Rabbits For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020933446
ISBN 978-1-119-69678-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-69680-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-69682-7 (ebk)
Welcome to Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd Edition, the one and only book that you need to get started in the wonderful world of rabbit ownership. Of course, when it comes to rabbits, you can never stop discovering. Although they may seem like simple little creatures, rabbits are actually physically and emotionally complex and they never cease to amaze those who live with them.
If you’re interested in rabbits, you came to the right book. Whether you’re thinking about getting your first rabbit or you already have a bunny and want to find out more about how to take care of him, this book can be a great help.
How hard is owning a rabbit? Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is designed to be a useful reference for those who aren’t experts, as well as those who know zero about rabbits. Even people who know a thing or two about bunnies can benefit from this book because it’s a reference for behavior and health.
Rabbits are nothing like cats and dogs, the two most common pets. The rabbit’s digestive system is more akin to a horse than a feline or a canine. And the psychological makeup of a bunny is closer to that of a bird than that of a cat or dog.
In order to understand your rabbit and care for him properly, you have to know the details specific to rabbit ownership. By finding out about rabbit psychology, rabbit physiology, and basic rabbit care, you’ll have what it takes to take care of a rabbit just right.
Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is like a department store: You’re able to enter on whatever floor you like. You don’t have to walk past that smelly perfume counter to get to the housewares section on the third floor. You just walk into the housewares section. Likewise, you don’t have to start reading this book at the beginning, going through each page until you reach the end. You can turn to any section of the book that interests you and begin reading at that point and not feel lost. You don’t have to remember what you read yesterday, and you don’t have to read chapters or sections in order. Just find something that interests you, read it, do it, and put the book back on your shelf. (No one expects you to read from cover to cover except maybe your high school English teacher, but you can ignore her this time around.)
Each part of the book is divided into chapters that address basic questions about rabbits and their care. You’ll find answers to questions like
Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd edition, makes information easy to find and use. To help you navigate through the text, we’ve used certain conventions:
Monofont
is used to set apart Web sites and e-mail addresses.In this book, we refer to rabbits with the male pronouns (he, his, him) and the female pronouns (she, her). This convention is merely for readability’s sake. We don’t call rabbits “it” because they’re living creatures.
From time to time in this book, we share information that may be interesting but isn’t essential to the complete understanding of the topic at hand. You can find this nonessential information in two places:
In writing Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd Edition, we made some assumptions about our readers:
This book is put together in a way that allows you to find the information you need quickly and easily. Rabbits For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is divided into five parts made up of several chapters relating to that specific rabbit topic.
Before you even get a rabbit, you need to know what rabbits are all about. This part offers information about whether a rabbit is right for your lifestyle, how rabbits are put together, how to go about choosing a rabbit, and the best places to find one.
Housing, grooming, and feeding — these three important elements for keeping a rabbit are all covered in this part of the book. You can find out why rabbits are happier and healthier as indoor pets, how to litter box train your house rabbit, why keeping your pet clean and groomed is so important, and how best to feed your bunny.
Because rabbits are prone to illness, bunny healthcare is an important matter. In this part, you can find out how to recognize common rabbit illnesses, how to prevent them, and when to go to the vet. You also get help putting together a bunny first-aid kit, and you discover how to handle rabbit emergencies. Finally, this part discusses how to say the final goodbye when that inevitable moment comes.
Rabbit personality is what makes living with a bunny so much fun. Find out how to understand bunny body language. (They can’t speak English.) Discover helpful tips on training, as well as how to train your pet to do a few fun tricks. This part also includes invaluable information on how to deal with common behavior problems, such as biting, chewing, and digging.
Think rabbits don’t do much except sit in a cage all day? Wrong! You can have all kinds of fun with your rabbit. Part 4 discusses playing with him, getting involved in rabbit clubs and shows, and even traveling with him. This part also covers the unique sport of rabbit hopping, along with details on how to get involved with rabbit social issues.
In the Part of Tens, we tackle three different subjects: health emergencies, useful rabbit Web sites, and ways of enhancing a pet rabbit’s life. In the health chapter, you find an overview of the ten signs that require emergency action. Follow the advice, and your rabbit is likely to live a long, healthy life. Chapter 18 has the best links on the Internet for rabbit lovers. And last but not least, the final chapter offers ten ways to make your bunny’s day special.
The Appendix in this book contains a plethora of rabbit resources, including rabbit rescue groups, purebred rabbit clubs and registries, rabbit activity groups, educational organizations, rabbit publications, and other useful resources for rabbit owners.
As with all the other books in the For Dummies series, this book has useful little icons in the margins to call your attention to specific types of information. See the following explanations of what each of those icons means:
Go wherever you want. You can start at Chapter 1 and read all the way through to the final appendix, or you can hop, skip, and jump around — much like a rabbit.
If you’re going to do that skipping around thing, can we at least ask you for a favor? Before you start jumping from place to place, take a few moments to read through Chapter 1, which contains the most important questions you want to ask yourself before you embark on the responsibility of rabbit ownership:
Part 1
IN THIS PART …
If you’re just starting out with a rabbit, you need the basics. This part gives them to you. You find details on how to tell whether a rabbit is the right pet for you, the different breeds and types of rabbits available, the benefits of adopting a rabbit who needs a home, and how to find a healthy rabbit. You also see details about how the rabbit’s body works and receive pointers on how to choose the right rabbit for you.