Reviews

One of the best features of this book–one that sets it apart from other books on rabbits–is the sheer number of four-color photos of rabbits it contains. If you’re looking for photos on different breeds of rabbits, this is the book for you. The photos are nice quality and fairly illustrative of various breed of domestic rabbit. In other words, you’ll get a good idea of what a particular type of rabbit should look like.

Many of the photos also show rabbit care in action. For instance, the book shows various types of rabbit housing, the teeth of a healthy rabbit, and how to lift and carry a rabbit. If you’re curious about what a rabbit show looks like or how a judge examines a rabbit, you’ll find photos of this sort of activity.

The photos don’t take away from the value of the text in this book. The Encyclopedia of Pet Rabbits is a good reference on how to take care of a domestic rabbit, whether you’re a pet owner or whether you’re a breeder. At 320 pages, it’s much lengthier than most books published on rabbits. The spectrum of information is good, ranging from basics such as housing, food, and health care to complex topics such as genetics and breeding. Chapters on rabbitry management and production give overviews of issues of interest to many breeders. The book carries the ASPCA seal of approval.

Readers, however, might find the title of the book to be a bit misleading. While the range and depth of information presented is close to encyclopedic, the book is really aimed at breeders and fanciers. That’s not to say pet owners won’t find sufficient information on raising a rabbit in the Encyclopedia of Pet Rabbits–they will. But most of the information is geared toward the rabbitry owner, rather than the individual who has a pet rabbit or two. Roughly half of the text isn’t relevant to most pet owners. A few topics that are important to most pet owners, such as neutering and spaying, are not covered at all.

If you’re looking to set yourself up as a breeder or if you want to show rabbits, this book gives you a good introduction to the basics. However, if you already have some knowledge or experience in these areas, this book likely won’t tell you anything new. You’re better off getting a book such as Rabbit Production.

Still, if you’re a fan of cute bunnies like me, the book is worth the money just for the number of adorable rabbits it shows.