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Kim Schilling
Kim Schilling is the founder of Animals for Awareness, a non-profit USDA licensed sanctuary dedicated to the needs of exotic and wild animals. She discovered domesticated ferrets some 30 years ago and is the author of Ferrets For Dummies, reflecting her long-standing passion for ferret care and welfare.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Kim Schilling's books, including Ferrets For Dummies and Ferrets For Dummies 2e.
2
Books ReviewedKim Schilling books in order
1 books; 1 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.
2000Our review →
Ferrets For Dummies
4.8/5
reader rating · 270 ratingsFerrets For Dummies, 3rd Edition by Kim Schilling is the definitive reference guide for anyone who owns or is considering owning a domesticated ferret, covering everything from feeding and housing to medical care, training, ferret-proofing, and ferret psychology. Written by the founder of Animals for Awareness — a non-profit USDA licensed exotic animal sanctuary — this third edition expands substantially on its predecessors and updates information that had grown outdated, establishing itself as the go-to handbook for ferret owners at any experience level.
Reviewed Mar 21, 2026
Ferrets For Dummies 2e
4.7/5
reader rating · 626 ratingsFerrets For Dummies, 2nd Edition by Kim Schilling is a comprehensive reference guide covering every major aspect of ferret ownership — from selecting and housing a ferret to nutrition, health maintenance, behavior, and medical care — written in the accessible, plain-English style the For Dummies series is known for, with veterinary contributor Susan A. Brown lending expert credibility to the health-focused sections.
Reviewed Apr 5, 2026
Ask LuvemBooks about Kim Schilling
Kim Schilling is a ferret care specialist and exotic animal sanctuary founder whose two reviewed books centre on the practical realities of keeping ferrets as pets. Both editions of Ferrets For Dummies draw on her three decades of hands-on experience, covering health, behaviour, and day-to-day husbandry in the accessible, structured style the For Dummies format is known for. LuvemBooks has reviewed both the original and the second edition, and reader ratings across more than 900 Amazon reviews sit consistently above 4.7.
- Where should I start?
- The best place to start is Ferrets For Dummies 2e, the updated second edition, which carries a reader rating of 4.7 across more than 620 Amazon ratings and builds on the original with revised and expanded content. It is the more comprehensive of the two reviewed titles and reflects Schilling's accumulated knowledge up to the time of its publication. New ferret owners in particular will benefit from its structured, topic-by-topic approach to care and behaviour.
- What's their writing style?
- Schilling writes in the practical, plainspoken register that the For Dummies series requires — clear section breaks, direct advice, and minimal jargon. Her tone is that of an experienced keeper sharing what actually works rather than a researcher summarising theory, which gives the books a grounded, trustworthy quality. Readers consistently note that the guidance feels rooted in real-world animal care rather than generalised pet ownership advice.
- Books we've reviewed
- LuvemBooks has reviewed two books by Kim Schilling, both in the pet care genre. Ferrets For Dummies is the original edition, rated 4.8 by readers across 270 Amazon ratings — a strong foundational guide to ferret ownership. Ferrets For Dummies 2e is the updated second edition, rated 4.7 from over 620 Amazon ratings, offering expanded and revised coverage that most readers will find the more complete reference.
- How do her books compare?
- Both reviewed titles cover the same core subject — ferret care and ownership — but the second edition of Ferrets For Dummies expands and updates the material from the original. The first edition holds a marginally higher reader rating (4.8 vs 4.7), though the difference is negligible and the second edition has more than twice as many ratings, giving its score greater statistical weight. Readers who already own the first edition may not need both, but those starting from scratch are better served by the second.
- What genre do they write?
- Kim Schilling writes in the pet care non-fiction genre, specifically focused on ferret ownership and exotic animal welfare. Her reviewed books sit within the practical reference tradition — structured guides designed to be consulted as much as read cover to cover. If you enjoy hands-on, experience-driven animal care writing, her work fits squarely in that space.
- What should I read after Ferrets For Dummies?
- If you have read the second edition of Ferrets For Dummies and want to go deeper, the original first edition offers an interesting point of comparison — though much of the core content overlaps. Beyond Schilling's own titles, readers who have mastered the fundamentals often move on to veterinary-authored guides or ferret health references that go into greater clinical detail than a general ownership manual typically covers.
Who is Kim Schilling?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
How do her books compare?
What genre do they write?
What should I read after Ferrets For Dummies?
Who is Kim Schilling?
Kim Schilling is a ferret care expert and the founder of Animals for Awareness, a USDA-licensed non-profit sanctuary for exotic and wild animals. She discovered domesticated ferrets around 30 years ago and has channelled that experience into writing, most notably through her Ferrets For Dummies titles. She is widely recognised in the exotic pet community for combining practical animal welfare knowledge with approachable, beginner-friendly guidance.
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