ABSTRACT
Trauma and other physical injuries may affect free-roaming native and non-native reptiles as well as captive individuals. These injuries may be the result of naturally occurring or anthropogenic factors in the physical environment or may be influenced by social interactions. Stress may be defined as an individual's physical and psychological response to any adverse forces or events. Stress may compromise health if it exceeds the individual's ability to compensate or adapt. Substantial or prolonged stress may result in physiological disorders or behavioral changes leading to trauma or disease in reptiles. For captive reptiles, a majority of traumatic and physical disorders are directly influenced by enclosure design and husbandry issues. Inadequacies in providing for the environmental and social needs of captive reptiles may specifically cause physical injuries or induce stress. The ectothermic physiology of reptiles makes them susceptible to injury (physical and metabolic) when environmental temperatures extend outside of their critical thermal ranges.
