Does ownership impact perception of reptile cognitive abilities and welfare needs?

Abstract

An increase in reptile-ownership has resulted in a parallel rise in welfare-related problems. Reptiles have been considered suitable pets for beginners due to the misconception that they are low-maintenance and behaviourally simple animals. However, there is increasing recognition that reptiles are cognitively complex, and due to their ectothermic nature, have diverse species-specific requirements that must be met in captivity. Therefore, it is possible that the welfare problems experienced by many reptiles are associated with how their cognitive abilities and welfare needs are perceived by their owners. Equally, the experience of pet ownership can itself alter perception of a species. This study therefore investigated what the general public understands about reptile cognitive abilities (e.g. learning, memory retention) and their welfare needs (e.g. environmental requirements), and to identify any differences between the opinions of reptile owners and non-owners. Data were collected using an online questionnaire; we obtained the opinion of 734 participants, of these 334 were reptile owners and 400 non-owners. Results showed that, compared to non-owners, reptile owners assigned higher scores to reptile cognitive abilities and were also more informed about the welfare needs of captive reptiles. Our findings suggest that pet reptiles are considered to be cognitively complex and sentient creatures, particularly by reptile owners; therefore, the poor conditions experienced by some pet reptiles in captivity may be due to a lack of knowledge of the correct management practices necessary in order to meet their needs, rather than a low perception of their capabilities.