title: Reptile wellness management.
abstract: Proper care and husbandry are the most important factors in keeping captive reptiles healthy. Improper nutrition, supplementation, caging, lighting, substrate, temperature, and humidity can all lead to stress and development of disease. Presented here are current recommendations for keeping captive reptiles. Care has moved away from sterile, spartan enclosures to larger, more naturalistic habitats. These habitats provide more space and choices for the reptile, leading to higher activity levels, reduced stress, and more opportunities to exhibit natural behaviors. Reptiles benefit from enrichment and are amenable to training in order to reduce stress and allow easier handling and veterinary care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Avian and Exotic Animal Care, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, 8711 Fidelity Boulevard, Raleigh, NC 27617, USA. Electronic address: yecats_2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Stacey Leonatti
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D006799:Housing, Animal; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D012104:Reptiles
keywords: Enrichment; Husbandry; Nutrition; Reptile; Training