This most important book fully examines the welfare of captive reptiles and discusses the positive and negative implications of general husbandry and research programmes. The editors, acknowledged experts in their own right, have drawn together an extremely impressive international group of contributors providing clearly written and comprehensive accounts of aspects such as physiology, physical stress, diet, veterinary and environmental issues, normal behaviour, psychological stress and informed design in research.

Zusammenfassung
Examines the welfare of captive reptiles and discusses the positive and negative implications of general husbandry and research programmes. This book provides accounts of aspects such as physiology, physical stress, diet, veterinary and environmental issues, normal behaviour, psychological stress and informed design in research.

Inhalt
Introduction: Health and welfare of captive reptiles.- 1 Physiology and functional anatomy.- 1.1 Introduction.- 1.2 Body temperature, energetics and ectothermy.- 1.3 Light and photoreception.- 1.4 Water exchange and humidity.- 1.5 Digestive physiology and nutrition.- 1.6 Respiration and circulation.- 1.7 Pain and stress.- 1.8 Conclusion.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 2 Biology of stress: interactions with reproduction, immunology and intermediary metabolism.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Reproduction.- 2.3 Immunity.- 2.4 Corticosteroids, intermediary metabolism and growth.- 2.5 Implications for captive husbandry of reptiles and future research.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 3 Nutritional considerations.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Provision of an adequate water supply.- 3.3 Selection of food.- 3.4 Apprehension of prey and gathering of fodder.- 3.5 Initial processing.- 3.6 Assimilation.- 3.7 Elimination.- 3.8 Miscellaneous factors and their effects on nutrition.- 3.9 Concluding remarks.- References and further reading.- 4 Veterinary perspectives and techniques in husbandry and research.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Captive reptiles.- 4.3 Free-living reptiles.- 4.4 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References and recommended reading.- 5 Naturalistic versus clinical environments in husbandry and research.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Context: Welfare in husbandry and research.- 5.3 Terminology for wild and captive reptile environments.- 5.4 Naturalistic versus clinical environments.- 5.5 Conclusions.- 5.6 Recommendations.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 6 Normal behaviour.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Maintenance behaviours.- 6.3 Distance-reducing behaviour.- 6.4 Agonistic behaviour.- 6.5 Conclusions.- References.- 7 Effects of ontogenetic processes and rearing conditions.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 The prenatal period.- 7.3 Parental care.- 7.4 Handling and novel environments.- 7.5 Cage size and structure.- 7.6 Social arrangements.- 7.7 Feeding.- 7.8 Defensive behaviour.- 7.9 Long-term influence of captive regimes.- 7.10 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 8 Behavioural consequences of husbandry manipulations: indicators of arousal, quiescence and environmental awareness.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Cage cleaning and exploratory behaviour.- 8.3 Use of familiar artificial chemical cues.- 8.4 Chemical recognition of self.- 8.5 Sensitivity to spatial considerations.- 8.6 General discussion.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 9 Psychological and behavioural principles and problems.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Living wild and noticing captivity.- 9.3 Recognizing and interpreting signs of psychological and ethological well-being and poor welfare.- 9.4 Specific psychological and ethological problems.- 9.5 General considerations.- 9.6 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 10 Ethologically informed design in husbandry and research.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Ethologically informed design.- 10.3 Case studies: ethologically integrated designs.- 10.4 Recommendations and conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.- 11 Miscellaneous factors affecting health and welfare.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 Stress, pain and sensitivity.- 11.3 Thermal factors, thermoregulation and light.- 11.4 Growth.- 11.5 Electromagnetism in the artificial environment.- 11.6 Reintroductions to nature.- 11.7 Euthanasia and killing.- 11.8 Conclusions.- Acknowledgements.- References.