The Exotic Pet Survival Manual [Paperback]

David Alderton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812097971
• ISBN-13: 978-0812097979
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,389,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Alderton, MA (Cantab.) grew up in a home surrounded by pets and originally trained to be a vet until an allergic dermatitis forced a change of career in his final year of study. Since then, David has used his experience, knowledge and passion for the subject to concentrate on writing about animals and the natural world.

David also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and has recently set up the website www.petinfoclub.com while his blog can be found at www.davidalderton.com His books have currently sold some 6.5 million copies worldwide and are available in 30 languages. He has won various awards for his work, including the Maxwell Medallion from the Dog Writers Association of America, and he is well-known as a columnist on various newspapers and magazines, as well as editing Practical Reptile Keeping magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Colorful and useful - to an extent, November 8, 2000

By 

Alex (College Park, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Exotic Pet Survival Manual (Paperback)

The first thing that becomes obvious as you open the book is the brilliance of the fantastic photography throughout. It is also one of the book's shortcomings - this unrealistic beauty allows the reader to set unrealistic expectations. Considering the fact that this is a beginner's guide, this book contains a number of things a beginner isn't likely to need and that should have been relegated to an expert's manual. Among these things are the breeding guidelines that are present in every species' description. Likewise, several very important things have not been covered in sufficient depth. The section on feeding is quite limited. More space should have been alotted to heating and UV lamps. Vivarium construction isn't covered in nearly enough detail. There are no guidelines for picking out healthy animals at the stores, and the two-page "Health" spread isn't nearly sufficient. There are also descriptions of some 140 species of reptiles (including snakes and turtles), amphibians, and arthropods (tarantulas, stick insects, etc.). The sections on non-chordates (insects) are especially scant, given the degree to which the average beginner is unfamiliar with these. Each entry contains handy icons gauging aggressiveness, food preferences, number of offspring, environment, and the average difficulty of keeping the specific animal alive. And, of course, the ever-present, brilliant photographs. Generally, an underwhelming effort that nevertheless opens up several possibilities.