Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care [Paperback]

Philippe De Vosjoli (Author), Allen Repashy (Author), Frank Fast (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

With 250 color photographs, Rhacodactylus is the most complete photographic and husbandry reference on crested geckos, gargoyle geckos, giant geckos, and other members of the genus. The three authors were pioneers in establishing these popular lizards in U.S. herpetoculture

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

With more than a million books in print, Philippe de Vosjoli is the best-selling author of the Advanced Vivarium Systems series of reptile care books published by Fancy Publications. He was the co-founder of the ground-breaking magazine, the Vivarium.

Frank Fast is an expert on Rhacodactylus and the co-authored of many articles on these lizards. His work in the field led to the discovery of several new distribution locations and morphs of giant geckos.

Allen Repashy is co-owner of Sandfire Dragon Ranch and maintains the largest captive colony of Rhacodactylus in the world. He is a renowned authority on their husbandry, and responsible for developing the widely sold T-Rex formulated diets for maintaining these geckos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Advanced Visions Inc. (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974297100
• ISBN-13: 978-0974297101
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,102,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have ANY interest in Rhacodactylus, get this book!, December 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care (Paperback)

This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in this amazing group of geckos. Rhacodactylus are a small group of geckos that are found only on the island of New Caledonia, that lies roughly between Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. For such a small group, these geckos occur in a diverse array of beautiful and often bizarre forms. One member of this genus, Rhacodactylus leachianus, holds the distinction of being the largest living species of gecko in the world, reaching a total length of up to 17 inches and weighing nearly a pound!

I have been keeping reptiles for 30+ years. I can remember back when the only readily available books on reptile or amphibian care had lots of pretty (or sometimes not so pretty and often mislabeled) pictures, but little useful information on the natural history or husbandry of these animals. Worse yet, what little information was there was frequently just plain wrong! Those of us who were really dedicated to the hobby had to go to university libraries and search out obscure zoo and animal care journals to gain insight on how to keep our animals healthy, happy and reproducing.

That all changed when Philippe de Vosjoli introduced his Advanced Vivarium Systems "Care and Maintenence" series of books that emphasized good, solid husbandry information, based on years of research by the top experts in the field. Many of these he authored or co-authored himself along with some of the other top reptile and amphibian keepers in the world. The goal of these books was to make good, solid information on proper care of reptiles and amphibians readily available, both to long time keepers and people just starting out in the hobby.

This latest work by he and his co-authors, Frank Fast and Allen Repashy, is one of his best and most ambitious works yet. In addition to the main authors, the information in this book has been compiled from many of the other top gecko keepers/breeders in the the U.S. and Europe. The book covers all six species and 2 subspecies of Rhacodactylus, giving descriptions of each, and excellent information on all aspects of their husbandry and breeding. Everything from nutrition, caging, breeding and much more are covered in great detail. In addition, the book contains some of the latest information on the habitat and ecology of these animals, along with numerous beautiful pictures of the different forms and color morphs of the geckos and their habitats.

This book is also an excellent companion volume for anyone lucky enough to own the now out of print Rhacodactylus - Biology, Natural History and Husbandry by Robert Seipp and Friedrich Wilhelm Henkel. The new book updates and greatly expands on much of the information presented in the earlier book.

I would highly recommend Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care to not only those of us that work with, or want to work with these animals, but also to anyone who just wants to know more about these beautiful and amazing creatures.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must have for any rhacodatylus owner!!, December 12, 2003

By 

Adam Lieberman (Yonkers, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care (Paperback)

This book is excellant! The text is thorough, and the illustrations are phenomenal. There is virtually no stone left unturned. Every question concerning the husbandry and natural history of rhacodactylus is explored and explained. The authors attention to detail is unmatched. This book is a must have for any person whom wants to own, or already owns any species of rhacodactylus, novice and expert alike.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Rhacodactylus Book in print, August 15, 2005

By 

Karl Fritz (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care (Paperback)

This is by far the best book in print on Rhac's. It covers Crested, Gargoyle, Chahoua, and the Giant Leachianus Geckos among others. It has sections on all aspects of careing for them including breeding. Many helpful photos to demonstrate the various color and structure morphs (especially of the Crested Geckos). The only thing that could be added here (maybe in a second edition) is what combinations of different morphs are likely to produce what morphs. Also some info on on temperature sex determination for incubation temps would be helpful in the future after more research is done in this area. The Authors all have plenty of first hand experience and some of the largest collections of these geckos in the world. All in all, the best book available on Rhac's at this time.