Does environmental enrichment impact the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps)?

Environmental enrichment has been shown to be an effective way to improve the welfare of captive animals. Although many studies have investigated the effects of enrichment on mammalian and avian species, there is comparatively little known about this in reptiles. Reptiles are now frequently kept as pets, with bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) being one of the most popular species – it is therefore important to understand how housing conditions impact their welfare. In the current study we investigated the effect of different housing conditions (Standard vs. two types of Enriched enclosure: Non-naturalistic and Naturalistic) on the behaviour and welfare of bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). The lizards (n = 12) were housed in each condition for a period of four weeks (balanced for order), with behavioural observations conducted throughout. Their affective state was also assessed using anxiety tests (novel environment and novel object tests) at the end of the four weeks. After experiencing all of the housing conditions, the lizards were given three pairwise preference tests where they could choose between the different enclosures. Bearded dragons housed in Enriched enclosure exhibited significantly higher activity levels, with increased movement and reduced basking and resting compared to those in the Standard enclosure. Additionally, individuals in Standard housing engaged in more behaviours associated with stress (e.g. interaction with a glass barrier and tongue touching). In the anxiety tests, animals from Enriched enclosures displayed greater confidence, approaching novel objects more frequently and showed a trend towards spending more time in the arena’s inner section, while also exhibiting fewer tongue-touch behaviours. Preference tests further revealed a significant preference for Enriched over Standard enclosures, and for the Naturalistic over the Non-naturalistic enriched enclosure. These findings suggest that providing environmental enrichment increases behaviours linked with good welfare while reducing those associated with stress and is preferred by the animals themselves. Housing reptiles in enriched environments is therefore important in order to enhance their welfare in captivity.