Product Description
Readers will find authoritative advice on caging, feeding, health care, and more in this book, supplemented with vivid color photos. Titles in this growing series of pet care books are especially focused to answer the questions and meet the needs of inexperienced and soon-to-be animal owners. My Pet books combine detailed instruction and advice in a somewhat larger format than Barron's longtime popular Pet Owner's Manuals and Pet Handbooks. They also feature more than 250 color photos, eye-catching and informative sidebars, and colorfully illustrated cover flaps. The text is clearly written, and accessible both to adults and older children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Bets book on guinea pig care
I've been through a few books on guinea book care and this is my favorite one! The author is a biologist from Germany who spent more than 8 years to research on guinea pigs, what can be more reassuring than that? The book is filled with 144 pages of rich info and beautiful pictures, excellent value for the price! This is also the only book I've read that states a guinea pig's need for same-species companionship in a non-negotiable tone. The chapter on how to provide actitives such as an obstacle course to keep the guinea pig stimulated and to encourage it to exercise more is especially helpful. You don't really need another book on guinea pig care if you have this one! ... Read more

Product Description
Here is information and advice on keeping healthy guinea pigs as household pets. The author discusses feeding, breeding, caging, health care, and much more. BarronÂ's extensive line of Complete Pet OwnerÂ's Manuals presents information for non-specialist animal owners and prospective owners, with facts about each animalÂ's origins and traits, as well as advice on purchasing, housing, feeding, health care, and much more. Each book is individually written by a trainer, breeder, veterinarian, or other animal specialist. Titles in this series cover every popular breed of dog and cat, freshwater and marine fish, many bird varieties, and virtually all other animals that are kept as pets. All books are filled with handsome color photos and instructive line illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Poor Excuse for an Educational Publication
Much of the information in this book in innacurate and misleading.If you are interested in a basic care guide with relevant information, I would suggest The Essential Guinea Pig by Betsy Sikoro Siino.

Not a bad reference book, but there are better
When my first piggie came to live with me I got one book, Peter Gurney's.However soon after I really wanted to learn as much as I could, so I bought many others, this was one.It is ok, it has really good basic information, but it is not complete.You should really look into other books as well, like The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs, by Peter Gurney.

Hope that this helps.

Fun, practical and highly educational
You learn a lot from this book. It has both fun pictures, toy/game oppurtunites and a food guide, etc. A really fun, cool, interesting book! A must-have for raising a healthy guinea pig!!!

Help for the lost...
A very helpful guide for all owners of guinea pigs.What I like most of this book is the section on the guinea pig's body language.This is something that other guinea pig guide books do not have.Owners will learnfrom this chapter on how to communicate with their piggies better.

I havefound that books from the "Barron's Complete Pet Owner's ManualsSeries" to be very helpful in terms of care of the pet for any petowners.

This book tells alot about how to take care of your g-pig
I like this book a lot because it helped me to learn how to take care of Gordy and Amy, my guinea pigs.You should buy this book it will teach you a lot!!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The titles in the popular and growingLetÂ's Take Care of childrenÂ's pet care series describe both the fun and the responsibilities that come with owning an animal. Each attractively illustrated story tells about a little boy and girl and the excitement that they share when they acquire a pet. A Guideline section at the conclusion of each story presents pet care advice and information that is geared to younger childrenÂ's capabilities. All titles in this series are available in both English and Spanish language editions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Superb information within, Superb reference
While this book contains information like a reference contains, it is still written for the average reader so that the owner of a guinea pig can give excellent care to the animal. There is much information contained within that I have not found in other books on guinea pigs for pet owners. The authors are apparently from and in England, but it is still written in the understandable broad-spectrum English language. 2 Thumbs up for a well-written and informative book for ANY guinea pig owner.

Excellent book about guinea pigs
I think this book a excellent, because it contains all you need to know about guinea pigs

Guinea pig care book at its best
A really delightful book about guinea pigs. I bought this book years ago and just had to check that it had a great review on Amazon as its the best guinea pig book I ve ever bought (and believe me I've bought a lot) It has all the information you could possibly need with great photographs to match. This book would be ideal for anyone considering buying guinea pigs or has them already as I'm sure you'll learn something new from it. Many guinea pig books are enjoyable reads but you are often left wanting at the end as they don't have anything more than the basic information. Not with this book! It has everything, and is written in a very readable and enjoyable way. thouroughly recommended.

