Review Detail

Admit it: You've always had the urge to keep an adorable (?) Chinese Fire-Bellied Toad as a pet. Or maybe what you've really been hankering to cuddle up with is a Giant African Millipede. Or maybe you just want to read about these bizarre companions. Well, here's your chance to learn all about the weirdest pets you can imagine . . .in the most enjoyable format you can imagine.

The author covers these general categories: Cold-Blooded (yep, here we've got snakes, geckos, skinks, etc); Pocket Pets like ferrets and hedgehogs; Insects (a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach or two, anyone?); Sliiiiiiimy Pets (toads, frogs, slugs, etc). The author even includes report cards for each animal, which grades it on such factors as coolness, aroma, neatness, ease of care, and cost. She also gives us a guide on how to persuade the folks to allow you to have one of these creatures.

EXTREME PETS! is illustrated with brilliant photos, written in a highly entertaining manner, and chock full of amazing facts (I'm still trying to recover from the description of how a corn snake subdues its dinner before eating it alive . . .wow). Plus it has down-to-earth nuggets on safety and basic pet care. I definitely wish I'd had this book years ago when I adopted twin ferrets . . .my life would have been so much simpler.

A huge thumbs (or paws, antennae, what-have-you) up, whether you're seriously considering a wowza of a pet or just want to be entertained.