What is it, what are the misconceptions, and why is it unethical?
The aim of this report is to educate owners, keepers, and breeders alike on the risks and misconceptions of cohabitation within herpetoculture. Throughout the years of reptile keeping, whether as a hobby or a profession, people are often led to believe that reptiles, particularly lizards, are able to be safely housed together in groups, that they enjoy company, and can experience a range of complex emotions like cats, dogs, and other mammals.
What is cohabitation?
Cohabitation (or “cohabbing”) with regards to animal husbandry refers to two or more of the same or different species of animal being kept together within the same environment or habitat. With regards to herpetoculture, cohabitation specifically refers to more than one reptile kept in an enclosure. Whilst it is possible for some species of reptile to be cohabbed, they must be a species that are communal (Agamas, Mourning Geckos, some species of Anole, some species of tortoise, to name a few) and in captivity they must be given very large enclosures to ensure that every reptile has a fair share of space - the more reptiles you have in one tank, the bigger the tank must be.
What are the misconceptions?
In the wild, the majority of reptiles are solitary animals, and prefer to be alone unless looking for a mate or defending territory. Asides from the lizards already mentioned, Crocodiles and Alligators may group up together in areas that benefit them (basking areas, feeding grounds, etc) and may also stick together in order to hunt larger prey. Mother Crocodilians will also nurture their young, whereas other reptiles will lay their eggs and continue on with their lives. Most do not require company, nor do they tolerate it, especially in confined spaces. Reptiles that are forced to live in enclosures together may not immediately fight, but will show dominant and competitive behaviour that can stress each other out. This can include “cuddling” where reptiles will lay on each other, or next to each other to compete for basking areas, tail whipping, barking, and general threat displays (gaping mouth, hissing, etc). If allowed to go on for too long, injuries are very possible and if severe damage is done, wounds are not treated properly or in time, death may also occur for one or all reptiles in the enclosure.
Whilst reptiles do experience emotions, they are not nearly as intricate as our more common animal companions. Studies have proven that reptiles can recognise their keepers, and create a form of trust and mutual respect (aka taming), but unfortunately for most reptiles, their intelligence does not go further than that in regards to emotional bonds. Larger more intelligent species of reptile such as Monitors, Tegus, and Iguanas may show more interest in their humans, and can learn schedules for feeding or enrichment, among other things. If paired with another of the same species or different, however, their behaviour can change immediately, and will likely consider the other reptile as a threat, or even prey if there is a significant size difference.
When owners or breeders cohabit their reptiles, there are usually 4 main issues which can be considered:
A) The person may have been told by someone else that it was safe.
B) The person may not understand fully the requirements of the species they own.
C) The person already knows that it’s not safe, but doesn’t care.
D) The person does not have the space/money for another enclosure, but wants more reptiles.
Keepers may often say “they’ve lived together all their lives”, or “they enjoy each other’s company”, or “I’ve kept them like that for ages, never had problems” - generally what they mean to say is “my reptiles haven’t fought yet”, suggesting that separation would only happen if fighting or injuries were to occur. I want to stress again that even if reptiles do not fight in captivity just yet, they certainly can if their space is not respected. Keepers should not wait for significant damage to be done in order to find a justifiable reason to keep reptiles in separate enclosures.
By the same token, breeders specifically may state that they’d prefer to gain continuous livestock through breeding projects, and might also cohabitate a breeding pair (or in some extreme cases one male with several females). There are of course safer ways to encourage healthy breeding, as to ensure the health and safety primarily of the female, and avoid over-mating and injuries the male may give whilst breeding. Simply keeping the reptiles you’d like to breed in a suitable enclosure for a few days to allow the process to happen, and separating them into their own enclosures afterwards is the safest way to go about it. It minimises injuries, stress, and allows the female to have some downtime before she lays.
What if I do not have enough space/money for another tank?
Do not buy the reptile. Separate tanks are a must in any situation - if you were to cohab two reptiles that fought, would you have the money for vet bills if injuries were significant? Where would you keep the injured reptile afterwards - surely you wouldn’t put it back in with the reptile that hurt it? These points are incredibly important to think about when buying multiple reptiles - you must consider the space that each individual needs, and what price you would end up paying if you did decide to keep reptiles together in comparison to the cost of keeping them apart.
What if my reptile gets lonely?
Refer back to the second misconception - most reptiles do not make emotional bonds with others of their species or class, as in the wild they have never needed to rely on those types of emotion to survive. Reptiles also do not feel emotional pain if they are left alone. A Gecko will not get sad if you do not handle it for a while, and a Bearded Dragon will not be upset if it’s not given affection. These facts should be considered and most importantly respected when choosing what reptile to own. Doing research and study on the species you’re interested in is vital, and must be separate from looking at care sheets or videos online. For instance, the Crested Gecko is solitary in the wild, so why should two or more be put in the same tank in captivity? It wouldn’t benefit them at all, and would ruin the quality of each individual's life significantly, even more so if injuries occur. The general rule of thumb is that if the species is solitary in their natural habitat, they should be kept solitary in captivity as well, as it would be part of their basic necessities in respect to the species’ particular husbandry.
