Vivaria Designs is one reptile book from the highly acclaimed Advanced Vivarium Systems series. The AVS series, founded and guided by herpetocultural pioneer Philippe de Vosjoli, is the #1 series on reptile care. From choosing a pet to selecting a veterinarian to feeding, housing, breeding, and more, these books deliver the most helpful and up-to-date information available on popular reptiles and amphibians kept as pets.

Research institutions have or are planning to build, expand and renovate animal research facilities to keep up with the demands of biomedical research caused in part by growth in the use of genetically altered rodents and the upsurge of research in infectious diseases. Properly designed facilities greatly facilitate effective management and high-quality day-to-day animal care that is required to optimally support animal research and testing. There are multiple solutions to address the myriad of factors that influence the design and construction of animal research facilities. There is no "best design applicable for all facilities and arguably not even a single "best design for a given facility. For this reason, Planning and Designing Research Animal Facilities is not intended to be a "how to book. The goal is to cover the basic programmatic requirements of animal research facilities, provide ideas for meeting those requirements while, hopefully, stimulating the creative process in which designers in consultation with those who work in animal research facilities generate even better ideas. That is how progress has been made and will continue to be made. - Facilitates communication between the parties involved in planning and designing animal facilities by providing contemporary information, and stimulating creativity that will help lead to wise decisions and advance the knowledge base for planning, design and constructing animal research facilities

A popular beginner’s lizard, the green anole is the perfect introduction to the world of reptiles and continues to be popular among new herp lovers. These tiny, neat little lizards with the intense black eyes have suffered the fate of goldfish, as they’ve been marketed by pet shops as cheap, easy care, insect-eating reptiles. In order to keep green anoles thriving in their vivaria, pet owners must approach their husbandry with care and respect: Philippe de Vosjoli’s Green Anoles provides the precise information necessary to reach that goal. The book begins with a chapter about the characteristics and behavior, natural history, and anatomy of green anoles, all of which is critical information for a keep to better understand the needs of his or her pet. As pets, green anoles are best kept in their vivaria and not handled, so the setup of a beautifully landscaped vivarium with proper lighting, heat, humidity, ventilation, and substrate is key. This Advanced Vivarium Systems title offers complete information about housing, feeding and nutrition, diseases and disorders, and breeding as well as how to set up naturalistic vivaria for one or more anoles or a community of anoles and compatible species. The chapter on other anoles recommends some very attractive species for the beginning lizard keeper to expand his anole family, such as the brown anole, big-headed anole, Cuban (or knight) anole, and Jamaican anole. The finale chapter on compatible species includes descriptions and photographs of a half dozen interesting options, such as the flying gecko, pigmy skink, and green tree frog. Resources and index included.

For author Philippe de Vosjoli, “art is the actualization of a personal vision or message,” and de Vosjoli’s passion is snakes, which he believes are among the most beautiful animals on earth. Incorporating snakes into a naturalistic vivarium, the way lizards and amphibians usually are, adds a new element to snake keeping, elevating the hobby to a true art form. In The Art of Keeping Snakes, de Vosjoli pursues this concept and provides advice for snake keepers who wish to create beautiful displays for their snakes, putting the animals’ welfare and quality of life above all else and simultaneously enhancing their own enjoyment in observing their beautiful snakes in naturalistic environments. Beautifully photographed, inspiring, and informative, The Art of Keeping Snakes is divided into two parts, the first “A New Way to Keep Snakes,” discusses design planning, enclosures and background possibilities, substrates, landscaping, plants, heating/lighting, quarantine and introducing the snakes to the vivarium. This part also includes chapters on feeding, handling, health care, and general maintenance and husbandry. The second part, “Best Display Snakes,” presents over thirty different snakes, including photographs, physical descriptions, and tips for selection, handling, vivarium design tips, feeding, and breeding. The snakes in this part are divided into chapters, categorized by pythons, boas, water and garter snakes, hognose snakes, rat snakes, kingsnakes and milksnakes, and others. Resources and index included.

The Lizard Keeper’s Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli intends to provide real detailed information for all devoted lizard owners who wish to provide the very best of care for their pets. The author states in the foreword, “In terms of the herpetoculture of reptiles, the keeping of lizards is probably the most challenging.” He explains that “Lizards demonstrate a great diversity of adaptations and specializations,” and thus keepers need the very best advice and soundest information possible, which is what The Lizard Keeper’s Manual provides to its readers. In over 200 pages, this colorful volume analyzes the needs of insect-eating lizards, of which there are literally thousands of species. Some lizards (the ones with generic housing and dietary requirements) are easy to maintain, though others have very specific needs (in terms of temperature, diet, humidity, etc.). As stated in the introduction, “The purpose of this book is to give herpetoculturists, both beginners and those more experienced, as well as pet industry personnel, a broad base of knowledge that will allow them to successfully keep a variety of insect-eating lizards.” Colorfully illustrated, The Lizard Keeper’s Manual provides chapter-length coverage on the following topics: selecting the right species of lizard, locating and purchasing a healthy lizard, quarantine and acclimation, types of vivaria, enclosures, vivarium design, heating, cooling/hibernation, lighting, humidity/ventilation, feeding/nutrition, handling, shipping/receiving, and diseases and disorders. The author recommends a number of excellent species for keepers, including geckos, chameleons, skinks, agamids, monitors, anoles, basilisks, as well as other large and miniature species. The chapter titled “Essential Concepts” is a crash course in herpetology, offering the reader an overview of the ontogeny (life stages), climatic and landscape factors, diet, water, and diseases of the lizard family. The chapter “General Guidelines for Popular Insect-Eating Lizards,” which covers over thirty different lizards in terms of their requirements and descriptions, is an outstanding resource for lizard keepers looking to expand the population of their vivaria. Appendices and index included.