Nancy Punter
I originally bought this book to complete an order but upon recieving it and reading it I found it to be a very good book. I have quite a bit of knowledge about Guinea Pigs but found new information in the book.
I would definitely recommed it to folks who have Guinea Pigs or intend to get a piggy....it will be very helpful to them

Good Reference Book
Every responsible guinea pig owner should keep all the information they can possibly find close at hand.This book is certainly an excellent addition to my home library as I found it easy to use and understand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

An Outdated Book on Cavy Care
As a new guinea pig owner, I bought this book based on positive reviews here. However, after reading just a few pages it was very obvious that this book is outdated and should not be used as a reference or a go-to guide for piggie owners.The best thing about the book are the photos.The author, who is not a vet, makes recommendations to readers that go against proper, modern care for cavies.He advises piggie owners to perform health maintenance practices that should only be done by a vet.He does not promote currently accepted housing.

I do not recommend this book to any future or present guinea pig owner. Piggie owners are better served by reputable websites which are current in the care of cavies. I gave the book one star because a zero star rating is not an option.

Great Book on Guinea Pigs
I have read 3 books on guinea pigs and this is by far the best & most "down to earth".The author has & loves guinea pigs.I have found that none of the books are particularly helpful in assessing gender.

Color book
This is a colorful book with lots of pictures and content but I wish it were less like a story and more factual.

Inaccurate and Disorganized.
I bought this book when I decided to adopt two sows, based on the reviews this book got.Later after I got the pigs I did some more research and discovered the Cavy Cages website and the Guinea Lynx medical online resource for guinea pigs which included a highly moderated forum so one can read the most up to date information on cavy care.

I give Gurney credit because he touts the benefits of large cage size (he himself has a free-range situation with 37 pigs) and also because of the many high quality pictures of cavies.I have read around 20 books on guinea pig care, and his is by far the most accurate in terms of care, but sadly still lacking.

The organization of this book leaves much to be desired.Although the pictures are delightful, sometimes they are so big and numerous that the text is oddly spaced and hard to read through.Also, the chapter names are vague ("beautiful beasties, to have and to hold".)There are no specific sections on food or adoption, which I believe to be two of the more important aspects of cavy care.Hay, good quality pellets and fresh fruits and veggies need to be part of a cavy's diet. And pet stores often get their pigs from a backyard breeder and/or give inaccurate advice to consumers.

All in all, this is a mediocore book.I highly recommend that if you are looking into getting a guinea pig, do the online research first!Especially check out the two websites I mentioned.This book is nice to buy afterwards, but not for the information, just for the pictures.

Top Recommendation by TX Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue
A must read for any current or potential guinea pig owner!We (the TX Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue) recommend this book to all our new guinea pig adopters.
This book has many color photographs which helps in the depiction of ailments your piggies may suffer from, he also recommends treatments and advices on what products you can use to treat the more common / non life threatening conditions. ... Read more

Product Description
This title is intended for ages 3 to 9. Text is in Spanish. These cute, large size rodents make great pets for children who like to interact with animals. "Guinea Pigs" contains full-colour photographs that help demonstrate pet care. ... 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

Product 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

Product Description
Rats is a TFH Publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

use book with CAUTION !

This book was not written by any " rattie " professional . It was
comprised to fit into a collection of books for AnimalPlanet.
This book contains information which could be harmful ( even fatal)
to a pet rat. AnimalPlanet HAS in fact been contacted to pull ( or
revise ) this book. Please feel confident in purchasing any 4 or 5 star
rated pet rat book that Amazon does offer. These books , as you can see
are written by rat experts and enthusiasts much to the delight and
gratitude of happy pet owners.

Animal Planet Rats by Julie Mancini
This book is poorly researched and is filled with inaccuracies that could both harm and even kill....yes, kill your pet rat. Unfortunately it
was simply put out to complete a quote/unquote , PET CARE LIBRARY book series for Animal Planet. The desire to create an informative and helpful tool for "new" rattie owners was NOT the intention of this publication.
This book was finally approved for "release" this week and I just received a copy early today....I've had it for only hours now and have already contacted the executive offices at Dicovery/AnimalPlanet to bring this to their attention as I believe it was not their intention to in anyway harm pet rats. It is my belief that when this all comes to light (very soon I'm sure) that Animal Planet will themselves pull this book from distribution in an effort to escape any lawsuits and scandal that would certainly arise from any pet rat deaths directly linked to the pet care information given in this book.
Caring pet owners should feel confident in purchasing the standard
"well researched" books on rat care offered here on Amazon and locate these in accordance with their outstanding reviews and 4 and 5 star ratings. ... Read more

