Praise and Reviews for The Complete Suboc...
The Complete Suboc on a table at Daytona Expo 2008
Below is a list of praise and reviews that The Complete Suboc book has recieved from many prominent biologists, authors, and hobbyists:
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We love the book and are proud to be part of it. We think it is, by far, the best of Eco’s books, so far.
David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker
Owners of Vida Preciosa International (VPI) in Boerne, TX
Winners of Independent Publisher Award, "Best Animal Book of 2006”
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Just received my copy of "The Complete Suboc". It was nice surprise in my mailbox on a Sunday. I don't usually work Sundays so it will give me something to read today! I did a superficial flip through and thought it looked really nice!. Looks like you did a great job, rosaliae section is especially nice ;) I will get to reading it today!! Gracias man.
Ian Recchio
Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians
Los Angeles Zoo
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The Complete Suboc just arrived-and it is AWESOME. Way more voluminous than I had anticipated. I'll be spending the evening in perusal-but at first blush I'm impressed. Congratulations, Dusty!
Brad Chambers
private breeder (Boerne, TX)
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The book looks great. Nice photos, nicely arranged...all in all, a great effort.
Troy Hibbitts -- Vice Pres. for Conservation at HCU-TX
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I received a copy of your book this past week. You have done a very nice job. Excellent photographs and info.
Elliott R. Jacobson, DVM, MS, PhD
Professor
Zoological Medicine
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
University of Florida, Gainesville
College of Veterinary Medicine
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Hi Dusty, my copy of the book arrived today. What a fantastic job you have done. Really breath taking. Once more, very well done, superb. Love the book -- a real gem.
Richard Trant
private breeder (UK)
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Dusty,
Received my copy of the book yesterday---thanks much! I sat and went through some of it last night and wow you have done a very nice job---and it is bigger than I expected! You should feel very proud of this effort.
Again, beautiful book, and I know I'll be referring to it often.
Richard S. Funk, DVM
herp medicine author -Mesa, AZ
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Really liked the book. I just reread it the other day. I think the true test of any reptile book is, after reading it, do you want to keep the species? After reading your book, I can't wait to get some subocs!
Chad Brown
owner of ProExotics (Littleton, CO)
former NFL player
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Hi Dusty,
The book arrived, thanks. Very nice! One thing is sure, I am very glad that I traded a pair of hatchling Cape Gophers I produced last year for a pair of Phil Black's Suboc hatchlings. If I had no subocs to play with while reading your book, I would be going crazy trying to find a couple for sale!
Like you, I have always had a fascination with Kauffeld's books and the Suboc chapter in particular. I really had no idea that these gentle rat snakes were being bred in so many colors and localities, although I guess these days that should not be surprising. I practically live in my basement with the chondros and don't get to all that many shows these days. Prior to getting your book, the only forms I was aware of were "normal", silver, and blonde.
Thanks for the great resource, you can be proud.
Greg Maxwell
owner of Fine Green Tree Pythons (Ohio)
author of The Complete Chondro and The MORE Complete Chondro
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Hey Dusty,
Just wanted to say I got the book...I can only say one thing.....this book ROCKS!!! It is BEAUTIFUL...you should be very very proud. Could not have come out better. Thanks again for letting me be a very small part of it.
Gerold Merker
owner of Merker Reptiles (northern CA)
author of many herp-related books and articles
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HEY DUSTY,
JUST A SHORT NOTE TO THANK YOU FOR THE COPY OF "THE COMPLETE SUBOC"...........I'LL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I'M A LITTLE SURPRISED AT HOW WELL YOUR BOOK READS! YOU DID A GOOD JOB DUSTY! GERRY SALMON, A STATE TROOPER IN NEW YORK ( SNAKE GUY ), IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE AND REVIEWS SNAKE BOOKS AND PAPERS. HE ALSO CO-AUTHORED SNAKES OF TEXAS BY ALAN TENNANT, AND HE WAS QUITE IMPRESSED WITH YOUR EFFORT.
Craig Trumbower
private breeder, West Texas
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Dusty,
Nicely done, my friend. The book is awesome and I love it.
Russ Bates
private breeder
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Hey Dusty,
We thoroughly enjoyed it & were very surprised at the sheer volume of great pictures. One of your husbandry suggestions is so on target & that's the use of humidity hides. We started offering them about 6 months ago & were amazed how readily the sub-ocs took to them. I'm convinced how important they are to their health & well-being.
Take care & congratulations on a fine piece of work.
Dan and Loraine Smith
private breeders (FL)
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An informative species specific book for people that enjoy the hobby. It’s written by a hobbyist for other hobbyists and that comes through very well. Of course it’s a grand advertisement for what I now see as a very interesting animal. For instance I had no idea that subocs were such a mellow, easy to handle species. I don’t think any hobbyist that keeps and maintains snakes would regret picking this book up.
