This is the essential family reference guide to pet breeds and pet care. This is an authoritative practical guide to choosing and caring for puppies and dogs, kittens and cats, small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish. It includes all pet types, with advice on pet characteristics, the most suitable pets for children, and how to choose the best pet for your family's lifestyle. Step-by-step sequences show techniques such as grooming, feeding, training and exercising. Over 1200 beautiful colour photographs aid understanding. This title offers authoritative advice from a team of the world's best-known animal writers. Whether you are a first-time pet owner or you are looking after an existing menagerie, this book provides all the practical advice you will need for keeping your domestic pets happy and in full health. An essential reference guide for all the family, this comprehensive volume allows families to choose pets confidently to suit their lifestyle, time constraints and living conditions, and to offer them the most comfortable and caring home.It gives detailed information about a wide range of small animals, from cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas, rats and mice to birds, reptiles, invertebrates and fish. Illustrated throughout with 1200 sumptuous colour photographs, this expertly written manual provides all the information you need to buy and care for your pet with complete confidence.