Can two or more females of the same species live together?
Generally speaking, if you want your reptiles to thrive in captivity, and they are not a social or communal species, then no, they shouldn’t. Referring to the previous point I made, if a species is solitary in the wild, it must be kept the same in captivity. Males are known to be more territorial than females, but that does not mean females are less aggressive - often it’s about the type of species, their temperament, and what they’re used to in their natural environment. The Tokay Gecko is a great example, as they are notorious for being rather aggressive and territorial, even as females. However, female Leopard Geckos in pet stores (especially chain pet stores) are cohabited with no regards to how they would live in the wild. Bottom line on this question is that just because some species don’t often show aggression, doesn’t mean they can’t/won’t fight. Injuries can still happen and be just as bad, if not worse.
Why is cohabitation unethical?
First, I think it’s important to understand exactly what captivity is, and why it’s useful in some cases. Captivity, from a zoological standpoint, can help prevent endangered species from going extinct, and preserving species of those whose numbers are very quickly dwindling. Concerning reptiles, as of 2016 there are currently 382 endangered species, most of which are lizards (with a large portion consisting of geckos, skinks, and chameleons). Captivity allows herpetologists and conservationists to take a select few wild or captive bred reptiles in order to help rebuild numbers, study their environments, and take into consideration the reasons as to why certain species are dying out.
In a Zoo, this may be tackled a little differently - animals that are brought to the park are in smaller numbers. Whilst this does help to conserve their species, it also gives zookeepers a chance to educate people about the requirements, natural environments, and lifestyles of different reptiles. Zoos also provide reptiles with their own individual habitats, often custom built and a lot bigger than what a general keeper might use to house their personal companions. The point I want to stress about this is that reptiles are not paired together unless they are built for it. Zoos know the importance of ethical captivity and the bridges they need to cross in order to provide the safest and closest-to-home environment for their animals, and so by removing cohabitation, they remove the risk of reptiles getting unnecessarily injured.
To practice cohabitation with solitary reptiles is to practice bad husbandry, and also reintroduces the risks that ethical captivity removes in order to keep species alive and thriving. When you purchase an animal, whether it be a large mammal like a dog, or an aquatic animal like a small fish, ideally you would also do the research and provide the best care that you can for said animal, with regards to their basic care, necessities, and any other additional safe enrichment options. You would not keep a dog in a cage all day, it needs to be walked at least once every day, given appropriate food and companionship, love and affection, and it needs bonds from humans and others of its species to properly thrive in a domesticated environment.
The same outlook applies to reptiles, and unfortunately there are far too many instances where their care is neglected or ignored, especially in large chain pet stores (notably PetSmart and PetCo in the US, and Pets@Home and The Ark Pet Centres/The Pet Express in the UK). From the wrong substrate to incredibly small tanks and enclosures, not just cohabitation, chain pet stores often give misleading advice that encourages severely wrong reptile husbandry, which can in some cases lead to premature animal death. This is at no fault of the shop assistants who work there, as many know the brief care guidelines they’re given to study are very wrong, and do their best to correct information where and when they can.
Here is a very detailed and helpful video that explains and showcases what some reptiles may go through whilst housed at a commercial pet store, which also includes severe cohabitation issues.
Please also be aware that it’s not just commercial pet stores that do this - plenty of local and independent businesses may also show a lack of understanding in the care and necessities of certain reptiles at their stores, and very often the owners of the stores do not actually have any sort of professional education in herpetology. A lot of local businesses work from their own experiences, which can sometimes stem from other keepers advice and information, and doesn’t necessarily mean that their experiences showcase ethical captivity or good understanding of reptile husbandry.
Take for instance the YouTuber “Coyote Peterson”, who helped to create the Brave Wilderness channel. Whilst self-proclaiming to be an animal expert, Coyote Peterson has had no formal/professional education on biology, herpetology, zoology, or animal care, but rather studied Film. People who watch his channel are strongly advised to refrain from imitating his animal handling methods, particularly with frogs and lizards, and it is suggested that most of the animals shown in videos are often placed strategically and purposefully in very stressful situations in order to capture good shots of them. So whilst this person does have a lot of experience with reptiles amongst other animals, he could also theoretically open up a business and sell them because he’s “had a lot of experience”.
Cohabitation in particular is one of those controversial topics, especially within herpetoculture, where the original source of information is unknown, therefore it is incredibly hard to debunk said information, despite the scientific evidence that goes against it. With that in mind, it is always important to challenge a breeder or keeper’s knowledge on the species that they own, or are intending to sell. Any uncertainty on species and their basic requirements, including whether they should be cohabbed or not is a major red flag, and should also be questioned when and where appropriate.
Finally, if this document hasn’t given you enough reasons to avoid cohabitation, here is a small but significant gallery of gifs and images that show what your reptiles might go through if you are to keep them in the same enclosure. Please be warned that these particular images are considerably graphic and you may find them distressing or upsetting - I have added this gallery as it serves to be good education on why cohabitation is unethical.
And please remember: your reptile’s health and safety, their basic needs and care, should always come first before your desires. Cohabitation does not benefit them, it only hurts them.