Thane Larson
private hobbyist
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Dusty,
Received the book yesterday. What a great job you did on it. Congratulations on a job well done. Thanks for putting some of my pics in the book. My wife says I am now famous! Where could I get some to resell on my tables in Orlando and Daytona?
Robert Cox
owner of Peace River Herps (FL)
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Hey Dusty,
Just wanted to let you know I finished the book tonight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The information and attention to detail went above and beyond any expectations I had and I was expecting it to be good. I'd been waiting for someone to put out a suboc book and you did a great job. It was well worth the wait. I really related to your trip West at the end to find subocs. I've made three trips out west in the last three years and my second year I found a nice looking 3 1/2 foot male on river road and that was the best feeling i've had catching any snake. I was like you, when I got to it I just stood there and watched it slowly crawling off the road. My friend Nathan was at the truck yelling for me to grab it. The only snake I wanted to collect on the whole trip and he kept it. lol.. Next time i'm driving! Thats the only one I've found to date. Hopefully I'll be heading back in a few weeks to find that river road albino. See ya in Sept. at the ETHS show.
Chris Drake
private breeder (Houston, TX)
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Dusty, I got the book last night. I am a very happy camper. You did an incredible job, dude. Its just awesome. I love your passion, and it shows.
Shannon Brown
owner of High Sierra Reptiles (souhern CA)
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Mr. Rhoads,
I was looking forward to reading your book, I picked it up from my book guy immediately after its release. I hadn't had time until the last few days to sit down and read through the entire work cover to cover. Let me tell you this, I have over 350 titles in my library, I have been keeping and
breeding reptiles, with a specialty in Southeastern crotalids for 18 years. I have always loved subocs for their unique look and the excitement I gleaned from reading "the search for subocularis" many years ago, and the way my jaw dropped the first time I saw an Axanthic Blonde in Orlando. Your book is excellent. I consider it right up there with Maxwell's Chondro book, Ludwig's Venomous snakes in Captivity, & Rossi's two volume work. I was dissappointed in the Complete Boa Constrictor (no offense to it's author, it just didn't live up to what I was expecting).
Your book once again placed the ECO series back on top as the publisher of the best of what's out there, You combined the perfect elements..........Rossi's captive care knowledge, Barker quality photos,
an alterna worthy locale section, morph discussion comprable Kevin's Ball book and finally the Bartlett-esque field story at the end. It all made for an absolutely perfect work on a very deserving species. And while I usually don't "learn" much from books anymore, my animals teach me all the time but most of what's written has been written before at this point if you know what I mean, your section on captive enrichment has really spurred me to experiment with my colubrids and boids enclosures further. I have some of my venomous in naturalistic vivaria because at heart I am a field herper and I like to see these wonderful creatures in as natural a situation as possible, but I never put much thought into the boredom a rack system could illicit, I knew it did for me, but I never considered the animal's mental well being. Thanks for opening the eyes of a jaded keeper.
Bart Borchert
private breeder/enthusiast
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Your book is amazing, just amazing.
Graham Mitchell
private breeder (UK)
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It is an excellent book. Very thorough and well researched and written. Great job and much appreciated by those of us who are suboc fans. Thanks.
Rin Latini
private breeder (USA)
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I enjoyed your book very much. Great work.
Brad Bauserman
private breeder (USA)
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Hi Dusty,
I've been a devoted Canadian suboc fan since I was a little kid and finally bred my first ones back in '96. Kauffeld's account got me into 'em at an early age. I am proud to say that I own a first edition of "The Keeper And The Kept". I must say that I love your book.
Simon Sansom
private breeder (Canada)
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Dusty,
I picked up your book at the Anaheim Reptile Show, and read it from cover to cover. I was VERY impressed. You really did a first class job. I'm hoping to get you to sign my copy sometime.
Dave Long
private breeder (soCal)
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I read "The Complete Suboc" one day in West Texas in a motel while I was waiting for the sun to go down. :-) What a perfect time to read a book like that. I was very impressed and thought it was WELL put together. My favorite part, by far, was the locality section. It was awesome to see the variability laid out like that. It definitely got me excited to get some locality subocs.
Ryan "Max" Johnson
owner of Snakes to the Max (TX)
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Dear Mr. Rhoads,
I received a copy of your book yesterday as a gift and had read the entire volume by night’s end. Much like yourself, I became fascinated with Bogertophis subocularis as a child after reading Carl Kauffield’s legendary 'Snakes: The Keeper and the Kept'. For most of my life, however, I had neither the financial means nor the know-how necessary to acquire and keep this beautiful creature.
I recently welcomed into this world my first son—a son to whom I hope to impart a curiosity and compassion for all living things, and, in particular, snakes. Ultimately, I realized there would be no better species with which to introduce my son to the majesty of the serpents than a Trans Pecos Rat Snake; thus, approximately two weeks ago, I took possession of my first subocularis, a yearling female.
