Caecilians are limbless burrowing amphibians rarely seen and poorly understood, with welfare needs that remain largely uncharacterized.
Caecilians in scientific collections represent welfare unknowns. Their burrowing behavior in soil or leaf litter cannot be accommodated in typical terrarium setups. Their sensory world is poorly understood making it difficult to know what constitutes stress or suffering for them. As amphibians with nervous systems broadly similar to other vertebrates they likely have some capacity for suffering. The welfare gap — the difference between what we know they need and what we provide — is large for these overlooked animals.