House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit

by Marinell Harriman

Book Overview

Packed with the collected wisdom of bunny-lovers and charming, candid photos of their pets, this manual tells readers how to successfully integrate a rabbit into one's life. Harriman includes the latest in veterinary information and helpful how-to sections on care and feeding. 100 photos. Charts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0940920077
• ISBN13: 9780940920071
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Drollery Press
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great rabbit care guide

Even though this is an older book, the information it provides is still good and applicable today. Love it!

Practical Information about House Rabbits

THE HOUSE RABBIT HANDBOOK is an essential guide for anyone who has a rabbit as a house pet. The book contains information regarding rabbit behavior in a home that is very accurate; at least it seems accurate when I look at the behavior of my two rabbits. The author believes that rabbits can have just as much personality as a dog or a cat and assumes that people who keep rabbits as pets wish to interact with them. So if your goal is to keep a rabbit in a cage in the backyard, this book will not be all that helpful. If on the other hand you want a unique pet that is curious, capable of being entertaining, a bit on the mischievous side, and yes, even loving, this book will he of great help.The book contains all the basic information about rabbit care in a home setting. Care, feeding, grooming, attending to health needs, and the like are covered. There are also suggestions about rabbit-proofing a home and the pros and cons of allowing rabbits to roam freely around the house.For me, the most helpful section of the book dealt with introducing a new rabbit my first rabbit. I assumed that since he was so friendly, a new friend would be perfect. I was wrong. He was a terror and wanted nothing to do with his new playmate. Now one is lost without the other. The suggestions of this book really worked.While the information in the book is based on sound veterinary advice, the reader quickly realizes that the author relies heavily on personal experience as well. The techniques she espouses flow from her experience. Ideally, people will want to read this book prior to getting a rabbit, especially since it contains valuable information about preparing for the rabbit to come home. However, if you, like me find yourself in a crisis situation with a rabbit and need to find a book with answers, this book will be a godsend.Just one piece of advice. Don't leave the book on the floor by mistake. I am noticing a few little nibbles on the binding. Though I am a voracious reader, I do not think that the nibbles are the way I devour my books.

A book that's transforming the human-rabbit relationship

I bought the first edition of this book years ago when I brought my first two bunnies home without knowing anything about how to keep them in the house. It told me everything I needed to know to start out, and how to get into the proper frame of mind to let the bunnies teach me everything else. The book goes beyond care instructions and maintaining health--it teaches you about interspecies relationships: human-rabbit, dog-rabbit, cat-rabbit, guinea pig-rabbit. I now work as the rabbit adoption coordinator for our local Humane Society and we always give this book out for free when someone adopts a bunny--it outlines our standard for humane bunny care. Every shelter director and worker should have a look at this book....it will transform the lives of rabbits in shelters who are often very misunderstood by their caretakers. The authors clearly understand and respect animals as valuable beings, not just as "playthings" for humans. Thus the book is a big step forward in the movement toward kindness and respect for all non-human beings with whom we share this earth.

An outstanding and intelligent resource for rabbit owners!

This is by far the most intelligent and informative resource for those who love rabbits and want the best for them! This book gives rabbit owners practical guidelines into thinking "rabbit" and understanding how to make the best possible environments for rabbits in our human homes. Besides the comedic stories of indoor rabbits and their antics, it also gives concrete advise to solve any rabbit situation that may arise and medical information which can not be found anywhere else. Harriman has the mastered the system for everything "rabbit" and I highly recommend this book. In fact, without this book thousands of shelter rabbits, abandoned and rejected rabbits would never have found the gentle, wonderful second chances they have. My gratitude goes out to this house rabbit effort not only for my own shelter-saved house rabbit, Checkers, but for the others I have had the opportunity to help via Harriman's book and resource. I serve as a humane educator at our local shelter and this book is the core of everything we teach on rabbit ownership. Believe it!

This book saved my bunny's life!!!

If you are an animal lover, you know that animal fugitives often come to our doorstep in a box, thrown out of their homes by naiive people who didn't know what they were getting into, and bought a cute little fuzzy critter on impulse. Such was the case with my Steve (previously named Elsbeth), a cute fuzzy white bunny with pink eyes, and nice healthy teeth.Hesitant about bring a pooer and a chewer into my home, I tentatively agreed and set about researching as much as possible about rabbits. I found nothing--nothing which would help me to stop him from chewing up yet another electrical chord or leather jacket or pair of shoes, and nothing to stop him from pooing and peeing everywhere, and trying to uh...have relations with my kitties!My roommate and I loved our new fuzzy, long-eared, cotton-tailed addition to the family dearly, but we were starting to have nightmares about being buried under mountains of poo! I had never given up an animal in life, and would sooner cut off an arm than do so. But we made the decision to give him to a shelter, where I knew his chances of making it were slim.That's when I found the House Rabbit Society, and their wonderful book. Now, all of a sudden, everything made sense. The handbook helped me to think like a rabbit, and now that I have bunny-proofed my home, and given him everything he needs to be a bunny, he, my 3 roommates, my 2 cats, and my dog live in [near-] perfect harmony. And last February, we even adopted a second bunny to be his girlfriend (spayed of course) so he wouldn't be lonely. Now, I even foster other rabbit fugitives for The House Rabbit Society!

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL RABBIT GUIDE!

Unlike many other current "rabbit books" (which contain out-of-date and possibly harmful information), The House Rabbit Handbook is timely, factual, practical and dedicated to positive human/rabbit relations. The health, well-being, and quality-of-life of both you and your rabbit companion(s) will improve with the essentials provided by this book. Issues covered include a bunny-proof indoor environment, neutering/spaying, choosing a healthy rescued rabbit from a foster home or shelter, litterbox training, regular veterinary care from a QUALIFIED rabbit vet, unlimited Timothy hay, limited Timothy/alfalfa pellets, caring for a rabbit throughout their 10-12 year lifespan, resources such as The House Rabbit Society, and lots of inspiring anecdotes and advice. Our bunnies Funny, Henry, Porcini, Chana and Naomi fully recommend the latest edition of The House Rabbit Handbook!