Q: "I read how you bought some books at a ferret conference, I'm gonna assume the books are to do about ferrets. Could you list some books you recommend or bought about ferrets." A: I could, but then people would read them, know all I know, and then no one would ask me to talk to their group anymore. And since I live to talk, well, you see the problem...I would die from public speaking malnutrition. Well, ok, since you are so nice. I bought six books at the conference since I only had one child left that was willing for me to spend their meager inheritence: 1. Exotic Pet Behavior: Birds, Reptiles, and Small Mammals. 2006 TB Bays, T Lightfoot, & J Mayer. Saunders. 2. The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult: Ferret and Rabbit. 2006 BL Oglesbee. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 3. Radiology of Rodents, Rabbits and Ferrets: An Atlas of Normal Anatomy and Positioning. 2004 S Silverman & L Tell. Saunders. 4. Small Animal Dentistry. 2006 C Tutt. Blackwell. 5. Stereotypic Animal Behaviour: Fundamentals and Applications to Welfare, 2nd ed. 2007 G Mason & J Rushen. CABI (pre-ordered, soon to be released) 6. Small Animal Dental Equipment, Materials and Techniques: A Primer. 2004 J Bellows. Blackwell. Ok, these books -- while interesting -- will probably not end up on the average ferret owner's reference shelf, in part because they are so expensive. Insead, I'll give you a list of my favorite books that are aimed more towards the average ferret owner. In random order that does not indicate preference: 1. Ferrets for Dummies. 2000 K Schilling. For Dummies. (A second edition is in the works, but you can get the 1st edition in the meantime. Kim uses the income from her book to help fund her animal awareness and rehab programs). 2. The Ferret: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet. 1996 M R Shefferman. Howell. (A bit dated now, but still very good. I don't think Mary gets anything from Howell, so buy a copy direct from Modern Ferret). 3. Keeping Unusual Pets: Ferrets. 2002 J McNicholas. Heinemann Educational Books. (Dr. McNicholas is one of the very few animal behaviorists that studies ferrets. This is a small, inexpensive primer, but nonetheless outstanding). 4. Het Frettenboek. 2001 P van Zalinge, N Smeding, & Dr. J Moorman-Roest. Stichting "De Fret". (Even though this is in Dutch, the book is outstanding! It has the best ferret illustrations I have ever seen and the book is worth every Euro just for the cartoons! Look closely for the pooping ferret illustrations). 5. Lab Anatomy of The Mink. 1997 WJ Radke & RB Chiasson. McGraw-Hill Science. (This is not about ferrets, but the schematic diagrams are outstanding if you want an idea of the ferret's anatomy, which is very similar. I suggest that ferret owners take the book with them to the vet, and ask the vet to point out the exact anatomy they are discussing. This is a standard dissecting manual for college undergraduates, and cheap second-hand copies are common). 6. Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and Surgery. 2000 JH Lewington. Butterworth-Heinemann. (A second edition is being published shortly. Dr. Lewington's love for ferrets is clearly evident in this book, which I highly recommend). 7. Ferrets: Health, Husbandry and Diseases. 1999 M Lloyd. Blackwell. (I think a second edition is in the works, but the first edition is still wonderful). 8. All About Your Ferret. 1999 S Crompton. Interpet Publishing. (A very nice introductory primer from a lady who has been keeping ferrets longer than I have been alive and probably long after I die). 9. Essentials of Ferrets: A Guide for Practitioners: An Update to a Practioner's Guide to Rabbits and Ferret. 1999 K. Purcell & S Brown. American Hospital Association (An easy read and well organized; essential book in my opinion). 10. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. 2003 K Quesenberry & JW Carpenter. Saunders. (Another outstanding book). There are numerous other books on ferrets, and more are published each year. As far as I am concerned, you can't have too many ferret references! Bob C [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML 5492]