Authors: Ashley Hartwig, Dr. Weeg
Mentors: Matthew Weeg
Insitution: Southern Utah University
The physiological benefits of petting pet cats, dogs, and horses have been thoroughly investigated for decades. Studies suggest that the act of handling and being around pets can offer direct cardiovascular benefits, such as lower blood pressure and heart rate as well as indirect benefits such as lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels. However, the ability of pet reptiles to offer similar benefits has not been explored. In this work, we investigated the effects of reptile handling on the handler, expressed by cardiovascular variables. An automated blood pressure device was used to obtain the blood pressure and heart rate of participants every five minutes over a 20-minute time period. Three different conditions were tested for each participant: one where they handled a snake (Python regius), one where they handled a lizard (Pogona vitticeps), and one where they handled a stuffed animal , which served as the control. Overall, we saw a significant decrease in the systolic blood pressure in subjects during both reptile conditions compared to the control , though there was no change in diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), or heart rate. A decrease in systolic blood pressure has also been documented in studies involving mammalian companion animals. Therefore, our results provide evidence that handling snakes and lizards might provide some of the same cardiovascular benefits as handling cats, dogs, or horses. If so, this lends support to the argument that lizards and snakes can also be considered companion animals. These conclusions can be used to advocate for proper reptile husbandry and conservation efforts to protect native species in the fight against stigmas surrounding reptiles.