A House Rabbit Primer, 2nd Edition: Understanding and Caring for Your Companion Rabbit

by Lucile C. Moore

Overview

A House Rabbit Primer: Understanding and Caring for Your Companion Rabbit, 2nd Edition is a brand new, up-to-date edition of the critically acclaimed handbook covering all aspects of rabbit care for both new and experienced pet rabbit owners.

Author Lucile C. Moore, Ph.D., provides pet rabbit owners with valuable information about the total care of their pet. Part one tells owners just what to expect from their new member of the family and gives detailed information on how to house, feed, and train a rabbit. Part two contains a comprehensive medical section, updated for the second edition.

A House Rabbit Primer, 2nd Edition has been expanded to include more photos, new stories and care hints from experienced rabbit caretakers, and additional information on healthy rabbit diets. This new edition also features more detailed instructions on how to groom pet rabbits, as well as suggestions on how to care for special needs rabbits. In addition to up-to-date information on many rabbit diseases, there are tips on creating a first-aid kit for rabbits as well as providing emergency care.

With more and more pet owners choosing to keep their rabbits indoors full time, this second edition of the guide beloved by rabbit owners around the world lays out practical information for making rabbits a healthy part of any family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595801166
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	672,434
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Lucile C. Moore, PhD, is a biologist and expert on pet rabbit care. Her education encompassed a wide range of biology fields, including microbiology and wildlife behavior. She has written dozens of articles on rabbit care and medicine that have appeared online and in publications such as Rabbits USA and Bunny Mad!  Lucile has also authored four books on various aspects of rabbit care, including When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care (with coauthor Kathy Smith) and Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing.  She also enjoys educating others about rabbit care through mentoring and occasional presentations. Lucile lives in the country with her rabbits and other animals.

Table of Contents

Preface 8

Part I House Rabbit Care and Behavior

Chapter 1 Why a Pet Rabbit? 13

Ten Frequently Asked Questions 15

A Brief History of Rabbits as Pets 19

Chapter 2 Choosing a Rabbit 26

What Breed is Best? 26

Other Considerations 40

Adopting Your Rabbit 43

Chapter 3 Before Bringing Bunny Home 48

Choosing Pens, Cages, Feed, and Supplies 49

Rabbit-Proofing 58

Chapter 4 The First Days 63

Introducing Your Rabbit to His New Home 64

What to Expect as Your Rabbit Settles in 69

Chapter 5 Keeping You and Your Rabbit Happy 82

Training Your Rabbit 82

Creating a Rabbit-Friendly Environment 89

Necessities for Rabbits 92

Chapter 6 The Rabbit's Digestive System 104

Following the Track of a Rabbit's Food 105

Feeding Your Pet Rabbit 108

Chapter 7 Communicating with Your Rabbit 120

Ear Carriage and Body Posture 122

Communicating by Touch and with Noise 124

Other Communications 128

Bunny Etiquette 129

Chapter 8 Behavior Puzzles and Problems 130

Rabbit-People Issues 130

Rabbits and Other Pets 142

Chapter 9 Caring for Older and Special Needs Rabbits 150

Older Rabbits 150

Tips on Caring for Special Needs Rabbits 159

Permanent Special Needs Rabbits 170

Saying Goodbye 180

Part II Rabbit Health and Medicine

Chapter 10 Rabbits, Veterinarians, Medications, and Surgery 187

Finding a Rabbit-Savvy Veterinarian 187

Rabbits, Analgesia, Anesthesia, and Therapeutics 190

Caring for Rabbits Recovering from Surgery or Illness 194

A Rabbit Emergency Kit 200

Chapter 11 Symptoms of Disease 205

Symptoms and Definitions 205

Monthly Check-up 213

"Help, My Bunny…" 215

Emergency First Aid for Rabbits 219

Chapter 12 Specific Diseases and Conditions of Pet Rabbits 226

Mycotic (Fungal) Conditions 226

Parasites 228

Worms 232

Protozoal Parasites 234

Bacterial Diseases 237

Viral Diseases 244

Gastrointestinal Conditions 248

Other Diseases and Conditions 256

A Final Thought 267

Appendix I Rescues, Shelters, and Sanctuaries 268

Appendix II Plants Potentially Harmful to Rabbits 272

Photo Contributors 274

Selected Bibliography 275

Index 280

Editorial Reviews

This comprehensive manual covers everything readers need to know about keeping rabbits as pets in a well-organized and informative fashion. Moore holds a Ph.D. in biology with a specialty in animal behavior and has worked as a county rabbit superintendent. She also keeps eight rabbits as pets, which makes her qualified to write on the topic. Taking a practical approach, Moore acknowledges both the pleasures and the pitfalls of keeping rabbits as pets. After a brief history of the animal, she discusses the variety of breeds and their characteristics, supplies and cages, nutrition, behavior and communication, and health. Moore’s focus is strictly on pet rabbits kept in the home—she does not address large agricultural or breeding operations. Helpful appendixes include listings of rabbit health resources, shelters, and rabbit supply businesses. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in keeping pet rabbits and is recommended for public libraries.”—Library Journal

“A House Rabbit Primer by Lucile C. Moore (Santa Monica Press; $15) is as complete a handbook as I’ve seen on these pets. Moore has a doctoral degree in biology with a specialty in animal behavior, and her experience shows, along with an obvious love for rabbits (she has eight of them as house pets). The book provides excellent advice on setting up a house rabbit, litter box training, proper feeding and health concerns. If you’ve never had a rabbit indoors before, Moore explains how rabbits think and why they act as they do.”—VeterinaryPartner.com

“Lucile Moore’s book is a great addition to the bookshelf of any rabbit family, with all the information new caretakers need as well as information about behavior and communication that may be helpful for all.”—BunFun.com

“This is a must-have reference book for anyone interested in or keeping rabbits as pets.”—Pet Radio Magazine

“Includes everything you need to know about pet rabbits in one reader-friendly book.”—The Scratching Post/Long Beach Post

From the Publisher