Turtle Resources
================


 Copyright by Valerie Haecky. This document may be freely 
 distributed for non-profit use, provided this notice is 
 included. 


Magazines
=========

Reptile. Primarily directed at the beginning herp keeper.
  Good, basic, interesting information for the general public.

TEAM: Turtle and Tortoise Education and Adoption Media. Monthly newsletter,
  $10 per year. For information, write to TEAM, 3245 Military Ave., 
  Los Angeles, CA 90034. Emphasis on tortoises and tortoise conservation 
  efforts.


Books
=====

The General Care and Maintenance of Red-eared Sliders and Other Popular
  Freshwater Turtles. P. deVosjoli, 1992, Advanced Vivarium Systems,
  around $8. Comprehensive and up to date. All you need to get started.

Turtles. R.J. Church, 1963, TFH, ISBN 0-87666-226-2, around $10, a good
  introduction. In spite of its age a very useful book. Not enough by
  itself, though.

Turtles. H. Wilke, 1979, Barron's, ISBN 0-8120-2631-4, priced around $12.
  Well structured introductory book with list of popular species and
  their requirements. A good book, but you'll want to know more.

Encyclopedia of Turtles. Pritchard. Price varies from $40 to $80.
  The comprehensive listing and description of turtle and tortoise species.
  
Turtles and Tortoises of the World. David Alderton, ISBN: 0-8160-1733-6,
  $22.95. This book discusses everything there is to know about turtles
  and tortoises.  
 
Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins. F.J. Obst, 1988, ISBN 0-312-82362-2,
  priced around $20. A wonderful book which covers the life of turtles.
  Emphasis on conservation issues; wonderful photographs and excellent
  drawings; small section on husbandry. 
 
A. C. Highfields, "Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping
  and Breeding Tortoises and Fresh Water Turtles"  This is THE best book
  available on overall Chelonia care.   

Coleman Jett Goin, Olive Bown Goin, and George R. Zub, "Introduction to Herpetology."
San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1978.
	A small textbook that gives still one of the best overviews of herpetology.  
	This book is out of print but may be available at libraries.

S. Grenard, "Medical Herpetology," Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (soft cover),
ISBN 0-964-10320-6.
	A very technical book for the serious herpetologist.


Terri Crisp and Samantha Glen, "Out of harms way: The extraordinary true story of one 
woman's lifelong devotion to animal rescue," NY: Random House/Pocket Books (soft cover), 
c1996, ISBN 0-671-52278-7.

Frederic L. Frye and David L. Williams, "Self-Assessment color review of reptiles and 
amphibians," Iowa State University Press (paper back), 192 pages, ISBN 0-813-82990-9.

	This booklet is not for the weak-minded. The photographs of diseases and deceased 
	animals range from interesting to rather gory. All the pictures illustrate a 
	reptile disease. Accompanying the pictures are questions asking the reader to 
	do anything from identifying a lesion to categorizing a blood disease based on 
	a slide. 
	The over 250 questions and answers range from what every hobbyist should know 
	about reptile diseases to specialized knowledge for veterinarians. The intended 
	audience of this book are veterinarians and students of veterinary medicine. 
	However, the wealth of information make this a valuable book also for the 
	non-specialist who would like to expand his of her knowledge. 
	This is a great companion book Frederic Frye's Reptile Care books. 
	It also makes a great book to have next to your telephone.  
	What better thing to do while listening to your aunt complaining about her 
	latest bout of gout or kidney stones than reading about Meningoencephalitis 
	(start gazing) in snakes, or learning how to identify a pin worm in a stool sample.

Sport fishing regulations, Department of Fish and Game (brochure), 50 pages, new each year.
Every herpetologist who collects or breeds California native herps, and every hiker who ever thinks he or she will ever pick up an animal, maybe to take it home for a while, should have a recent copy of these regulations. Chapter 5 of the regulations reveals not only which species may and may not be taken, it also gives bag limits and methods of take. Now, this booklet is available at the same places where you should buy yourself a California Fishing License, if you are keeping or planning on keeping California native herps.
Not found at any of the checked libraries.

Norman Frank and Erica Ramus, State, federal, and C. I. T. E. S. regulations for herpetologists, xxxx: Reptile and Amphibian (paper back), cxxxx, 64 pages, ISBN 0-964-10321-4.

