An essential family reference to keeping hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, reptiles and fish
A newly-updated practical guide to pet-keeping, covering all aspects of choosing and caring for small mammals including rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and jirds, chinchillas, rats and mice - plus birds, herptiles, invertebrates and fish. Each chapter features the most popular breeds in each species, based on general availability and suitability. Find out how to choose the best pet for your lifestyle plus practical tips on buying a pet; housing and exercise; foods for a balanced diet; pet health and what to do when your pet is sick. This is a perfect reference book on petcare for any owner. Expert advice on choosing and buying a pet, the breeds, housing, feeding, handling, showing and health care. Helpful information and fascinating insights about every aspect of caring for the most popular pet species. How to select the right pet for your lifestyle, including choosing exotic species and the most suitable pets for young children and families. Maintaining a pet's health, plus the equipment needed to house, feed and exercise pets correctly, and detailed advice on training, handling, showing and breeding pets.
Looking for a dog breed to fit your personality and lifestyle? Then look no further than The Dog Selector! This dog breed guide describes canines of all sizes, traits, and temperaments so you can find the very best dog for your family!
The Dog Selector categorizes and profiles each dog breed with a large color portrait, a brief history of the breed, a description of the animal's traits, and a chart that pinpoints the dog's characteristics. Categories discussed in this dog encyclopedia include:
The Dog Selector is a must-have for every prospective owner choosing a dog so that both owner and dog match each other's lifestyles!
Keeping iguanas, frogs, insects and other invertebrates in a glass world is a popular pursuit.
This practical, fully illustrated guide has everything the enthusiast needs to know, with a focus on beginners. A one-stop reference for those starting out with a terrarium or vivarium, it covers the entire spectrum of suitable animals, from invertebratesto large snakes and lizards. David Alderton explains how to design setups that re-create natural habitats, as well as more clinical environments for closely monitoring difficult or delicate species. A brief account of some of the more suitable vivarium plants and their requirements is also included.
The book is divided into three main sections -- Reptiles, Amphibians and Invertebrates -- with extensive cross-referencing between them. There are detailed presentations on all key areas:
A comprehensive directory of species provides specific information on breeds suitable for beginners. This easy-to-use, illustrated volume presents all the most up-to-date information in a single volume, giving the enthusiast a complete reference.
Water covers over two-thirds of the Earth, which is why we call it the 'blue planet'. Tropical seas are most known for their coral reefs which provide a rich ecosystem for marine life, offering food and shelter among their crevices and branches for animals including fishes, molluscs, sea urchins and sponges. Some estimates report the world's oceans are home to 20,000 species of fish. Ocean fishes come in all shapes and sizes, and live in drastically different depths and temperatures. Our understanding of ocean life has changed dramatically in the last decade, with new species, new behaviours, and new habitats being discovered at a rapid rate. Explore coral reefs that shimmer in a kaleidoscope of vibrant tones. Venture to the bottom of the ocean where creatures beyond your wildest imagination live in the dark. With stunning photography, Tropical Fish is a gorgeous celebration of the warmest parts of our watery world and the marvellous creatures that call it home.
Dogs can find themselves homeless and living on the streets for a wide variety of reasons. The lucky ones are taken to rescue shelters where staff work hard to re-home them. Adopting and caring for a re-homed dog can be challenging at first, but when it works out you really do have a friend for life. This new book includes everything that anyone taking on a rescue dog will need to know. It addresses a rescue dog's specific needs, such as learning to play, coping with separation anxiety, eating disorders and lack of trust, and provides practical, expert guidance on how best to deal with issues as they arise to make your dog grow in confidence and security over time.
Describing the most intriguing creatures on the planet, from the big cats of Africa to the apes that are our closest evolutionary ancestors and the whales and dolphins that roam the world's oceans, Animals profiles over 400 of the world's most fascinating species, offering a truly comprehensive overview of animals from every continent and giving a sense of the incredible diversity of animal types.
Featured animals are grouped by order, then within each order by family; each family section contains examples of the key species, which are illustrated with beautifully detailed, full-colour artworks. For easy reference, each entry includes a table of information on scientific name, order and family, features, habitats, distribution, diet and breeding, as well as informative maps and detailed box features.
Packed full of information and colour, Animals is guaranteed to appeal to any budding zoologist or animal enthusiast.
Anyone who has encountered a Border Terrier will know that although this is a relatively small breed of dog in terms of overall stature, it's one with a big heart. Bold and fearless in true terrier fashion, these dogs possess a feisty character that belies their size. Indeed, it was the tough, no-nonsense nature of the Border Terrier that was much prized by gamekeepers and others who employed the dog for all kinds of sporting and hunting activities.
In this essential guide will be found everything you need to know about choosing, buying and enjoying your Border Terrier, including breed background, settling in your new arrival, establishing a daily routine, and what to expect as your canine companion grows up. Over 100 illustrations - many specially commissioned - colourfully illustrate and describe these captivating dogs.Parrots are a big and popular group of birds.
Parrots of the World is a compelling and up-to-date document and insight into the 400 living species, covering each with a detailed individual entry. It also discusses the biology and lifestyles of the very social parrots in more general terms. This comprehensive new book will appeal to everyone interested in parrots, from either an ornithological or avicultural (raising as a pet) perspective.
Parrots of the World opens with an overview of the bird family, its origins and key discoveries from the fossil record, tracking their development around the world. It also highlights the unexpected fact that new species of parrot are still being found today and that there may be others awaiting discovery.
The text then proceeds to define the characteristics of parrots and their inter-relationships. Their distinctive plumage is discussed of course, but also the unique anatomical features that assist their lifestyles: from brush-like papillae on the tongues of lories and lorikeets that allow them to sweep pollen grains into their mouths, to the impressive power inherent in the bills of large macaws, enabling them to crack the toughest-shelled palm nuts.
Alderton explores parrots' famous powers of mimicry in detail, including research that has been undertaken to test parrots' intelligence, as well as non-vocal communication within the group, pair-bonding and nesting behavior.
A historical overview of the relationships between parrots and people (which date back millennia) completes the opening section and is followed by the major part of the book: a detailed description of all the world's species, divided into Old World and New World parrots. These entries are standardized, with each showing a distribution map and a photo of the described parrot.
Parrots of the Old World
Parrots of the New World
This will be the new standard reference on parrots for all interested people.
This newly updated book is a reference manual for every bird-keeper. It covers all aspects of bird care: housing choices; constructing an aviary; buying birds and settling them in; feeding and handling; keeping birds healthy; and exhibiting and breeding. A close look at over 250 examples provides a fascinating insight into the appearance, characteristics and breeding habits of each of the major groups: waxbills, weavers, wydahs, canaries and related finches, quails and pheasants, softbills, Australian parakeets, cockatiels, cockatoos, lories and lorikeets, parrots, doves and pigeons. Fabulously illustrated with more than 800 photographs, this book is an authoritative guide to keeping pet birds both in the home or in an outdoor aviary.