Lucile C. Moore’s rabbit book is a good place to start.
A House Rabbit Primer: Understanding and Caring for Your Companion Rabbit was written in 2005 and differs from other rabbit books. For a start, it is not printed on glossy paper with a billion photos of cute rabbits. It also isn’t written for kids, with the bare minimum on how to look after your rabbit companion. However, that doesn’t make it difficult to read. Instead, it is quite the opposite. For a rabbit book, this one is not brimming with set facts and instructions on how to look after your rabbit. A House Rabbit Primer advises you and in between all that advice are little anecdotal stories that are a joy to read.
The rabbit book is separated into two parts. The first part is half the book long and has some basic information that you might have seen in other rabbit care books, such as Why a pet rabbit? and Before bringing bunny home. Right at the beginning, Lucile answers 10 frequently asked questions. If you have yet to own a rabbit, having a good read of that can give you an idea what you will be hopping into. Like every rabbit book, she has a section on breeds. There are view photos so if you are looking to choose a specific breed and want to know their appearance, you won’t get a lot of help there. However, what I love is that she takes the time to explain about adopting rabbits whereas many books I read jump right into buying one from the pet store.
If you are looking for information on breeds and would like to see photos, I’ve got a little section in the pet care part of my site that talks about breeds. Photos included!
Since this is a house rabbit book, there are some tips for bunny proofing (essential for every bunny owner). Also good points is the explanation on how to hold a rabbit. One of her tips that I have used on many accounts to prevent my rabbits from being injured:
“Remember, rabbits do not stop to look where they are going when frightened, all they think about is getting away. Should you feel your rabbit getting loose, drop immediately to your knees so the rabbit will not have far to fall.” (Moore. L.C. (2005). A house rabbit primer. Page 58)
Rabbit Behaviour Book
Another section of the book is her take on rabbit behaviour and what your bunny’s actions might mean. She fills it with little stories of how her rabbits or other people’s rabbits behave, making this section a joy to read. She also goes into a bit more detail about a rabbit’s digestive system but not as thoroughly as in her other book: Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing. I’ve yet to finish that book, it is not a light read but I will talk about that one another time.
The second part of the book is a bonus that other rabbit books might not have. Rabbit Health and Medicine allows us owners to understand and spot early signs of problems with our rabbits. Early spotting of signs can usually mean life and death for a rabbit. She covers first aid kits, symptoms and specific diseases with prevention and treatments in good detail, without making it too complex for the average reader. Whilst it’s no substitute to a vet’s trip, it is definitely useful for the bunny owner.
I definitely recommend reading this rabbit book. You might have read many rabbit books by now but this one is a cut above the rest. Check out the best price on Amazon
Advantages:
- Easy to read but goes into enough detail for those who want a ‘bit more’
- Her stories are fun to read
- The rabbit health section, especially the need for a first aid kit, is priceless.
- Aimed at adults
Disadvantages:
- No coloured photos
- Can seem like a long book to some, at 261 pages
