Reptiles in zoos often receive less welfare attention than mammals and birds, yet their ectothermic biology and specific environmental requirements make them particularly vulnerable to inadequate husbandry.
Reptile welfare in zoos reflects broader societal assumptions about cold-blooded animals as less sentient than warm-blooded vertebrates. These assumptions are not supported by evidence; reptiles show nociception, stress responses, and complex behaviour that indicate they are capable of suffering and wellbeing. The specific welfare challenges of reptiles are largely environmental: inadequate temperature gradients prevent thermoregulation, insufficient UV-B causes chronic nutritional disease, and enclosures that prevent species-typical movement and social behaviour cause frustrated motivation. Advances in zoo reptile keeping over the past two decades have substantially improved standards, with naturalistic vivaria, appropriate thermal gradients, UV-B provision, and enrichment programmes now standard in quality institutions. The challenge is that reptile welfare assessment frameworks and validated indicators remain less developed than for mammalian species.