from the eucalyptus.

 

[Sancheck]

I was just around thinking about getting back into the forum and saw that no one had replied to this, so I hope it's ok if I drop some advice...

I would avoid using essential oils of any kind around any reptile at all. Since they would be breathing it in, it could cause unforseen issues, even if the oils come from edible plants. Moreover, non-mammalian animals tend to respond really differently to things than most people or pets do. I use my diffuser in a separate room to my reptiles because my vet advised that I move it when I was initially moving my then-new turtles in some years ago. I will, however, use candles or melting wax in my rooms that connect to my reptile room because they are not as strong and don't affect my reptiles, if I need/want the smell.

 

[Meepasaurus]

Thanks for the reply. We are relatively new reptile owners - our little guy is only about 2 inches across - so any advice is welcomed!