No, hamsters do not necessarily die from consuming weed. But if it takes a lot of huge quantities of medical-grade marijuana, its system can go haywire, which could eventually lead to death. A hamster that has taken weed will exhibit signs like sleepiness, vomiting, reduced blood pressure, and slow heart rate, among other signs.
This article will explain the effects of giving your hamster weed and answer frequently asked questions on the topic.
Can Giving My Hamster Weed Cause It Harm?
It’s important to remember that weed’s effects on hamsters differ based on their weight, size, and age. Before purchasing any drug for your hamster, you should always see a veterinarian to ensure that it is acceptable for them.
The following symptoms may occur based on how strong the marijuana is – which varies from kind to type:
- Red eyes
- Slow heart rate
- Sleepiness
- Vomiting
- Convulsions or relaxation depending on the dosage
- Reduction in blood pressure
Prolonged use of weed has been known to cause major harm to the liver, heart, reproductive system, and lungs. Even if you don’t want to give your hamster cannabis, they may mistakenly consume it.
If your pet eats marijuana by accident, it might cause major health concerns, keeping them away from any cannabis Sativa plants.
Safety Measures When Using Weed Around Your Hamster
The endogenous cannabinoid system is found in all animals, from sophisticated vertebrates like mammals, birds, and reptiles to invertebrates like mussels, leeches, and nematodes. That means your hamster’s systems might go berserk when exposed to cannabis, and you’ll need to take additional precautions to keep them safe if you have weed in your home.
As a human being, you can get secondhand high when someone else is smoking weed around you. This also applies to the pets; your hamster may inhale marijuana smoke and hence feel marijuana’s effects.
Furthermore, your hamster may easily sneak into cannabis edibles that are left out on surfaces, particularly if you are high and distracted from the edible and your pets’ behavior.
Unfortunately, although you may be able to identify and understand the sensation of being high, your hamsters are unable to do so even when it is unintentional. To a little animal that has never experienced anything like this before, the relaxation, euphoria, visual impacts, and so on might be quite scary.
Worse, since the hamsters’ bodies are smaller than people’s, they are more susceptible to overdose, which may result in hallucinations, fear, and high blood pressure. There have been reported examples of hamsters dying from a THC overdose.
This is especially after consuming huge quantities of medical-grade marijuana, which may have outrageously high THC concentrations in places like Maryland.
If you’re going to smoke marijuana around your hamsters, you should do it carefully. To lessen the risk of a secondhand high, keep pets in another room or smoke in a well-ventilated place when preparing to inhale.
When eating edibles, take just the amount you want and put the remainder away in a safe location. This should decrease your pet’s exposure to marijuana and make it far more difficult for them to feel the effects of the substance.
How Do I Store My Weed Safely Around My Hamster?
If you don’t want your hamster to eat your meal, don’t leave it out on the counter or on the floor where it may be easily accessed. The same goes for your weed: find storage areas out of reach of your pet and make it as tough as possible for them to absorb your THC-laced treats by mistake.
The most common solution is to keep your stock in a cabinet or drawer, preferably away from the ground. Alternatively, you might put your marijuana in a secured box or glass jar, which your hamster is unlikely to be interested in.
You should try to separate fun from the spot where you keep your weed, as this will reduce your pet’s interest in the protected area. This implies that you should never feed your pets goodies when you are high or about to become high.
How Do I Grow Weed Safely Around My Hamster?
Whether or not the home growing of cannabis is permitted in your state, if you have a hamster, you need to be cautious about how you produce your marijuana garden. Raw cannabis will not make you or your hamster high because cannabinoids need heat to be converted into molecules that the ECS can utilize.
Furthermore, cannabis crops produce odors that keep away most pets from eating them. On the other hand, Pets may wreak havoc on any garden by excreting waste, digging, trampling, and so on, so you need to take extra precautions to preserve your precious cannabis plants.
Both putting up a garden fence around your outside crop and putting your interior plants in an area where your hamster can not reach are viable solutions. You can easily poison your hamster with marijuana. It is, therefore, important to take the steps I have recommended to keep your buddy safe.
Hamsters & Weed FAQs
Can Hamsters Get High?
Yes. Hamsters have the ability to get high. They, like us, have something called cannabinoid receptors, which is one of the parts that allow them to get high. You’re putting substances into your hamster’s bloodstream when you smoke weed near him or when they eat edibles.
These molecules mostly go via his bloodstream to engage with his endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS), which serves a variety of functions but primarily aims to maintain internal equilibrium.
When THC attaches to ECS receptors, it disrupts different processes, making him feel high. Consider the following scenario: If you’re vaping in the same room as your hamster (which I recommend you NEVER do), the hamster may feel dizzy, hungry, or possibly suffer major lung damage.
What Are the Different Ways in Which a Hamster Can Take Weed?
Your hamster can take weed by being a passive smoker when you smoke your weed near your pet. The pet will also get secondhand high.
This is common even to people who stay in the same room or are near a person who is smoking weed.
The second way is through edibles. Your hamster may take edibles that you store in your house. As your little pet is playing around in the house, he may get the edibles and consume them thinking it is a treat or food.
Another way is through weed seeds. You may have been recommended cannabis seeds to help with your anxiety and depression.
You should store them in a place where the hamster will not be able to reach them. If you forget them around your hamster’s cage or playing area, he will most likely consume them.
They can also eat the marijuana leaves from the marijuana you plant in your house. However, the marijuana leaves cannot make the hamster feel high. This is basically because the cannabinoids need heat to be converted into molecules that the ECS can utilize.
It may, however, lead to other effects like diarrhea, poisoning, or other stomach problems.
Final Thoughts
You cannot kill your hamster by giving it weed. This does not mean there are no effects of hamsters taking weed.
Weed can have deadly effects on hamsters, especially because of its size. I hope this article will help you know how weed affects the hamsters and the best way to use weed without it impacting your precious little hammy.
