Book Description
Teaching children how to be responsible pet owners, DK's Small Pet Care guides are the most child-friendly guides to the key aspects of small pet care. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great pictures but a lot of inaccurate information
This is a nicely produced book - too bad it's not a good one. Large photos on every page should convince everyone of the joy of owning a pet - there are many pictures of children playing with their pets, illustrative photos of both children and adults cleaning cages, and much more.

Unfortunately, even some of the pictures contain misinformation. For example, in the section on rabbits, the daily diet paragraph of text suggests "a handful of raw cabbage or a piece of celery should be plenty." And the photo shows not only many vegetables that will cause gas, such as cauliflower, it also shows a big wedge of iceberg lettuce. As every well-informed rabbit owner knows by now, iceberg lettuce is useless nutritionally, high enough in water to possibly give your rabbit diarrhea, and leaf lettuce is a much better idea. Celery is likewise not a great idea - the strings in it have been known to get caught between teeth, which can lead to malocclusion, and some rabbits have even choked on them.

The text for rabbits also suggests "stale crusts of whole-wheat bread" for treats. And the main advice for housing is an outdoor hutch, with barely a paragraph given to keeping your rabbit indoors as a house rabbit.

Incidentally, the book was written in England, so although there appears to be an effort made to write in English that will be understandable to Americans, there are some items that are still likely to be confusing for American children: breed names for some rabbits and guinea pigs are different; food pellets are differently shaped and colored than most American brands, and so on. Also, it should be noted, the English background probably contributes to the author's preference for keeping rabbits outdoors. The climate in England does not have the extremes that the much larger North American continent has. The weather in Buffalo, NY would be far too cold to keep your rabbit in an outdoor hutch all winter, and the weather in San Antonio, TX, far too hot in the summer - rabbits would die of heat stroke. The English background also shows in the mention of chipmunks as an alternative small pet; in most of the US, chipmunks are not only not pets, but you'd need a specific wildlife permit to be allowed to keep one.

The misinformation in the guinea pig section is just as extensive as the rabbit section. Again, vegetables are recommended that are known to cause gas, or to be nutritionally useless for guinea pigs, or to have caused other problems, and although the text briefly mentions that piggies need vitamin C, there is nothing at all pointing out which veggies and fruits are high in C. The emphasis, as with the rabbits, is on keeping guinea pigs in outdoor hutches, with barely a paragraph on indoor cages.

I do not know as much about hamsters as I do about guinea pigs and rabbits, so I can't tell whether all the information in the hamster section is valid. However, the "healthy treats" section especially recommends yogurt drops - which are mainly sugar and are NOT a healthy treat for any pet, despite the "yogurt" in their name.

There are some good points about this book: the great photos showing lots of interaction between kids and their pets, perhaps the book's strongest point. And for each pet, the section on toys and play has pictures of a great variety of toys, all of them appropriate for the pet, and many of them suggestions that an inexperienced pet owner wouldn't have thought of. Every pet has a lengthy section on seeing a vet, basic healthcare, signs of illness, and when to call a vet.

It's difficult for anyone to try to write a short book that covers several animals. It's best for the potential pet owner to choose a book that is all about ONE species of pet, and contains more details about that particular animal than a scattershot book like this. I would also suggest that anyone looking for a good book on pets check the country of original publication, and look for a recent copyright date. For most Americans, although this book is brand new, copyright 2005, it does not meet the other requirements of being specific to one pet and being specifically written for US conditions. ... Read more

Book Description
Rabbits, an often celebrated part of the animal kingdom, havebeen kept as pets for centuries. This book offers numerous tips on how toensure a pleasant home environment for your new pet and also covers care,housing, diet, and health issues that may affect your rabbit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Information,but you have to read a lot!!
This book is a good Hamster Care Guide,but I suguest getting a picture Hamster Care guide instead of this.Why?This book has paragraphs and more paragraphs,not a lot of pictures or small details.So much reading!!Ah!!!If you hate to read so much,get another Hamster Care guide.Cause this one has....a lot of words.Other than that,the information are great! ... Read more

Book Description
The acclaimed series that teaches youngsters how to care for their best buddy.

