Stupid question, but I need to know!

[user 23122]

Definitely not an average run of the mill species you are keeping there Tiger Lilly nearly brought one myself a few years ago but got into monitors instead from what the breeder I was going to buy one off told me they where fairly unforgiving in regards to poor husbandry yet still quite easy to maintain your thread topic and posts now make a lot more sense to me I wish you luck with your pet cheers .ps there is still a lot of good info about tree snake on google if you search hard enough but there is nothing like a good book to take to the toilet on your days off

 

[Planky]

Mrcos What's a 100 bucks when your talking about quality information that can be trusted especially when your animals worth more then the book

 

[pinefamily]

I think the OP (and the intent of the rest of the thread) was asking why reptile books cost so much more than dog books, to use the same example. Some excellent explanations have been given.
And no one will dispute that the correct information is priceless, compared to opinion or hearsay.

 

[Elapidae1]

Because good quality books take A LOT of time and effort.
If its a good book than i dont understand why paying the price is wrong
I think for just over $100 Marion's frog book is ridiculously cheap .. i'd easily pay $300 for such a good book like that, its worth it

Marion Anstis's book is a phenomenal achievement and very cheap. I would love to hear that a condensed version more suited to the field was on the cards, it's current format is a little heavy for my field bag, lol.

I had never owned a keeping guide until recently buying Scotts book, some info/ideas were new to me other stuff I already knew or had read and forgotten which is why it so good to have a quality publication. Reading it after initial purchase had entertainment value and it is a valuable resource to look back on and clarify decisions or help make informed husbandry decisions. I believe I had enough knowledge through personal experience, friends and acquaintances to successfully keep the species I Have and want, but being able to draw on ones experience at the turn of a page is very handy.

 

[ThatGuy]

I picked up a very informal book the other day specifically about carpet pythons for $25. It didn't go into any extreme detail and was general where all varieties of morellia were similar while also being species specific where there were differences between sub-species. As an advanced book I doubt it is all that valuable but for me starting out I found the information it contained to be worth well above what I paid for it, considering that the information within will probably save me multiple trips to the vet.The book is called Keeping Carpet Pythons and is by Simon Kortlang and Darren Green who are both very experienced breeders and while it only takes an hour to read if you skim over the breeding section it still gave me everything I needed to know regarding temperatures, food items, enclosures and signs of sickness as well as how to set up a vivarium both in doors and out doors. They also talked about how big each variety can get and how many eggs to expect when breeding any given variety and also goes into a fair amount of detail when explaining their natural habitats and the conditions there when maintaining a good enclosure for your carpet.I saw a whole series on everything from childeren's pythons up to womas, bredli and olives. All were under $30 and I think would make at the very least great referencing books. Concise while still being detailed enough. I am going to read it again tonight for bed-time reading.

 

[Charlieee]

OMG @andynic07, I thought this was a real snake sitting on the book

 

[Jacknife]

Tiger Lilly i am sorry you have misread my post as you
Clearly do not get my meaning. My reply was aimed at planky who seems to think you need to go out and spend 100 plus dollars on a book to successfully raise a reptile pet. My point is if you find information regarding breeding of a certain species well read it and use it because guess what to breed a reptile you need a healthy reptile and to have a healthy reptile you need to
Raise it correctly can you see a pattern emerging here

Sometimes its nice to keep that knowledge on hand, bound pages of text put together in some form of compendium is usually a good way to keep knowledge readily accessible.
In this day and age printed information isn't as common, and as stated, isn't a cheap endeavor.
Specialized information will always hold a premium over general hearsay.

A result of all of this is that a book of well researched, by expert, empirical and specialized(and especially breed specific reptile(as they're not as common as say a dog breed would be)) information is a touch more expensive to get your hands on than what some bloke who bred in his spare room once or twice wrote up on his internet page.

 

[Cotter]

All of the books I have bought I would pay more then double for and they are all aussie books. but books a side look at taxonomy text books and so on, they run in to the thousands, and well worth it but that leads to another question, If I had that money would it be better to spend it on some Green tree pythons..... GTP I think.

