The welfare needs of reptiles kept as companion animals, including thermal regulation, UV requirements, and the complexity of their behavioral needs.
Reptile welfare is compromised by a combination of inadequate public understanding of their requirements and the perception that they are low-maintenance pets. These are wild animals with precise environmental needs — temperature gradients, UV-B exposure, humidity, substrate, space, and diet — that must all be correctly provided simultaneously or health deteriorates. Reptile welfare science is less developed than mammal and bird welfare science, but the behavioral complexity increasingly documented in reptiles supports treating them as animals whose cognitive and experiential lives deserve serious consideration. The fundamental welfare principle is the same as for all exotic pets: if you cannot meet the full complexity of an animal needs, that animal should not be in captivity.