(Part 2) Best reptile & amphibian care books according to redditors
We found 82 Reddit comments discussing the best reptile & amphibian care books. We ranked the 39 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
"Yo man, I'm hungry."
hahah
There are a number of resources for snake ID and this list is nowhere near comprehensive.
Globally, comprehensive species lists are available via Reptile Database Advanced Search. Reptile Database is mostly correct and up to date in terms of taxonomy. Another worldwide resource is Snakes of the World which, in addition to being comprehensive for extant snakes, also provides a wealth of information on fossil taxa.
Regional guides are useful. If you're in North America, the Eastern Peterson Guide and Western Peterson Guide are great tools, as is Snakes of the United States and Canada. While plagiarized and problematic, the book Snakes of Mexico is the best easily accessible information for the region. For Central America, the Kohler book as well as Savage's Costa Rica book are excellent resources. South America is tough but has a diagnostic catalog. Australia has Cogger as a herp bible. SE Asia has two guides one in German and one comprehensive. For Europe, you simply can't get better than the three volumes of Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Africa is also difficult - no comprehensive guide exists but there are a few good regional guides like Reptiles of East Africa and Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar is a good source for that distinct region. For the Indian subcontinent, use Snakes of India
Remember, species names are hypotheses that are tested and revised - old books become dated by the nature of science itself. One of your best resources is going to be following /r/whatsthissnake, or (for North America) with the SSAR Standard Names List for the most recent accepted taxonomic changes.
Here is an example of a small personal herpetology library.
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Get the book The Art Of Keeping Snakes The Art of Keeping Snakes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620082047/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_7wU6xbC3SW714. Extremely helpful on this topic and tells you everything you need to do if you decide to go through with the change.
Agreed. I was a kid when I got an iguana in the 80s, and this book - which was the only husbandry book available at the time - gave just two examples of things to feed iguanas: ice cream and spinach soufflé. He was at the vet with MBD within a month and though he eventually recovered and lived 10 years, he did it with a deformed jaw.
How about giant lizards?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0866226346/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_gZ6Mub0SX3JRK
> Okay point taken, but one question, aren’t most bendable vines usually fixed in place so they can’t move ?
Most are... but that's because of the owners and people talking on the internet "how to do it".
The way I use my vines is that I take a large manzanita branch and use that as a support as well as placing the vine (wedge) between the screens and that will hold it in place (branch is entirely optional except for a large animal like a parsons or mellers)
> I didn’t really want to crowd it too much
Don't crowd it, that's something that Lynda Davidson kinda started with her book back in the 1990's. She published photo's that we're largely decorative and had NOTHING to do with what the animals actually wanted. The cover shows white sage and cages that are absolutely PACKED with plants as the way to keep these... Also there's no touching and "look only" advice given. I know Lynda and she's a good person, just that this advice was great at the time and everyone was basically dealing with wild caught animals so there's some sense to it all... but now it's quite counterproductive.
In the wild these animals are in the insides of trees and large bushes... climb one and look from the inside.
That's the environment they live in.
The problem is that people thing "tree" and are looking at the outside shell of leaves and everything. The animals are poking their heads through that, but they live inside where it's sheltered and roomy with lots perches, light filtering through and protected from the extremes of the day.
That's what we should be replicating.
So that's why I suggest a single plant in the corner of the cage and with multiple perches... where it airy and the bottom 1/3 is open with light and air.
I know it's quite different than what people are currently thinking but that's the reality of their lives.... they want to see everything around them as they scan safely from a perch.
A good friend of mine wrote a nice book on keeping Isopods. Well 2, I’ll post the link below.
Isopods in Captivity: Terrarium Clean-up Crews https://www.amazon.com/dp/0980240166/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VHpyDbD4NWTQE
Pillbugs and Other Isopods: Cultivating Vivarium Clean-Up Crews and Feeders for Dart Frogs, Arachnids, and Insects https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616462078/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EIpyDbHNGT48Z
For the Love of Cockroaches: Husbandry, Biology, and History of Pet and Feeder Blattodea https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616464275/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Pl6WDbYX2GBE1
Hurry only one left.
Two suggestions: Get a book on your new pet. This is the leo bible, but something like this or this is suitable for a new owner and all the needs of his new friend.