This little booklet summarizes on one page per state the endangered species for that state, species of concern, and the regulations of relevance to herpetologists. For every state, the address for the equivalent of Fish & Game is given. The back of the booklet contains the complete C.I.T.E.S  and federal list as of 1994, when I bought this booklet. (I don't know, whether there is an updated version.) If you are planning on moving or deal with reptiles across state boundaries, or simply want to know which animals are endangered, this may be worth your money.
Not found at any of the checked libraries.


Whit Gibbons, "Their Blood Runs Cold, Adventures with Reptiles and Amphibians,"
University AL: University of Alabaman Press, c 1983, 164 Pages, ISBN 0-817-30133-X
	A classic. Stories of snakes and hunts and adventures with herps, some pretty 
	unbelievable. This is a great book! At the meeting it was mentioned this book 
	might be out of print.


Jack Rudloe, "Time of the turtle," NY: Knopf/Penguin Books (paper back), c1979, 
267 pages, ISBN 0-140-05590-8.
	This book is special, in that I have never managed to read it all the way because 
	it is so sad. The book follows the plight of the sea turtle and certainly 
	illustrates it to the furthest extend possible just with words. 
	This is one of the few books that have ever made me cry. Now, don't think it is 
	sappy, because it is not. Rudloe's simple descriptions of the dangers and problems 
	turtles face today, often seen through the eyes of the turtles themselves, is 
	enough. 
	The book is 20 years old, and today we know more about sea turtles, but their 
	plight has not changed, and their fate is still uncertain.


***** Carl H. Ernst and Roger Barbour, "Turtles of the World," 
Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press (soft cover), c1989, 314 pages, 
ISBN 1-560-98212-8.
	This is the book I use the most of all my reptile books. This seemingly slim 
	book lists all known species of turtles and what is known about their natural 
	history. Some photographs are included, where available. I have used this book 
	to identify turtles (it has keys for most species) and to help people set up 
	environments and feeding plans for turtles. (For those who don't know, 
	I have a turtle web page which generates quite a bit of email every week.)
	The most striking observation I make every time I pick up this book is how little 
	is known about many species of turtles.  On the other hand, more and more species 
	of turtles show up in the pet trade, and people don't know what they have and how 
	to take care of it.
	This is not a turtle care book, but I don't know how often I could send someone 
	a couple of pages of information to help them jumpstart an uncommon turtle for a 
	long life in captivity. 
	If your interest in turtles goes beyond the turtle in your tank or pond, then 
	I highly recommend you get this book. 


David M. Carroll, "The year of the turtle, a natural history,"
 Charlotte VT: Camden House Publishing (paper back), c1991, 
172 pages with ink illustrations, ISBN 0-944-47512-4.

	This a diary, a narration, and a journey. Together with the author, a naturalist, 
	the reader lives through one year at the local wetlands called The Digs. 
	The Digs is home to several species of turtles, which are the primary subject 
	of the book. In addition, the local plant and animal life, the changing of 
	the seasons, and the tastes and smells of this world apart become familiar 
	to the reader. In spite of the informal, almost poetic writing, the author 
	conveys a wealth of natural history facts along with the stories. 
	Not enough, the book is also a plea to preserve habitats, and watch out for 
	the small creatures around us. 
	The book is illustrated with beautiful drawings of plants and animals by the author,
	and several turtle color plates.
	This is one of the books that I liked so much, I read it slowly, over the  
	course of several months, just a page at a time, so I wouldn't finish too soon.


Children's Books
================

Turtle Time, A bedtime story. By Sandol Stoddard.

ALbert's Toothache. By Barbara Williams. The drawings of tortoises are
adorable.

Waldo the Tortoise by David Lloyd. Funny story and great drawings.

The Turtle and the Moon. By Charles Turner. Lovely story and pictures
about a red eared slider that will melt your heart. My favorite.

Turtle's Day. By Dwight Kuhn. A day in the life of a box turtle with
real photos.

Videos
======

Carapace Press, associtated with The Tortoise Trust and Andy Highfield has
a series of videos on tortoise care. Find more informationtion at:

http://www.vidi-herp.com