Reptiles are kept in large numbers in zoos and as pets, but their welfare needs — particularly thermoregulation requirements and psychological complexity — are frequently misunderstood and unmet.
Ectotherm physiology means that temperature management is not merely a comfort issue but a survival necessity. Reptiles unable to thermoregulate cannot digest food, mount immune responses, or regulate behaviour normally. Chronic inappropriate temperature causes physiological stress equivalent to permanent illness. Many pet reptiles die from husbandry failures within their first year. In zoo settings, reptiles have historically received less welfare attention than charismatic mammals, but the growing evidence of reptile cognitive complexity strengthens the case for richer, more complex enclosure environments.