5 comments about Hedgehogs: How to Take Care of Them and Understand Them (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. I only have one world for this book. DEADLY!



2. I cannot fault the intent of Vriends since I do not know him personally, but this book has caused me as a hedgehog rescuer no end of difficulty. This book -- and others -- recommend things that are terrible for hedgehogs. Cedar shavings, as another reviewer noted, are recommended by this book. The aromatic oils from cedar shavings can cause respiratory failure in hedgehogs and other complications. It gets worse from there.

   The novice hedgehog owner is not going to pick up on these inaccuracies or errors, and that means that because of this book, hedgehogs are going to receive poor care. If you want a better book, try Dawn Wrobel's The Hedgehog: Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet OR try doing some research on the Internet instead, where the information is frequently peer-reviewed and kept more up-to-date than in a static publication.




3. This is a good book for anyone who is planning on reading other books on hedgehogs besides this one. It provides basic information that is neccesary to know. However it stops there. There is nothing extraordinary about this book. Plus some of the information is wrong. By following the directions in this book, I almost killed my hedgehog.



4. The more I got into the book, the less it reminded me of the prickly critters I have grown to love. Much of his information is incorrect (the usage of cedar shavings, the 'nausea' sections, etc) and the rest seems to be based off of his observation of African Pygmies in the WILD. Appearantly our domesticated pets behave a little differently. An alright book in general, but you need to discern the good from the bad and that may not be too obvious for the new hedgehog afficionado.



5. This is one of the most fasanating books I have ever read.If you are considering a hedgehog or already own one you must perchis this book.It covers evrything from taming,to raising your own hedgehogs, and even letting them go in your own backyard.

5 comments about Tarantulas and Other Arachnids: Everything About Selection, Care, Nutrition, Health, Breeding, Behavior (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. This book was a great help when it came to aspects of arachnid keeping such as feeding, living conditions and mating. This was my first book when I was begginning to keep Tarantulas and it taught me what I needed to know about keeping my pet happy and comfortable. It also was very informative when it came to the biology of the arachnids and explianed about everything from thier fangs to thier spinnerets. The only major problem I found with this book is it's insufficient explaination of spider habits and psychology. Because I was a begginner I wasn't sure how my spider felt and what it's different reactions to events meant. This book is excellent for begginners and I would recommend it to anyone starting out with arachnids although anyone with interests in arachnids behaviour then you should possibly consider a book which concentrates on it.



2. This is a well written, very informative book covering just about all aspects of tarantula care. It is a must for the beginners, and still helpful to the more experienced. Covering the basics of anatomy, husbandry, handling, breeding, etc.. Good amount of species specific information, too. Housing requirements for aboreals, opportunistic burrowers, obligate burrowers, is very informative. Great book.



3. I'm new to Tarantula keeping and needed a reference which was well researched informative and easy to understand. Sam Marshall's book is all of these things and more. The books many illustrations are also very helpful. Great for newcomers to the hobby.



4. This is a brilliant book if you have not owned a arachnid before, as it tells you a lot about keeping your first one. Is has a good chapter on food for them, and it tells you how to house and breed them very clearly and simply. Probably the only bad point is that it specialises in tarantulas so there is nut very much information on other arachnids such as hunting spiders, Windscorpions etc. but if you want to keep a tarantula it is a very cheap and good book, which will definately help you.



5. This is one of the most informative books out there regarding tarantulas and how to care for them. Very well written so that a seasoned veteran or an inexperienced beginner can follow and understand. Even if you do not like spiders, read this book! It dispells the most common myths and gives you a new respect for these truly fascinating animals.

1 comments about Tarantulas (Success with an Invertebrate Pet).

1. My biggest problem was that it is billed as being a fairly recent release however I have Tinter's other book "Tarantulas Today: A Complete Authoritative Guide" and it is identical, page for page.
   
   So I was disappointed. The info is decent although some scientific names are old. Decent info all around. The pictures are quite nice.
   
   The older book is larger and might be the better one to buy, for that reason.

5 comments about Complete Guide to Ferrets.

1. I like to read many books on the same subject, because different authors may provide different information depending on when the books were written and where; finding this book, which was written more from a European perspective in ferret keeping, was a real gem!
   
