Pet management practices of frog and turtle owners in Victoria, Australia

Howell, Tiffani J.; Warwick, Clifford; Bennett, Pauleen

doi:10.1002/vetr.2180

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Refs. [5,6,10,[17][18][19]23,24,39,54,[58][59][60]67,[78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88] are cited in supplementary materials. Funding: This research received no external funding.…”

Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Zieliński,

Nawłatyna,

Wójcik

et al. 2024

Animals

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Given the growing number of events involving exotic animals, it is crucial to prioritize the well-being of the animals involved. This study aims to evaluate the quality of animal presentation at a selected fair in Poland and assess the level of animal welfare evident in the exhibition boxes, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on this important issue. The evaluators used a five-point Likert scale and a Yes/No system to analyze the living conditions during the fair, including the size of containers, presence of substrate, and environmental enrichment. They also assessed the occurrence of visual abnormal postures and behaviors to gauge the overall level of welfare. To ensure the reliability and consistency of the data and minimize potential bias, each evaluator repeated the rating process three times, with a three-week interval between each session. An average value was then calculated for each aspect. A total of 818 animals were present at the fair, with 688 being reptiles (84.11%) and 130 being amphibians (15.89%). This study revealed that the provision of substrate scored higher for reptiles compared to amphibians, while the size of containers for amphibians received higher ratings than those for reptiles. Visual abnormalities in posture and behavior were more common in reptiles than in amphibians. Display containers for snakes received the lowest ratings and showed more visual abnormalities in posture and behavior, raising concerns about their welfare. Despite the presence of environmental enrichment, the overall level of animal welfare was assessed as being medium/low. Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated good reliability among the evaluators during the assessment process, with most assessments showing values > 0.8. Despite existing regulations for exhibitors, neglect remains prevalent. These findings highlight the potential negative impact of animal exposure at fairs on animal welfare. Display containers were often inadequately sized for the animals, particularly for snakes, chameleons, monitor lizards, and salamanders.

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Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Zieliński,

Nawłatyna,

Wójcik

et al. 2024

Animals

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“…Like other animal clades, Anuran amphibians kept in captivity exhibit a range of problems, not only due to poor environmental conditions but also as a result of behavioral conditions [14,21,26].…”

Section: Consequences Of Poor Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An example of this is the Goliath frog (Conraua goliath), which tends to display high levels of aggression. Fights over resources put subordinate individuals at risk of immediate or prolonged death [21,26].…”

Section: Consequences Of Poor Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, a lack of environmental stimuli, such as visual, auditory, gustatory, and olfactory cues, is suggested to have an impact on the development and quality of life of frogs and toads [25,26]. The direct result of this impact on individual well-being can trigger a range of pathologies with various manifestations, including anorexia, lethargy, aggression, low reproductive success, and mortality, among others [12,22].…”

Section: Consequences Of Poor Well-beingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Welfare Indices in Anurans under Human Care

Cortés Pérez,

Maldonado Reséndiz

2023

JZBG

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Certain species within the order Anura are relatively new in the context of exotic animals as pets, and the precise conditions required for their optimal care and well-being are still not well understood. This knowledge gap highlights the crucial need to develop effective strategies to measjournal oure the welfare of these animals. To address this need, the objective of this study was to review the existing literature on welfare indices related to amphibians kept under human care. A systematic review was conducted across eight scientific databases, with a focus on identifying relevant articles that explored welfare indices specifically within the order Anura. The search was performed using two specific keywords. In total, 1568 English language results were obtained. Following a refinement process, 19 articles were selected for further analysis. The most investigated welfare indices in amphibians included individual survival, life expectancy, reproduction, hibernation, and body condition. However, it is important to note that studies specifically examining the behavior of amphibians within the order Anura are limited in scope. It is evident that there is still much work to be conducted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental conditions and cognitive processes that affect the well-being of these animals.

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Are the key welfare models effective for exotic pet animals?

Warwick,

Steedman,

Jessop

et al. 2024

Discov Anim

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The Five Freedoms, Five Domains, Five Welfare Needs, and other similar models or principles, are key aspirational or outcome-led frameworks aimed at safeguarding animals under human custodianship, and are widely used in legislation, guidance documents, and protocols. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of these animal welfare models as intended protections. Our study considered three informational tiers of relevance for guidance: Tier 1, key welfare models and principles governing legislation; Tier 2, formal secondary guidance; and Tier 3, welfare outcomes. We conducted a literature review of key welfare models, as well as reports of persistent animal welfare problems associated with exotic pets, and collated available examples of relevant legislation and their implementation. Of the 91 studied regions that adopted animal welfare models, the following were directly or closely aligned with: Five Freedoms n = 64, Five Welfare Needs n = 26, Five Domains n = 1. We identified the following numbers of welfare concerns for animals kept in trade and private home situations: invertebrates n = 21, fishes n = 27, amphibians n = 26, reptiles n = 43, birds n = 22, mammals n = 43. Despite the frequent adoption of one or other model or principle, animal welfare concerns and problems were regularly identified in relation to both commercial and home environments across all animal classes. We recommend that animal welfare is assigned priority over traditional pet selling or keeping practices through the adoption of modernised animal welfare models, underpinned by evolving scientific knowledge and precautionary principles, that aim to promote animal-centric preferred life quality.

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Pet management practices of frog and turtle owners in Victoria, Australia

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Welfare Indices in Anurans under Human Care

Are the key welfare models effective for exotic pet animals?

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