Well, I will graduate from UWI veterinary school in 2008 and I should have a good library to help me in my studies. Obviously anatomy, physiology, pharmacology,paristology and medicine will be there so of course I won’t need suggestions on those books.
What I am looking for is books on dog training, taking care of small mammals (like rodents,rabbits, ferrets, hedgehogs etc) andbooks on birds, fish and reptiles normally kept as pets. Any good suggestion? What about videos?
Veterinarians, dog trainers, owners of exotic animals, please give any useful suggestions.
Disclaimer: I am not a dog trainer, but I have used these methods with sucess in training a rather dominant horse. Its an effective technique because it “trains the trainer” – it makes you watch your own behavior carefully as well as the animal’s.
For birds, I would recommend “Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot” by Mattie Sue Athan
Since behavior issues are such a common problem with parrots (and the main reason so many end up at rescues/shelters), I think it would be great if you can help your bird-owning clients with that kind of topic.
For ferrets, I loved Deborah Jeans’ A Practical Guide to Ferret Care but it seems to be out of print. It was the first ferret book I’d bought that warned about overly warm temperatures being very dangerous for ferrets. A more recently-published good guide is Ferrets for Dummies.
For dog training, anything by Patricia McConnell, but particularly, “The Other End of the Leash”, and anything by Suzanne Clothier.
Maybe something on raw feeding for dogs? It’s a contentious issue and I hear so many people complain that their vets simply dismissed them when they asked about it. Look for Ian Billinghurst and “Give Your Dog a Bone”.
