Reptile

Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare

Keeping captive tortoises healthy and well is a significant challenge. Because they are ectotherms, these reptiles are totally dependent upon external sources to maintain body temperature and therefore metabolic function. Their physical environment is vital for them to remain healthy,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Williams, J. 2024. Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare. CABI, 303 pages.

Social dynamics and behavior of zoo-housed red-footed tortoises at different housing densities

Within zoos, it is common for animals that are considered solitary to be housed with conspecifics. This may be due to a variety of factors such as spatial constraints within zoos, difficulties associated with transferring animals, breeding goals, and/or other...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: O’Brien, S. L., Diaz, A., Cronin, K. A. 2025. Social dynamics and behavior of zoo-housed red-footed tortoises at different housing densities. Behavioural Processes 231, 105242.

Quantification of sea turtle swimming patterns using a standardized arena to minimize effort in welfare assessment

Welfare assessment of captive sea turtles has become increasingly important as the need for lifelong care grows. The most valuable indicator of sea turtle welfare is behavioral assessment, as it is non-invasive and more cost-effective than other methods such as...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Inoue, N. K. 2025. Quantification of sea turtle swimming patterns using a standardized arena to minimize effort in welfare assessment. Behavioural Processes 231, 105200.

Putting the evidence into evidence-based husbandry: A scoping review of empirical approaches to improving captive reptile welfare

Non-avian reptiles are commonly kept in captivity, including zoos, aquariums, farms, laboratories, classrooms, rehabilitation centres, and homes. With this wide range of captive conditions and potential diversity of species housed, it is crucial to ensure that these animals are housed...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Lizard, Reptile, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Hanson, S. L., Whittaker, A. L., Cooper-Rogers, B. et al. 2025. Putting the evidence into evidence-based husbandry: A scoping review of empirical approaches to improving captive reptile welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 292, 106831.

Lizard anesthesia—A retrospective study of anesthetic protocol and monitoring quality of anesthetic episodes at a veterinary hospital over 23 years (2000–2023)

Objective This study’s aim was to summarize the anesthetic events of lizards seen at a university hospital, identify challenges with record-keeping, and assess anesthesia-related mortality. Methods From October 2000 through January 2023, medical records of lizards that underwent general anesthesia...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Gise, B. T., Thorbrogger, C. J., Rasys, A. M. et al. 2025. Lizard anesthesia—A retrospective study of anesthetic protocol and monitoring quality of anesthetic episodes at a veterinary hospital over 23 years (2000–2023). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 263(7), 904–913.

Does environmental enrichment impact the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)?

Environmental enrichment has been shown to be an effective way to improve the welfare of captive animals. Although many studies have investigated the effects of enrichment on mammalian and avian species, there is comparatively little known about this in reptiles....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Crisante, A., Wilkinson, A., Pike, T. W. et al. 2025. Does environmental enrichment impact the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 292, 106751.

Visual lateralization as an indicator of animal welfare

Functional specialization of the brain hemispheres has been observed across the animal kingdom, with the left hemisphere being associated with positive emotions while the right hemisphere is associated with negative emotions. In vertebrates, contralateral eye use is indicative of which...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Crisante, A., Burman, O. H. P., Pike, T. W. et al. 2025. Visual lateralization as an indicator of animal welfare. Biology Letters 21(10), 20250445.

Evidence of mood states in reptiles

There is increasing evidence that non-human animals experience ‘free-floating’ mood states, but such evidence is lacking in reptiles, hindering the debate as to their affective capacity and with subsequent implications for welfare. Here, we investigated the presence of a mood...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Hoehfurtner, T., Wilkinson, A., Moszuti, S. A. et al. 2025. Evidence of mood states in reptiles. Animal Cognition 28(1), 52.

Effect of different infrared basking lamps on the heating effectiveness and desiccation of gelatine models: Implications for zoo animal husbandry

Artificial heating via lamp technology is a key feature of the husbandry of many captive animals, especially ectotherms. Short wave infrared (IRA) is theoretically more efficient in raising animal core temperature than medium (IRB) and long wave infrared (IRC) as...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Lizard, Reptile, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Choi, S. Y., Michaels, C. J., Free, D. et al. 2025. Effect of different infrared basking lamps on the heating effectiveness and desiccation of gelatine models: Implications for zoo animal husbandry. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 13(3), 164–172.

Mental Health and Well-being in Animals

Since the publication of the first edition of this book, professional and public concern for the well-being of animals has continued to increase throughout the world. Advances in research and technologies have yielded an enormous amount of new knowledge about...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Fish, Gibbon, Goat, Lemur, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Parrot, Pig, Rabbit, Reptile, Salmon, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Trout, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: McMillan, F. D. (Ed.) 2025. Mental Health and Well-being in Animals (3rd ed.). CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK. 464 p.