Customer Reviews:
 A true "must have" for many keepers May 16, 2005
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
This book is different in it's approach than any other care book I've seen. The author argues for, and shows how to do, quasi-natural to naturalist setups for many common serpents.
The difference is that most books do not touch natural vivaria for snakes. There has been some recognition of thier benefits with lizards and amphibians, but little to no discussion of thier role in snake husbandry.
The book covers the basics of setting up different types of vivaria--i.e. desert and tropic, etc. and list some plants, and substrate mixes that are suitable. He then goes into some particular snakes he feels are well suited for this sort of display. This means the books focuses on small through midsized, diurnal snakes, as they are the best display animals in a natural set up. This excludes many common species, but includes many species equally suited to a beginner--some of which are actually more suited than many more popular species, and hey, it opens up new ideas.
These setups, in my experince (I've been doing them for several years) make keeping snakes much more rewarding. I've tried the LAM method (sterile boxes, wood shavings, and a heat source) and it's not that much fun. It has it's place, but it should emphatically not be the approach employed by the average hobbyist. Allowing snakes a fairly large cage, with structures and possibly plants, appropriate to it's size and behavior, greatly enhances thier captive behavior. A boa constrictor can just sit in a 4X2X1 foot cage all day, with little to do, and live. Or, you can put it in a 4X2X3 cage with thick branches, places to explore, ect. and have a much more interesting captive.
SOme of the book is common sense, some of it is fairly detailed, but for a novice keeper, it is a must have--and frankly, it's a good idea for many more advanced keepers.
The approach advocated does have limits; truly large snakes (big boas, burmese, etc.) are not suited for planted tanks, because they crush anything smaller than a tree. Furthermore, I wish the book dealt with quasi-natural setups more--they're my preferred approach, and more flexible. You simply use wood shavings, or a burrowable mix of sand and soil, and structure large branches and rocks in the cage. No plants, true, so not as pretty, but provides much of the same stimulus and is easier by far. I also wish he dealt more with noctural displays; he mentions some ideas (i.e. use redlights) but he doesn't deal with ways to make truly amazing noctural displays--e.g. plants that flower at night, etc.
But still, this book gives you info you will not get in any other avialable book for snakes. It also advocates an approach that makes keeping snakes truly much more pleasent. I heartily reccomend it for anyone, particularly new people, or people who use the LAM method and are burning out. It opens new ideas, better ideas.
 Read this first March 16, 2005
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Before getting into keeping a snake I wanted to know exactly what I was going to let myself in for. This book not only gave me that information, but more. It shows how you can create a territory for the snake that is enjoyable and healthy for the animal, ecological, pleasant to look at and requires relatively low maintenance. I ended up dividing the purchasing process into 3 phases: Creating a pleasant vivarium, where the buying of plants and composition were at least as much fun as the anticipation of getting a snake. Then the purchasing of quarantine equipment and finally the snake and food. This book helped me all the way through. I highly recommend it and read it before you purchase any snake.
At Last!! September 12, 2004
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
Keeping snakes in plastic blanket boxes has its place in the warehouses of professional breeders but for the average keeper, we wonder why, after starting with a pair of snakes, we somehow become disillusioned and unsatisfied with them and move onto a different 'more advanced' species. Suddenly we find ourselves with corn snakes, kingsnakes, boas, green tree pythons and wonder, amid all the blanket boxes, why we ever started. The daily cleaning and feeding chores are only offset by the fact that we made a little money on the side by selling offspring.
If you are thinking about owning a snake or are already drawn in the direction of purchasing more and more species - I would recommend this book above all others.
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