I would like to thank you for "The Complete Subocularis". It is without question the finest species-specific text I have ever read, and I am already beginning to put many of the book’s lessons—such as the creation of a naturalistic terrarium—to work. Your passion for the elegant snake we both love is evident throughout your book, and I’d like to thank you once again for publishing such an important addition to the snake lover’s literary canon.
Jason Facer
private hobbyist (Champaign, Illinois)
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Hey Dusty,
I was finally able to get a look at your book at the NARBC show in Chantilly, VA a couple weekends ago. It's a very well done book with a lot of great info. It shows that it was done by someone that not only did their homework but also that has a lot of expreience with and loves the species
Randy Whittington
private breeder (Raleigh, NC)
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After months of anticipation, I finally received my advance copy of Dusty Rhoads' The Complete Suboc: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Care, and Breeding of the Trans-Pecos Ratsnake. When my wife brought the mail in, I immediately opened the package and I was impressed with the book at first sight. Unlike many of today's paperback publications, The Complete Suboc was a nice sturdy hardbound text with a beautifully done dust jacket. But that was just the eye-candy to tease the reader with. What about the meat of the book? What did the inside really have to offer?
I sat down and spent the next four hours until dinner digging into the book. The more I read, the more I was hooked on it. After dinner, I again picked the book up and retired to my office/herp room and picked up where I had left off. Bedtime rolled around and instead of turning in, I continued to read and I read until 4:30 AM when I finished the book and finally hit the sack. Thankfully, I did not have to get up early the following morning.
If you have any interest at all in Trans-Pecos Ratsnakes or in the herps of the American Southwest, including the other species of ratsnakes native to this region of the country, you will enjoy this book. If you keep or breed the Trans-Pecos Ratsnake or any of the other southwestern ratsnakes you will find this book most useful, if not essential.
The book's 300 pages are crammed full of information and personal experiences. Oh, and did I mention the range maps and the some 288 full-color photographs by a cadre of well-known herpers and photographers.
The author devotes the first 30 pages to the natural history of the Trans-Pecos Ratsnake and then discusses the species history from back when it was first described by Arthur Erwin Brown, Director of the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens in 1901. Coluber subocularis, as it was originally known remained known from only a handful of specimens for the next several decades and was considered one of the country's rarest snakes. The State of Texas protected them from 1977 until 1987 when naturalists and herpetologists we able to show that they were actually one of the more common snakes within their range.
The book discusses how to choose a Trans-Pecos Ratsnake and describes the many color and pattern morphs of the species. Localities and races of the "Suboc" are also discussed in some detail. There are detailed discussions relating to basic caging and housing requirements for captives, the use of naturalistic vivaria, along with discussions about feeding, breeding, oviposition, and incubation of Suboc eggs. There is also a Bonus Chapter on reproductive husbandry written by David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker.
Another chapter deals with the common diseases and disorders of the Trans-Pecos Ratsnake. A second Bonus Chapter, which actually could have stood alone as a work of its own, discusses the other ratsnakes of the American Southwest in some detail...the Baja Ratsnake, Baird's Ratsnake, and the Western Green Ratsnake.
In Appendix A, the author uses the style of the late Carl Kauffeld to describe his own search for subocularis in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas.
The book concludes with 16 pages of recommended reading and 8 pages of cited texts.
With the publication of The Complete Suboc: A Comprehensive Guide to the Natural History, Care, and Breeding of the Trans-Pecos Ratsnake author Dusty Rhoads has firmly established himself as one of the leading experts on Bogertophis subocularis.
On a rating scale of "1" to "5" I give the book a resounding "5". Job well done, Dusty!
Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research (TX)
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This book is thoroughly enjoyable for anyone interested in Trans-pecos Rat Snakes. It is easy reading and combines information for three major target audiences, whose concerns are usually addressed independently:
· Hobbyist concerns.
· Field herping concerns.
· Herpetological (taxonomic, physiologic, etc.) concerns.
This author has a friendly, "down to earth" discussion type style of delivery that gives you the impression that he is sitting right there with you. The author seems to be talking with you and not at you.
It seems I needed such a book 26 years ago when I kept my first Trans-Pecos Rat Snake. I would not have made as many catastrophic mistakes since then, had this book been available!
Bill McGighan
private hobbyist/breeder (Tennessee)
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Hi Dustin. Your book looks great. Looking forward to meeting you sometime.
Harvey B. Lillywhite
Professor of Zoology
Director, Seahorse Key Marine Laboratory
University of Florida
**author of many papers and of The Dictionary of Herpetology
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Dusty,
Book arrived and looks very nice at first glance. Perusing the habitat
pics was particularly fun as I had traveled to most of those places while
in Texas. In fact, a mountain lion ran in front of our truck on Boy Scout
Road while we were road hunting at dusk.
James B. Murphy
Smithsonian Research Associate
Department of Herpetology
National Zoological Park
Washington, DC -- USA
**author of many books, papers, and assoc. editor of The Herpetological Review, 'Zoo View' Column
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