RT Journal Article
T1 Reaction to Novel Objects and Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Levels in Two Species of Nocturnal Geckos
A1 Fernández-Lázaro, Gloria
A1 Latorre, Roberto
A1 Fontanillas Pérez, Juan Carlos
A1 Barja, Isabel
AB Many reptiles are maintained in captivity and heavily traded, although welfare measures for many species are not well established and are under-researched compared to other animals. In this study, we focused on two of these species: crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) and leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). To better interpret their behavior in captivity, the individual reaction to novel objects and the fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were measured in an attempt to identify the potential correlation between them. Also, we explored if some characteristic of the objects (e.g., color, shape, or smell) resulted in being more attractive to some species and/or individuals. Equivalent responses to different objects were not obtained for all the geckos, the behavioral response being highly individual and context-dependent, although modulated by the species. Individuals which manipulated earlier and interacted longer with novel objects showed lower basal fecal corticosterone metabolite (FCM) levels. Differences according to the species suggested that crested geckos have significantly greater and more variable FCM levels than leopard geckos. Our results can help to understand the reaction of geckos to novelty and have the potential to serve in their welfare assessment, although more studies are needed to proper establish welfare protocols.
PB MDPI
YR 2023
FD 2023-10-31
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103768
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103768
LA eng
NO Fernández-Lázaro, G., Latorre, R., Fontanillas Pérez, J. C., & Barja, I. (2023). Reaction to Novel Objects and Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Levels in Two Species of Nocturnal Geckos. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 13(21), 3384. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213384
NO 2022 Descuento MDPI
DS Docta Complutense
RD 25 dic 2025