   This is the main thing you must keep in mind when reading this book - do not critisize or discount it when comparing techniques and advice to American ferret keeping. As long as you are aware of this, you'll enjoy the book, as if provides a brief history of ferrets, housing, taming, first-aid, breeding, showing/racing and even genetics.
   
   I compare the way the author writes with passion to the well-known Green Tree Python breeder, Greg Maxwell. This isn't your typical ferret book in that it shows pictures of ferrets wearing sweaters, playing with toys, etc, but there are plenty of those to go around (I have quite a few of those on my shelf, too!) I really liked the sectons on 'working and hunting' since they certainly offer some insight to the subjects in America, where most people (myself included), were ignorant of much of the domestic ferret's first use as a small game hunter.
   
   Overall this book is very insightful and informative of ferrets; it should be a definite read for anyone who is open-minded and interested in ferrets, especially on a more international perspective.



2. I purchased both James McKay's books and two ferrets from Mr. McKay when I lived in England and know first hand he is the man in the know! This book is better than any other book out there (US or UK). It details proper husbandry techniques and practices. I find the UK method of modern ferret keeping superior to US, in most US homes the ferrets are kept by themselves in crampt cages; in this magnificent book it informs you of their gregarious nature and need for a somewhat large cage. GOOD WORK JAMES!



3. In "The Complete Guide to Ferrets," by James McKay, we're first treated with evidence of a big ego with such statements like, "The first historical mention of a ferret _that I can find_..." (emphasis added) as if he were the last word on ferret origins. This immediately raised the warning flags-big egos tend to carry misinformation. Which gets demonstrated within a few pages when we see how naive James McKay is about the ferret situation in the United States. Later we are treated to such "deeply informative" statements as "Treat with the utmost suspicion anyone trying to sell adult ferrets." Though there is some element of truth to the caution, typically, sweeping statements that aren't qualified also tend to ring false. I've seen many adult ferrets in shelters who are very nice animals that would make great pets. Indeed well-mannered 1- to 2-year-olds are often recommended for beginners for they tend to be easier to handle and train than kits. Another "winner" is "...there's no such thing as a bad ferret, simply too many bad owners of ferrets!" Nice quaint line, which again has some element of truth, but also lacks depth of insight in the range of behavioral tendencies that ferrets can attain. Breeders often seek ferrets that don't bite in pursuit of more docile offspring, just one of many indications that "badness" can stem from both parties. There are many other problems with this book-a tendency for leaden writing that isn't engaging, and some of his methods for raising ferrets seem barbaric, even if they work for him. The only reason that I even give this book two stars is because James McKay makes a good effort at the biological details of ferrets, including his Appendix I, "Ferret Facts and Figures" which would do well in any ferret book, and he lists a nice bibliography.



4. As the author of this book, I tried to leave the "ratings" field free, as I am obviously biased, but the system will not allow me to. However, the real reason for this "review" from myself is to correct the review from "A reader from central California", who obviously has never read my book! Firstly, this reader obviously believes that he knows a lot about ferrets, and yet cannot even get the specific name correct. He gives the name "Mustela furo", when, in fact, it is Mustela putorius furo. As he/she cannot get this proven scientific fact correct, readers would do well to give little or no credence to any of his remarks. He/she states that, in my book, I refer to ferrets as "vicious wild animals". Having written the book, and then re-read it looking specifically for this phrase, all I can find is my comment that "some would have us believe that ferrets are vicious, but those of us who really know this animal will know otherwise". Clearly, the Californian critic is misquoting me. In the book, I give much space to factual information on genetics, breeding, exhibiting/showing, racing and pet ferrets, and yet your correspondent states that I merely dismiss them as having no real value! As to my mixing up the species, I suggest that your correspondent remember the old saying that Brits and Yanks are "two nations separated by the same language". While to Americans a "turtle" is any chelonian, we Brits use three terms to separate them, viz (marine) turtles, (terrestrial) tortoises and (semi-aquatic) terrapins. Here in England (where we invented the English language) we NEVER use the term "ermine" for any animal, merely for the fur of the European stoat. True, many ferret owners (and I do not count myself among them), erroneously and confusingly do refer to polecat-coloured ferrets as "polecats", which the American fanciers refer to as "sable", a word which is actually the name of an arctic relative of the ferret - VERY confusing for those of us who speak English and have a zoological training. Here in the UK, pet ferret keepers DO keep their animals (ie ferrets) indoors, giving them free run of the human home. I am also informed by several US ferret keepers that the practice is fairly common in the US, too. My book was written specifically for the UK and European markets, in the same way as US books are written for the US market. Very few Brits would want to spend time, effort and money abusing their ferrets by dressing them in human style clothing, even though a US compnay is now trying to persuade us to do so. Ferret keeping in the US and in the UK are different. Consequently, our books are different. My book represents the best practices of this country, while one has to assume that US books do the same for the US market. I have always purchased and read every book on ferrets and ferreting that I can find, including American books. I read these foreign books not to learn about the UK ferret, but to learn about the way in which this little carnivore is thought of any treated in the US. I am not at all happy with many of the seemingly common US practices detailed in most US books, but have to shrug these concerns off as "cultural differences". I cannot reconcile the fact that California will allow its residents to legally own a wide range of firearms and many truly exotic animals, and yet ban the keeping of the domestic ferret. Perhaps readers should consider the fact that, here in the UK, we have not overbred our ferrets to the degree whereby we have developed many deleterious conditions in our stock; the Americans have. The average lifespan for a ferret in the UK is over ten years (many upto 14 years), while US veterinarian publications state that the average life expectancy for an American ferret is often less than half of that. That is obviously one reason why the US ferret fancy has had to import ferrets from all over the world, including many from myself.



