Rabbits

Marit Emilie Buseth
Richard Saunders
CABI Publishing (15 Dec. 2014)
ISBN-10: 1780641907
ISBN-13: 978-1780641904

This is an up-to-date, in-depth guide to rabbit behaviour and care, translated from Norwegian. It's great strength is in looking at rabbit behaviour in the context of rabbit care as a whole The book starts off with looking at wild rabbits, and how they came to be pets, before looking at behaviour, learning and communication, and rabbits as social animals. There are chapters on rabbit nutrition, housing, hygiene, neutering, and breeding, as well as a chapter on house rabbits, and the necessary rabbit-proofing you need to undertake to share your home with your bunny.

'Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care' is especially strong on rabbit behaviour, both normal behaviour arising from the nature of rabbits, and psychological problems that rabbits can develop if their needs aren't met. It's not quite as strong on medical problems as 'Rabbit Medicine and Surgery', but then it's not a vet textbook for treating rabbit ailments. It is probably worth vets reading this book, because many rabbit health problems are linked to the way they are kept, and paying especial attention to diet and housing can prevent many health problems. It's well worth reading this book once you've decided that rabbits are for you, so that you can give your bunnies the best life possible.

Mary Fraser and Simon Girling
Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (6 Feb. 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405147067
ISBN-13: 978-1405147064

Though 'Rabbit Medicine and Surgery' is geared to vet nurses, it's actually a very useful book for rabbit owners, because it has a lot of information on caring for rabbits and disease prevention, as well as diagnosing and treating rabbit health problems. As it's written for vet nurses rather than vets, it's far more accessible than the more technical works on rabbit health geared to vets alone, and the illustrations make the text clearer.

The strength of this book is that it's more authoritative than most popular guides to rabbit health, drawing on recent research, as well as the author's extensive experience in preventing and treating rabbit health problems.

The physical needs of rabbits, such as nutrition and housing, are well covered, and there's an account of rabbit behaviour, linked to their natural history. People who keep rabbits as pets, especially house rabbits, will probably want to know more about rabbit behaviour. They could supplement this books with Anne McBride's classic 'Why Does My Rabbit', or Marit Emilie Buseth's 'Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care', both of which are extremely good guides to understanding your rabbit's mind.

Anne McBride
Souvenir Press (Revised edition 200)
ISBN-10: 028563550

'Why Does My Rabbit' has deservedly become a classic popular text on rabbit behaviour. It's a very useful book for any rabbit keeper who does more than keep their bunny in an outside hutch, and it's especially handy for people with house rabbits. There's a general section on 'behaviour counselling' for rabbits, which explains influences on rabbit behaviour, and a second section on wild rabbits, showing how the behaviour of domestic rabbits is influenced by their behaviour in the wild.

The bulk of the book consists of some 80 pages with questions and answers on rabbit behaviour, arranged according to topics, such as 'digging' in alphabetical order. There are also three appendices, on plants poisonous to rabbits, how to teach dogs to leave rabbits alone, and how to build a run for a rabbit. The alphabetical secition also gives help on promoting good relations between rabbits and other pets, such as cats. This book is not only informative, it's enjoyable to read, and very funny in parts. It's accessible to older children, and helps them to understand rabbits' needs, as well as encouraging them to read.

Lucile C. Moore
Santa Monica Press; illustrated edition(2005)
ISBN-10: 1891661507
ISBN-13: 978-1891661501

This is an enjoyable book on house rabbits, which can help owners learn to understand how rabbits communicate, and get a lot more pleasure from living with their rabbits. There is information on feeding and health, though the book is perhaps strongest on learning to 'read' rabbits. It doesn't cover everything you need to know to care for a rabbit, and it would be enlivened with a few more illustrations, but it is a fun and useful book for anyone who has just taken on a rabbit.

Meg Brown and Virginia Richardson
Ringpress Books
ISBN 1-86054-182-8

This book is an absolute ‘must have’ for any rabbit owner, experienced or not. It covers the principles of rabbit keeping in great detail, including feeding, housing and breeding, with lots of practical advice for novices. There is a section on caring for a house rabbit, which is becoming a popular way to keep rabbits now; and it offers invaluable advice on rabbit-proofing your home, exercise and house training. The health care section is full of fascinating information, even the anatomy and physiology section, which, let´s face it, a lot of us gloss over to get to the more interesting bits, is presented in a way that it is never boring.. There is an A-Z of rabbit diseases, which may seem a bit daunting at first, but each disease or ailment is explained in easy to understand terms. Rabbit breeds and exhibiting are also covered, and there is an important section on poisonous plants, with illustrations.

Meg Brown is a lifelong rabbit owner and breeder, while vet Virginia Richardson runs a rabbit clinic within her veterinary practice. I cannot praise this book highly enough, and sincerely wish it had been available when I kept rabbits myself.

Review by Gillian Harvey

Connie Isbell and Audrey Pavia
John Wiley & Sons; 2nd Edition (2009)
ISBN-10: 0470430648
ISBN-13: 978-0470430644

This is really a book designed for people who keep house rabbits, rather than for rabbit keepers with a hutch or two in the garden. There is plenty about interacting with your house rabbit, but not enough on keeping hutch rabbits happy and safe, indeed, if you followed the recommendations in this book, you could end up with some pretty miserable rabbits. In the old days, rabbits were often kept alone in small hutches, not much fun for a social animal which needs exercise. Today there is far more understanding of rabits' needs, and this understanding is not reflected in 'Rabbits for Dummies'. If you want a good, general book on rabbits, then Rabbitlopaedia is a much better offering. There is a fair bit in Rabbits for Dummies on understanding rabbit behaviour, and learning to interact with your rabbit. 'Living with a House Rabbit' is perhaps more useful for understanding the joys and challenges of sharing your home with a bunny.

Kathy Smith
iUniverse; 2nd edition (2003)
ISBN-10: 0595281370
ISBN-13: 978-0595281374

This is a very useful book for people with a few rabbits who want a quick-reference health guide that is easy to understand. It's American, and you might find the reference to 'bunny parents' a bit twee (after all, we are different species). Some health threats to rabbits are more of a problem in the UK than in the US. However, this is probably the best guide to rabbit health care designed for the general reader. It's not only easy to read, with plenty of anecdotes, it's also well-researched, and can help save your rabbits' lives by letting you know when you need to call the vet.

Patricia Bartlett
Barron’s
ISBN 0 7641 2092 1

This book is much more comprehensive that the title suggests and doesn’t just cover training, but all aspects of rabbit keeping, including housing, feeding and healthcare, making it a great buy for the novice rabbit owner. The chapter on understanding rabbit behaviour gives a great insight into rabbit sounds and signs and also provides helpful advice on how to introduce your rabbit to other pets, how to train it to understand simple commands and how to eliminate bad behaviours.