The Care of Reptiles and Amphibians in Captivity

John Skillcorn

Author: Chris Mattison
Publisher: Blandford Press
ISBN: 0-7137-1826-9
Price: £12.95 (Revised Edition 1987)

About the book
At the time it was first published, this book was bought by many people interested in the keeping of reptiles and amphibia.  It carries accounts of keeping and breeding a wide range of animals, including general care (foods and feeding, housing, temperature, disease and breeding) and specific notes on the animal species themselves although, it has to be said, never in any great amount of detail.  

However, concise though the notes may be they are usually sufficient to enable the novice to keep most of the species mentioned.  Apart from, perhaps, animals such as Gaboon Vipers, Copperheads, Spitting Cobras and Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes!  I think mention of species such as these are a little out of place in a book of this sort; their culture needs much more than just knowledge of their day-to-day requirements in captivity.

Dendrobatids are mentioned all too briefly.  There are two and one half pages on general maintenance followed by brief notes on DD. auratus, histrionicus, tinctorius, leucomelas and P. lugubris.  There are also notes on Mantella aurantiaca.  In view of the fact that my edition of this book is rather old I find the comments on Dendrobatids rather dated.  I would like to think that they have been updated since my copy was printed.  Breeding of Dendrobatid frogs has developed in leaps and bounds in the last ten years (as with many more species) and the text on this subject at least could do with revising.