5. James McKay's book is a refreshing change to the largely irrelevant fare from the US that we serious UK Ferreters have had to endure over recent years. Having searched high and low for a decent work of reference that answered the questions that I needed to resolve I was delighted to read Mr.McKay's book and felt that a fair assesment of it in the proper context was due.

   The guide itself is comprehensive and fascinating covering the following points within its pages:

   Origins of the Ferret, Selection of stock, Housing, Handling, Taming and Training, Feeding, Breeding, Working, Showing, Racing and Ferrest as Pets, Ailments and First Aid, Genetics.

   For me the book has been useful in helping me look after my Ferrets from the perspective of the individual who appreciates and respects the Ferret for not only its qualities as a companion but also their tenacious hunting skills.

   But the guide goes far beyond the basic use for which I have it, every time I refer to it I happen across more nuggets of information that are both fascinating and useful.

   It must be born in mind that the Ferret itself and the culture surrounding the Ferret in the UK are vastly different from that in the US. In the UK the Ferret has largely been associated with the working class and as a way of obtaining food, not as a play thing or merely a pet. Having stated this, Ferrets in the UK are enjoying something of a rise in popularity as pets and recent articles in the Media (Independent on Sunday, October, 98') estimate Ferret owners numbering 1.5 to 2 million in England alone.

   Mr.McKay's work deals with the husbandry of the Ferret to a degree the like of which I have never seen in any "pet guide book". Even going to the extent of covering the musculature and genetics of the animal, vital details for the serious breeder.

   As an owner of Ferrets who uses them to hunt both Rabbits and Rats, this work has proven invaluable. It must be born in mind that with the extremely tight controls over the use of firearms in the UK, the Ferret offers an extremely ecologically sound and effective way of controlling both Rabbits and Rats, pests which cause so much damage to British Farming. McKay's guide will take you comprehensivley through all that you need to know to work your Ferrets, for both your and their enjoyment.

   In the final analysis, if you are looking for a book covering the keeping of Ferrets as pets in the US, then this book is most likely not for you in my opinion. However if you're a British Ferret keeper, having them either as pets or working them, then I thouroughly commend this book to you.

5 comments about The Ferret: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet.

1. must own very good book. glad that i bought this book. lots of colored pictures



2. I found this older book to be a good readable starting point in learning about the ferret. I highly suggest it for anyone thinking about adopting a ferret, since it gives you a very good picture of the care involved, including medical issues, ferret-proofing your home, the hopelessly curious nature of the ferret, and daily life with a ferret in general. The only real places it is lacking is in updated advances in veterinary care for certain diseases specific to the ferret, and also in legal issues since many things have changed over the past ten years on that front also. One negative issue, and I've seen this erroneous information in print many times in many places, is the book stating that the lifespan of the ferret is six to ten years. That is true in Europe where ferrets are largely bred in small operations. In the U.S., however, the lifespan is more like five to seven years. Also note that the book doesn't really stress the fact that the ferret is a social animal - not so much with humans as with other ferrets. Ferrets are happiest and most active when they live together in groups of two or three. A ferret will play with you, but don't expect the level of interaction and affection you would get from a cat or dog.



