This full colour, 280 page book provides detailed information on all aspects of captive husbandry relating to the most commonly kept species of Australian Elapid and Colubrid snakes.

Over 500 full colour images support General Management information including understanding the different snake families, pet qualities, selection, handling, social behaviour, characteristics and habits, Handling including equipment and methods, transportation, Housing including indoor and outdoor types of enclosures, temperature and thermoregulation, lighting, ventilation, humidity, substrates, water requirements, Feeding including nutrition and food types, Breeding including sexing, cues, methods, mating and courtship, care of gravid females, egg-laying and birth, incubation and neonate care.

An essential overview of Health and Diseases is presented by Dr Robert Johnson BVSc MACVSc (Feline Medicine) CertZooMed BA Grad Dip Asian Studies CMAVA, and includes a glossary of health terms.

Individual species chapters profile the colubrids?the Brown Tree, Common Tree and Slaty Grey Snakes and the Keelback. The larger elapid family includes death adders, copperheads, the Australian Coral Snake, the crowned, small-eyed and whip groups, the DeVis? Banded, White-lipped, Bardick, Red-naped, Orange-naped, Brown-headed, Swamp and Tiger Snakes, the broad-headed group, the taipans, the hooded and large black snake group, the Red-bellied Black Snake, the large and small brown groups, the Curl and Rough-scaled Snakes and the Bandy Bandy, as well as the sole member of the Homalopsid family, the Macleay?s Water Snake.

Within each species chapter information is presented on Description, In the Wild, Captive Housing, Diet, Breeding, Longevity, Ease of Keeping, Venom and Bite, Availability and includes a distribution map.

The book is completed with a Glossary, References, Australian Herpetological Societies and Wildlife Licensing Authorities and First Aid.