 

[Elapidae1]

Funny thing is I don't think the books are too expensive I'll get hours and years of enjoyment and use out of many of them yet I will still um and ah for a bit on wether I should spend the 100 bucks on a particular day or just wait till next week, but on the same day won't bat an eye lid at blowing 100 bucks on a meal and ice-cream for the family.Priorities priorities.

 

[dragondragon]

All under $100



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And all good books with plenty of knowledge

 

[montay]

You can not go past Mike Swan's Keeping & Breeding Australian Pythons - an absolutely bible!

 

[andynic07]

And all good books with plenty of knowledge

So far as I am concerned it is a money well spent. I have 7 pythons after recently selling two and 6 elapids and have had no need to visit a vet touch wood. I put this down a little to good luck but mainly due to the research I have done , the people I have spoken to and the books that I have. Fingers crossed I do not need a vet anytime soon.

 

[Bluetongue1]

Tigerlily,
I reckon you have been looking at field guides or academic books and the like because I couldn’t think of a single care guide currently available that cracked the $100 mark. I do know of one that is soon to be released.

“Pythons of Australia: A Natural History” by Geordie Torr ($40) is definitely not a husbandry guide. It is, as it says, a natural history text that looks at things like anatomy, physiology, behaviour, ecology and conservation. There is a very limited amount of husbandry information one can glean from such a text.

Seeing as how there is not a list of husbandry books in any one spot, I have spent some time putting together a list. It is by no means comprehensive but these are all quality publications, which I have either used, read or had recommended by people whose judgment I respect. Prices can vary, so it is worth shopping around. Some are available through the state network of libraries if you want to check them out before buying.

Given what you get for the money they really are excellent value for your dollar. In addition to that, if they save just one animal from falling ill and karking it, they will likely have paid for themselves. If they enable success in breeding without making the usual trial and error mistakes, then the book responsible will have paid for itself several times over.

As others have already indicated, the real value is in knowing you are meeting your animals’ needs and you can enjoy and get a buzz out of watching your healthy, stress-free animals.

border="1" class="cms_table_grid"
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Book Title
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Authored by
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Price
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Care of Australian Reptiles in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | John Weigel
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $20.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Michael Swan (Editor)
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $50.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Mike Swan (Editor)
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $70.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | An Introduction to Keeping and Breeding Australian Reptiles
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Mike Swan & Damien Goodall
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $40.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | The Complete Children’s Python
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr. Justin Julander, Nick Mutton and Peter Birch.
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $75.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | The Complete Carpet Python
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr. Justin Julander & Nick Mutton
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $80.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | The More Complete Chondro
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Greg Maxwell
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $75.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Monitor Lizards: Natural History, Captive Care and Breeding
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Bernd Eidenmuller
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $65.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Turtles in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Adam Elliott
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $58.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Snakes in Captivity. Elapids and Colubrids
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Scott Eipper
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $75.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Skinks in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Danny Brown
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $75.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Monitors in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Danny Brown
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $65.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Geckos and Pygopods in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Danny Brown
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $75.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Frogs in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Scott Eipper
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $55.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Australian Dragons in Captivity
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Danny Brown
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $65.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Shannon Plummer
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $54.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Short-necked Turtles
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Long-necked Turtles
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Shingleback Lizards
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Frogs
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Mark Davidson
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Childrens Pythons
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Greg Fyfe and Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Carpet Pythons Book
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Simon Kortlang and Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Blue-tongued Lizards
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Grant Turner
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Bearded Dragons
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $18.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Australian Water Dragons Book
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Jason Goulding and Darren Green
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $15.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Keeping Australian Geckos
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Rob Porter
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $26.95
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | A Guide to Health and Disease in Reptiles & Amphibians
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Brenda Carmel, Dr Robert Johnson
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $45.00
|- class="cms_table_grid_tr"
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Under the Microscope. Microscope use and Pathogen Identification in Birds and Reptiles
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | Dr Danny Brown
| class="cms_table_grid_td" | $23.00
|-

Blue

 

[andynic07]

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/field-herping-reptile-studies-5373/reading-list-212437/


this his is a reading list that Scott Eipper has put together but without the bonus of pricing as Blue has done.