This third edition has been expanded from the previous edition to 32 chapters. Updates in the black-footed ferret recovery and health program are addressed, as well as genetic engineering, ferret vision, nutritional cancer prevention.

The contributions of those second edition authors whose chapters have been dropped are acknowledged in the new respective chapters. All chapters have been revised to include new findings.

Many color photos are included in this edition and there is an electronic edition available.

There are 32 chapters divided into three sections; Biology and Husbandry; Diseases and Clinical Applications and; Research and Applications.

The book starts with the obligatory section on the origin and anatomic relatives of the ferret and its place in history. Following this is a description of coat colors and textures, and how to recognize the only remaining species of wild ferrets in America, the black-footed ferret.

The chapters continue with a description of the anatomy of the ferret, reproduction and neonatal considerations.

The regulatory considerations that follow here probably contain updates, as these seem to continually change. This chapter discusses various locations (States) and legal implications of ownership, rabies procedures and documents necessary for transportation of laboratory animals.

The section on Diseases and Clinical Applications may contain much of the updates. The reference list contains not only older references, but also many references from the years since the last edition, illustrating a number of new references were being pulled up.

Double check the references if the information is to be reprinted. In a random check at least one error was found: (Chapter 24, #81), lists the date of the referenced publication as 1996, but this Journal was not being published in that year. For those of you who have not used it, Google helps a great deal in checking references.

This is a very good book with information not available elsewhere. If you see ferrets, you may want to invest in this book. There are not many other places where one can obtain this information all in one place.

Recommended.

Publisher: Wiley Blackwell, 2014, Hard Cover, 833 pages, color and B&W Illustrations.

 ISSN: 9780470960455