Secondly i would stay away from those heavy plastic rock caves. They have a tendency to slip from the hand of the owner and smash their little friend. Try something like this that you might buy food in. They are very light, about the right height, a hole can be cut into them easily, most are dishwasher safe, and it can be thrown away and replaced with another.
First and foremost, please please PLEASE get a CAPTIVE BRED tort. Do NOT get 'farm raised' or wild caught....which generally means do NOT get one from a pet store. Plenty of great breeders out there...tend to be cheaper as well.
My first boy Yevgeni was wild caught and I had no idea. I spent about two thousand dollars trying to save his life. I miss him more than most people can imagine. :(
Now I make it a point to chatise anyone who carries wild caught tortoises. The practice needs to stop.
Second, I want to say you are an AWESOME person for doing your homework first. That is so important for torts...indeed any reptile.
Now, any idea what kind of tort you are looking to get? Tortoises are amazing in that they have evolved to many different environments...some of which are tough to replicate in captivity.
My first suggestion is to think of the size you can care for. Some torts (sulcattas a especially common in the pet trade) get a couple hundred pounds or more. Some stay small.
Obviously I advise small. Unless you live in a tropical area where you could have an outside pen, you'll want something inside...and even those are rather large. Remember in the wild they range for miles so the bigger the better.
Next, have you kept tortoises before? How about reptiles in general? Generally speaking, you should start with a small hardy species. That really boils down to one: agrionemys horsfeildii...the 'russian' tortoise in the pet trade, but better called horsfields tortoise or the steppe tortoise.
Russians are very hardy little boogers and forgiving of keeper mistakes. They stay small, and can handle wide temperature fluctuations and humidities.
I'd suggest a 'turtle table' (basically a large table with sides) of at least 2x4 feet. Better is 3x4, or if you can handle the size 4x8 and up up up. I had a 5x10 outdoor pen at my old house.
You'll need a high wattage heat source on one side. I highly suggest a ceramic heat emitter of 250 watts. Heat bulbs work, and are cheaper, but burn out very quickly. Ive had ceramic heat emitters last many years...never had one burn out.
Very very VERY important: you must have a UVB source. Uvb allows them to produce vitamin D which lets them metabolize calcium. Thing about it...this is a creature which has a very large bone covering it. Without calcium, that bone deteriorates. Also keep in mind that uvb bulbs are expensive., and they MUST be replaced every six months. No exceptions! They may look like they are still working fine, but the phosphors inside deteriorate after about six months and no longer produce enough uvb light.
Some people like mercury vapor bulbs for both heat and uvb, but they are tough to dispose of (mercury! Do not throw away!). Flourescent bulbs are slightly cheaper, just rememeber you'll want separate a heat source as well.
Just some things to think about. As for places to look:
Www.russiantortoise.net is the best website I've seen on the little guys.
For books, this one is the best I've seen: http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Tortoises-Complete-Herp-Care/dp/0793828821
I've talked to the author afew times. The guys is amazing...a real expert in all things tortoise. He even raises egyptians and aldabras! You'll see articles by him in Reptiles magazine from time to time.
Also, join an online forum. Kingsnake.com was always useful for me when I had questions.
Niles are one of the largest, most active and energetic lizards in the world. These dimensions are for the smallest enclosure that you could keep it in. Also, it will need a large pool with a full on filtration system, the kind used for swimming pools. It will probably destroy cage furnishings made of foam, even after covered in grout. The enclosure must be built extremely sturdily, because pound for pound, Nile monitors are at least as strong as crocodiles, maybe even stronger and have far better endurance. He will be able to break out of a poorly built enclosure.
When it is an adult you will have to feed it a variety of crustaceans, fish and birds, eggs and only limited amounts of rodents. It needs whole prey food. Can you provide a very large enclosure, with correct lighting, heating, humidity, substrate, pool, with sophisticated controls (expensive thermostat / hydrostat) and still afford to keep it well fed? Can you afford exotic vet visits? Keeping a monitor lizard this large will not be easy and will cost in the ways I've mentioned but also in electricity bills.
I've read your posts and though you know very little about keeping monitors, you seem willing to learn. Here is a list of books that will help you learn about these wonderful but difficult to keep animals:
Much of the information online and care sheets are made by pet store chains that want to sell as many of these wild caught babies as they possibly can and thusly are full of misinformation.
