Just curious - Vaping

I’m curious about vaping and reptiles. Had my BP out and letting roam a bit, I caught myself vaping while she was around my neck. I stopped.
Anyone ever experienced or heard of side effects of vaping near a reptile?

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I haven’t heard of anything but I really wouldn’t risk it. I haven’t heard of any snake respiratory symptom studies that have to do with vaping and I doubt if one will come out in the near future. As you know, vaping isn’t good for the person doing it but I know that when I am around people vaping (as a high school student it is pretty hard to avoid) it will irritate my throat and lungs which will cause me to cough and make my throat itch is that makes sense. I don’t know what or if anything would happen but when it comes to something that hasn’t been looked into then it is always better to air on the side of caution.

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I would definitely agree with Logan on this. I just wouldn’t risk it. Smoke or vaping irritates the throat, so I just wouldn’t do it. Don’t feel bad, snakes are really resilient. And choose to be more aware of it. Have a wonderful day @llawen.

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It’s definitely something I’d avoid. I don’t know if there have been any official studies done, but I can’t imagine that exposure to that vapor can be good for them and their respiratory systems.

I smoked cigarettes for years and picked up vaping when it became a thing, though I always avoided doing it around my animals (at the time, the only animals I had were cats, and I also worked with horses). One of the things that motivated me to quit (and deters me from starting again) was not wanting to expose animals to it. Even if I didn’t actively smoke or vape around them, the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of exposing them to whatever residue was stuck to my clothes and skin.

Reptiles have somewhat delicate respiratory systems, and those respiratory systems definitely haven’t evolved to deal with exposure to cigarette smoke/vaping/nicotine. I don’t even burn incense or light scented candles in my home, and I’m very careful about what cleaning products I use near all my animals. I just don’t want to take any chances. Maybe I’m overly cautious, but I’d rather err on the side of caution.

Of course, it’s your life, your snake, and your choice. But my advice would be to at least avoid actively vaping near your snake. Which I realise might be easier said than done. Trust me, I get it. I doubt that this one brief exposure will cause any long-term problems, but it’s probably best to try to avoid direct exposure in the future.

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That’s why I asked. I’m still fairly new to reptiles, but caught myself and stopped as soon as I realized what I was doing.
Thanks for the replies.

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Most would probably say to avoid it. Just like how some air fresheners are harmful to sensitive reptiles/amphibians; an example would be a chameleon and plug-in air fresher in the same room :slight_smile:

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Have to agree with the others. Anything air born I would keep away from them, smoking, vaping, spray & plug in air fresheners. Since we know it effects humans, animals that live outside that we brought inside, should be kept away from unnatural things. Some bedding if inhaled by reptiles can cause problems. So best to play it safe and keep it all away from them.

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@llawen Maybe this is a good reason to stop vaping (from a former smoker then vapor)

Just sayin! :blush:

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Yeah that brief exposure shouldn’t have done harm but you’re spot on thinking you don’t want to repeat it. You sound like you’re growing into a good snake keeper, thinking about what will be best for the snake.

Around sensitive or small animals, no strong pefumes, vapes, incense, or even cooking with Teflon type plastic Nonstick pans. You want the air as pure as reasonably possible. Their lil lungs are not as tough as ours.

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