Find out how to prepare your guinea pigs' hutch, and playing with your guinea pigs, indoors and outdoors. Learn what to feed your guinea pigs, and when, and how to keep your guinea pigs happy and healthy. Guinea Pigs is one of an exciting new series of pet care books designed to help young animal owners learn about and care for their pets. Illustrated on every page with full-color photography, Guinea Pigs is packed with practical information on every aspect of feline care. Published in association with the ASPCA, this series will engage and inform readers ages seven and up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Not a Great Book
I have a guinea pig, and I love her and take care of her. But I recently checked out this book, and I thought some parts could be a little more realistic. The sections on food and guinea pig history and breeds were terrific. But I think it expects you to go a little overboard on your guinea pig. For example, when it gives you the list of cleaning supplies you need to clean your guinea pig's cage, it says, "Do not take any items that you use to clean your house," when it has things like sponges and dustpans and towels on the list. Do they mean that you're supposed to buy a new towel and dustpan just for your guinea pig? Also, the checklist at the very end was EXTREMELY unrealistic. Not very many people check their guinea pig's teeth every day. This book is OK, but I just think that some sections are unrealistic and set too high expectations for little kids.

Not a Great Book
I have a guinea pig, and I love her and take care of her. But I recently checked out this book, and I thought some parts could be a little more realistic. The sections on food and guinea pig history and breeds were terrific. But I think it expects you to go a little overboard on your guinea pig. For example, when it gives you the list of cleaning supplies you need to clean your guinea pig's cage, it says, "Do not take any items that you use to clean your house," when it has things like sponges and dustpans and towels on the list. Do they mean that you're supposed to buy a new towel and dustpan just for your guinea pig? Also, the checklist at the very end was EXTREMELY unrealistic. Not very many people check their guinea pig's teeth every day. This book is OK, but I just think that some sections are unrealistic and set too high expectations for little kids.

Excellent guide for kids!
What I love about this book are the pictures.They are very clear and colourful.This is a very good guide book for any kid because if the kid does not know what a word refers to, there is actually a picture that showswhat the author is trying to convey.This book also includes step-by-stepinstructions (with pictures) for cleaning the cage, grooming of thecavy...

An easy-to-understand book...

All You Ever Wanted To Know About Guinea Pigs
After checking this book out at the library, I ordered a copy for my 9-year old granddaughter to keep for her own. It answers every question we had about breeds, equipment, care and feeding of guinea pigs. It is offeredin a clear, concise format with lots of pictures, making it attractive tothe young reader.

Great book.
I ordered this book for my daughter who is going to get a guinea pig for her 7th Birthday.It was exactly what I was looking for.She could read it and it gave her all the information she needed to be a great guinea pigowner.I do agree with one of the other reviewers in that guinea pigscannot typically graze on your average suburban yard due to chemicaltreatments nor can we keep them outside.Otherwise, this it the perfectbook for the child, or even adult, who is considering a guinea pig as apet.I would definitely buy it again and if we were getting another typeof pet, I would hope to find the book I needed in the same series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

KNOWING YOUR GUINEA PIG
EXCELLENT INFORMATION ON EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF YOUR GUINEA PIG!!!!!! ... Read more

Book Description
Gerbils are active and charming pets that can provideenjoyment to the whole family. Written by an expert, Gerbilsdiscusses a variety of subjects and features tip boxes in each chapter thatsuggest how children can help take care of these adorable creatures. ... Read more

Product Description
Some people are afraid of mice. Others find these furry creatures to be soft and playful. If you re one of the latter, perhaps you d like to have one of these animals for your own pet. Mice are easy to take care of. They clean themselves and eat very little food. They can also be taught how to perform neat tricks like running through mazes and begging for food. Mice require very little space which makes them the ideal pet for families who live in small houses and apartments. As you flip through the pages of this book, you ll learn everything you need to know to take care of your new pet mouse. Open this cover and get started. ... Read more

Book Description
The acclaimed series that teaches youngsters how to care for their best buddy.

Learn how to prepare your rabbit's hutch, and playing with your rabbit, indoors and outdoors. Find out what to feed your rabbit, and when, and how to keep your rabbit happy and healthy. Rabbit is one of an exciting series of pet care books designed to help young animal owners learn about and care for their pets. Illustrated on every page with full-color photography, Rabbit is packed with practical information on every aspect of rabbit care. With a foreword written by Roger Caras, president of the ASPCA, this series will engage and inform readers ages seven and up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great book for kids care of rabbit
Great book for kids to care for their rabbits and understand them better.Even 7 yr olds can use this book

Rabbit Pet Care
If you are a rabbit lover, you would like this book.It has all the facts and information about rabbits.It teaches you a lot about rabbits.If you want a rabbit this book will tell you everything you need to know about rabbits.It also tells you things you should not do to a rabbit.This is why I thinnk you should read this book.Elizabeth G.

Cute Book for Kids
This book is absolutely adorable, lots of bright pictures and easy to read information for young children.It helps young children learn to care for their fluffy friend.Adults and older children enjoy the abundance of pictures.

Helpful
This book is very helpful to me. I am getting a rabbit soon and it has some very helpful tips in it. ... Read more