3. As a first time ferret owner, I bought this book. It was very helpful with tons of info. All thou not as impressive as the other ferret books, its good enough if your just starting out. You will find each book that is put out on ferrets to have somthing that the book before didnt have..



4. I think the Sheffermans have wonderful writing skills in thier magazine, but it somehow doesn't work in a book. I found the book a nice addition to my collection of ferret books, as well as pretty enjoyable to read once through. I just felt it was a little lacking in depth for a ferret book. It's a good begginer book, but I think anyone with many years of ferret experience wouldn't find this book as helpful or appealing.



5. I checked out several books on ferrets from the library, and then bought this one. I felt it contained all of the useful, general information a ferret fancier needed. Since I had never owned a ferret when I first owned the book, it answered all of my basic questions. Later as I became more experienced with my pets, I still found useful tips for strange behaviours, suggested treats, etc. Between this book, and the alt.pets.ferrets Usenet group, you'll have all the advice you need to have healthy happy little bouncies!

2 comments about Llamas on the Trail: A Packer's Guide.

1. Although I would like to see a new, updated edition, this is still a great book on llama packing. It is concise and easy to read. It even comes with some good recipes.



2. I've read every book on llama packing that I could get my hands on. This one gets my nod. It is more concise and well-written than other texts on the subject, and deals with the details of food, equipment, and pannier organization quite well. The pack-trip checklist at the end of the book is well conceived. This book is probably the most up-to-date of the books on the subject, but it does have one bit of outdated information: it states that llamas can begin to carry packs at the age of two, when in fact the new consensus is that they should not begin to carry significant weight until at least the age of three-and-a-half.

No comments about The Ferret and Ferreting Guide.

No comments about Hermit Crab: Your Happy Healthy Pet.

No comments about The Pet Ferret Handbook.

5 comments about Exotic Animal Formulary.

1. It was delivered on time in the shape specified, a lot of information that has been useful.



2. I work in a Zoologic, with several kinds of animals, and I think this book is very usefull, complete and easy to read, and I usually find what I'm looking for very fast!



3. This is the must-have formulary for any veterinarian who works with exotic animals. Don't work on bunnies/rat/birds/etc. without it!



4. I'm not a vet, nor in the veterinary field. I'm the owner of (or slave to, if you prefer) several species of exotic pets. I bought this book because I saw it in my vets' office, and thought it would be a good way to learn more. Indeed it is. I'm lucky, in that my vets happen to be extremely good exotics vets, but many people live in places where the only vets are cat-and-dog vets. If you own a guinea pig or rabbit, getting it treated by a cat-and-dog vet can be chancy.

   This book will help the pet owner double-check the advice of cat-and-dog vets they've asked to try to treat their hedgehogs or ferrets. It has other uses for pet owners, as well; the chapters for each animal also contain concise summaries of dietary needs for the animals. For some species, where commercial all-in-one pellets are still hard to find, the suggestions for constructing a balanced diet out of more readily available foods will be quite useful.

   Every pet mammal gets mites (sigh). (I will admit to being a mammal and bird person. I have no idea whether reptiles can get mites or lice of any sort.) It's nice to have a book available telling you whether ivermectin is safe for your pet, and which solution and dilution is most commonly used for that species. Seeing what medicines are used for which diseases and parasites also can give you an idea of what diseases to watch out for in your pet. Since almost all dosages are based on weight, the book also serves as a reminder that weighing your pet regularly is an important way to keep track of its health.

   Last but not least in importance for the pet owner, this book is less expensive than many other veterinary books, so that if you only have limited resources in which to obtain more information about your pet, this book won't put as big a dent in them as, say, some of the textbooks which include photos of surgical procedures. If you want to be the best pet owner that your pet can have, and be able to comprehend the advice your vet gives you, and discuss choices with him or her in an informed manner, this book is an excellent resource.




5. The KState crew does it again... pocket pet drugs galore from the pocket pet Gods. This nice little book took a while to come out, but it was worth waiting for. The book is extremely comprehensive and well referenced, easy to use and gives you multiple options on the different treatment regimes. However, there are some misprints on drug dosages which the acute veterinarian will pick up, so be careful... All in all, you must buy this book!!