Also, read the wikis here on this sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/MonitorLizards/wiki/index
This is a good book written by experts: https://www.amazon.com/Bearded-Dragon-Manual-Keeping-Healthy/dp/1620082535/
I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Pythons-Complete-Pet-Owners-Manual/dp/0764142445/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1293597345&sr=8-4
The first is a question you should be answering yourself- it's not my place nor is it anyone else's place to tell you what to get.
To answer your other questions, I'd recommend looking around at various sites. This subreddit is a good place to get ideas and a general idea of what's what. Check out caresheets and I'd recommend buying a book- this is my personal favorite.
For startup for a snake, costs depend on the size of the snake. Startup costs for a hognose, for example, will be much lower than the startup cost for a corn snake.
Startup costs are, in general,
10 gallon tank- $35 (USD)
Heat lamp and bulb- $40-50 for both
Substrate- $15
Water dish and hides- $20-60 depending on sizing
Digital thermometer/hygrometer- $20
Per month, one of my snakes costs me about $15, not including increases to the electric bill, vet bills (I take them once a year, $50 each) and burned out bulbs.
Please visit www.arachnoboards.com - It is the best source for tarantula husbandry info out there. You will probably need to use the search function to find answers to specific questions, but if you have a question, with any likelihood it has been asked before. Definitely do some more research and get your enclosure setup before buying you spider. Other great sources of info are The Tarantula Keeper's Guide or This book or this one I would highly recommend reading at least one of these before bringing your spider home! Good luck, you're in for a fun time!
If you've never taken care of reptiles before, one thing to keep in mind is that there is no definitive way to get it right, and what one person tells you is the way to go, another person will tell you you're an idiot that's doing it all wrong and torturing your pet. We don't have them down to a science like we do cats and dogs. BUT, with enough help you can make an educated guess on the best way to care for them.
The main thing is get a decent size tank, sand substrate, and a proper heat lamp. You can buy a timer for cheap that will turn the lamp on and off for you at the appropriate times too. They like vegetables, crickets, and meal worms. CrThey're desert animals, so their heat lamp is gonna be a hot one, and they stay small for years before they start getting iguana sized, so they're fine with smaller amounts of food.
This is all off the top of my head from when I owned 2 years ago though, so don't take it as definitive.
I bought this book back in the day to help me out
And as with everything on reddit, there's a subreddit for it
https://www.reddit.com/r/Uromastyx/
They've got care sheets in their sidebar, and while the sub isn't the most active, I would assume all of the moderators own uros and could answer any questions you have if you message them.
You didn't mention what kind of snakes you are looking for.
I got my first 2 snakes from Don Soderberg at South Mountain Reptiles. Over 40 years of experience breeding cornsnakes, and has published a book on it. Don responded in detail to multiple emails, sent me updated photos of a few snakes I was interested in, and all around was pleasant and professional. If you are interested in cornsnakes I think Don is an easy recommendation to beginners.
Thank you to everyone who participated, to those who answered yes, I'd be interested to know what you keep.
Anyone interested in keeping venomous specimens or working with them in the field should consider buying a copy of [This book] (http://www.amazon.com/Venomous-Snakes-Captivity-Safety-Husbandry/dp/1411629493) [This book] (http://www.amazon.com/Venomous-Snakes-Terrarium-Vol/dp/1575241382/ref=pd_sim_b_2/183-8283002-6256949?ie=UTF8&refRID=1A7X5NCF8TA36BR7C6CN) and [this book] (http://www.amazon.com/Venomous-Snakes-World-Mark-OShea/dp/0691150230/ref=pd_sim_b_4/183-8283002-6256949?ie=UTF8&refRID=1A7X5NCF8TA36BR7C6CN)
These are the venomous bibles, if you will, and make for some good reading.
Thank you again to everyone who participated.
My very good friend has written two books on them. I would recommend it. Then you won't need to solicit advice from random "experts" online.
https://www.amazon.com/Redfoot-Manual-Beginners-Guide-Tortoise/dp/1441494030?keywords=red+foot+tortoise+manual&qid=1540499837&sr=8-1-fkmr1&ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1