CBD For Reptiles – Dosage, Benefits And Side Effects

CBD For Reptiles – Dosage, Benefits And Side Effects

It’s well-known that CBD is a tremendously versatile compound for humans. People have even begun treating their cats and dogs with CBD. However, one of the more recent areas of development in the CBD world is the use of CBD for smaller animals including reptiles.

In this article, we’re going to explain the benefits and potential drawbacks of using CBD to help your reptile manage a variety of conditions.

How Does CBD Work for Reptiles?

CBD works for humans because it has a profound influence on the body’s endocannabinoid system. This system is a far-reaching branch of neurotransmitters and receptors that helps to regulate and encourage the development of a wide range of bodily systems.

The large reach and influence of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is the reason that CBD can have such a vast array of effects in people. However, it’s not just humans who have an ECS: reptiles do, as well. (In fact, all mammals, birds, and fish have a potent ECS as well).

Knowing this, we can understand that the benefits of CBD should naturally extend to reptiles, as well.

The two primary receptors of the ECS that are expressed in reptiles are the CB1 and CB2 receptors. These are two of the receptors that CBD works with to provide its effects.

One of the reasons that CBD is considered a more viable medicine (for many) than its sister counterpart, THC, is because it’s non-intoxicating. CBD is an intoxicating substance, and many people find that they are overwhelmed by its effects or that they are simply impractical if they are trying to go to work or school.

While your lizard doesn’t have to worry about going to work or school, it can still be relieving to provide them with a non-intoxicating substance so that they don’t experience any unwanted or undesirable effects when they are medicated.

Benefits of CBD For Reptiles

Many of the benefits that people experience when they use CBD can be experienced by reptiles, as well. These benefits can include:

Enhancing Mental Health, Reducing Stress and Anxiety

Animals, just like humans, can be prone to suffering from anxiety. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t seem to really acknowledge this fact, simply writing off their pets as ‘skittish’ or ‘weird.’ A skittish or weird person is often struggling with some sort of anxiety or mental unwellness, and should be treated as such – just like animals.

If these issues aren’t dealt with appropriately, they can lead to long-term problems. Nerve damage, stress, and digestive issues can all result from the long-term neglect of anxiety problems.

Your reptile may be prone to anxiety if they experienced past trauma, particularly at the hands of a previous owner. Some reptiles are naturally anxious. Whatever the case, CBD can help to reduce anxiety levels.

Fighting Inflammation

CBD is known to be a fantastic fighter of inflammation. While inflammation is naturally a healthy immune response, sometimes inflammation can occur out-of-context. When this happens, the body’s immune cells essentially begin attacking the inflamed area, leading to damage and disease, where none was before.

For this reason, anti-inflammatory compounds like CBD can be great for helping to reduce the onset of inflammation and the related diseases. This can enhance your reptile’s longevity and the quality of their life.

CBD Helps Prevent Seizures

CBD is a powerful anticonvulsant, and it can be useful for helping to reduce the chances of your reptile having seizures or convulsions.

Septicemia, a common condition that occurs in various types of pets, can lead to the development of all of these issues. Reptiles who are not bred in healthy, sanitary living conditions may develop the condition, and CBD can help to reverse its effects.

Giving a Reptile CBD

Giving a reptile CBD would be much the same as it would be to give any other animal CBD (prior to the invention of CBD dog and cat treats.)

That means that you can either mix the CBD oil in with their water or with their food. CBD doesn’t have much of a flavor, aside from that of an oily plant product – which is pretty appetizing.

It’s a good idea to give them small portions when you want to dose your pet, to ensure that they will consume the whole meal and thus get their whole dose.

There are also other forms of CBD available. The only other practical form of CBD for your lizard would be some sort of topical application, like a lotion, salve, or cream. These can be rubbed right onto its scales and some will absorb through the skin to provide pain-relief and inflammation fighting benefits.

How Much CBD to Give a Reptile

The safest way to figure out how to give your reptile CBD is to start small. Since there are a lot of different factors involved in how an animal will process the compound (body weight, age, metabolism, etc.) there can be no standard for determining exactly what will work.

The standard dose is about 0.25 mg of CBD per pound of body weight. This is a fairly small dose, but some people prefer to start even smaller, starting with a dose of just 0.1 mg per pound.

Whatever dose you choose to start with, you should stick with it for a week or so. Take note of any improvements that you see (or don’t see). If you don’t see any improvements, then you can move the dose up a little bit until you find that your reptile is experiencing a notable improvement.

In Conclusion

CBD is a very versatile substance that is showing more and more potential as the research is ramped up. It’s been proven to be useful not just for humans but for pets of all types, ranging from cats and dogs to reptiles.

Hopefully this article has provided you with enough insight to learn how you could improve the life of your reptile or small pet by using CBD. Good luck to the both of you!