By Kim Fryer
The Baby Bunny Pages
This short book is an introduction to having a rabbit
as a pet. While it's not an extensive reference,
Guide to Owning a Rabbit does serve as an easy-to-read
guide for the first-time owner. You can go through
the entire book in under an hour.
Readers are given good advice how to pick a rabbit
based on their needs and are provided with an overview
of what to expect from their new pets in terms of
behavior. Readers will also learn the rudiments of
how to handle, feed, and house rabbits. Topics such
as litter-training and neutering or spaying rabbits
are broached, but not covered at any length. The
book doesn't have much content on health issues,
but it does give a checklist of rabbit behaviors
that should trigger a trip to the vet, which is really
useful.
Although Guide to Owning a Rabbit includes sections
on breeding and showing rabbits, not enough information
is given on these topics, even for newbies. Both
topics are covered in only five pages! If you're
looking for a good introductory book on breeding
and exhibiting rabbits, Your
Rabbit: A Kid's Guide to Raising and Showing will probably serve your needs
better.
What I like best about this book are the excellent
production values. Guide to Owning a Rabbit is just
plain fun to flip through and gorgeous to look at.
The glossy, four-color pages feature a good number
of rabbits. While the book doesn't have anywhere
near as many photos as the Encyclopedia
of Pet Rabbits,
the rabbits are just as beautiful.
If you have any experience with rabbits, this book
probably won't be your cup of tea. But if you're
thinking about getting your first pet rabbit, Guide
to Owning a Rabbit is a nice introduction. With a
suggested retail price of under $7 in the United
States, it's well worth the money. Likewise, if you
know someone who has a new rabbit or is about to
get one, this book makes a handy gift.