Product Description
With their squeaks and chirps, rounded bodies and bright eyes, guinea pigs are fun pets. But taking care of one can be a big job. Look inside this playful book to find the feeding, cleaning, exercise, and health care tips you need to make bringing home a guinea pig easy! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good how-to manual for children wishing to keep pet guinea pigs
I actually think this is a good manual for children who wish to keep pet guinea pigs. This book actually mentions adoption from an animal shelter as one way of obtaining a guinea pig (in the book the boy, Terell, purchases his guinea pig from a breeder, and pet stores are mentioned as another alternative).I feel that in this day of abandoned and unwanted pets, adoption from shelters would be a better approach. The book is well-illustrated in full-color illustrations, and gives tips on how to take care of a pet guinea pig. This covers choosing a guinea pig (the various breeds are listed), how to prepare a pet guinea pig's cage, dietary requirements,grooming, cleaning the cage, the sort of toys that would be guinea pig-appropriate, keeping the pet guinea pig healthy, etc. The last pages of the book portray the various parts of a guinea pig, it's life cycle, a glossary, and links (both books and websites) where one can learn more about guinea pigs. All in all, this is a wonderful how-to manual for children keen on keeping guinea pigs as pets. ... Read more

Product Description
Rabbits, an often celebrated part of the animal kingdom, have been kept as pets for centuries. This book offers numerous tips on how to ensure 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)

Great Book for Kids
Very informative and easy to read for both my daughters ages 12 and 10.Great Rabbit facts as we are new to owning a rabbit. ... Read more

Product Description
Filled with fascinating historical facts and up-to-date information on how to care for your Pet, Complete Care Made Easy: Guinea Pigs addresses all the major concerns about owning a a guinea pig. This book offers practical advice, emergency first-aid tips, fun activities, and more! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lacks Expert Advice
Having owned guinea pigs for 20 years, collecting books about them is a hobby. Unfortunately, I don't feel that this title is among the best. It seems the author may not be a cavy owner. On page 5, for example, she mentions having to consult with guinea pig owners to write the book, and frequently says "enthusiasts recommend" rather than authoritatively relaying what she has learned through personal experience.

There are several errors and photo repeats in the book, but I'll skip over those. The main problem is the feeling that the author has never owned guinea pigs. There's a lack of definite advice; the author is hesitant to merely recommend a type of animal bedding or whether or not to feed a guinea pig alfalfa hay. Illness? Prevent it. Pregnancy? Prevent it. These sections should be broader, because sometimes people accidentally adopt a pregnant sow, and illnesses cannot always be prevented--and a vet is not always close at hand for emergencies. Rather than coming across as helpful, these oversights came across as someone not knowing about the topics, and thus finding a way to skirt around them. Much of the information is basic and could apply to any companion animal, such as teaching parents how to work with kids when handling pets.

One need only look at guinea pig books by Myra Mahoney or the late Peter Gurney, or (to recommend another Bowtie Press title) Gerbils by Donna Anastasi, to see how people who love and own animals write about them in a way that someone who doesn't simply can't. This book is definitely well written, but it comes across as if it were written by a detached reporter rather than an expert sharing a passion. It's a pretty book with charming photos, but it doesn't convey a love of the subject matter, or the authoritative understanding that a writer needs to have in order to teach his or her readers. As the author writes, "But appreciating the guinea pig isn't the same as owning one" (p. 21). My hope is that the author will adopt some guinea pigs and find out what a joy they are . . . and then, several years from now, rewrite and re-release what could be an amazing care book. Until then, a guinea pig care book by definite cavy owners like Katrin Behrend, Myra Mahoney, or Peter Gurney might prove more helpful to new owners.

An Excellent Book About Proper Care for Guinea Pigs
I just purchased a guinea pig for my 7-year-old son, and I purchased this great book as a guide on how to properly care for his new pet.This book has everything that the beginning guinea pig owner needs to know.From proper feeding to cleaning the cage, this book contains everything the owner needs to know to raise a healthy, happy pet.

Perhaps the most relevant passage of the book for me was the section dealing with proper handling of the guinea pig.I sat with my three children and read this passage aloud to them so they would know how to properly hold their new friend.In less than a day, my son has become an "expert" at correctly holding his pig, thanks to the tips found in this book.I've also found myself referring to the book for such things as which types of vegetables to feed (guinea pigs need lots of vitamin C) and how to properly trim their nails.

I highly recommend this fine book.I knew basically nothing about guinea pigs before I bought this book, but this book will help the novice guinea pig owner successfully raise a healthy and happy pet.If you're looking to purchase a guinea pig, make sure you buy this fine book first.It will give you all of the necessary information so you can enjoy your pet and make sure he's happy, too. ... Read more