MOHRSWhen searching for information on how to care for your house rabbit, or whether a house rabbit is even the right pet for you, you can run into a whole bunch of junk (or worse – websites describing rabbits as meat!). Here I have compiled some of the best of the web so that you can instead spend more of your time giving your rabbit the attention he or she so richly deserves. You may thank me later.
House Rabbit Society
www.rabbit.org
If there were an award for the best of the best of the web, it would go to House Rabbit Society (HRS). As an HRS educator and fosterer, I will admit that I am biased, but when countless other sites cite an organization, there’s a lot to be said for it. On the HRS website, you can find hundreds of articles pertaining to almost every aspect of rabbit care, health, and behavior. Other categories on the website include activism, rescue, veterinarian listings (and articles on how to work with your vet), and fun photos. Contact information for and links to individual HRS chapters are also provided so that you can connect with a local expert if you would like to.
Daily Bunny
www.dailybunny.com
Daily Bunny is one of the best sites I’ve seen when it comes to pure fun. Hilarious photos and videos submitted by users are accompanied by equally adorable quotes. The home page showcases the most recent submissions, and archived ones are categorized on the right by date and by topics such as “Bunnies in Tubes,” “Bunnies Watching TV,” “Caught in the Act,” and “Bunnies That Look Like Other Cute Stuff.” The site also features bunnies up for adoption at various shelters, and a comment feature allows users to participate in the fun.
My House Rabbit
www.myhouserabbit.com
If you are looking for a very well-organized website with general information that covers almost anything newer rabbit families need to know, the My House Rabbit website is for you. From preparing for your first house rabbit to the benefits of adopting to ensuring that children treat the bunny well, the articles are well-written and easy-to-understand. There is even an article including how house rabbits are eco-friendly! The site includes a shop with adorable illustrations on prints, cards, and gift items (the links of which go to Etsy and CafePress).
Binky Bunny
www.binkybunny.com
For an online house rabbit community, you should definitely check out BinkyBunny. In the Bunny Info section, there is lots of good, general information and extremely helpful how-to photos and even a bunny-sitter guide (including a PDF you can print out). BinkyBunny has one of the best collection of photos (categorized into galleries including Playtime, Bunny Buddies, Flops & Lounges, and Binkies & Zooms), and it even provides instructions on how to take great photos and videos. Possibly the best feature is the extensive forum, where users can talk about almost everything bunny, including their friends who have passed away.
Charky and Ash’s Website
www.morfz.com/rabrefs.html
The Rabbit Refs tab of Charky and Ash’s Website (linked here) contains the most exhaustive list I’ve seen of medical information for those who live with rabbits. Articles are written by vets and non-vets, rabbit experts and rabbit “owners,” and include topics not covered much elsewhere, such as alternative therapies, parasites and bacteria, radiology, blood tests, medications, and caring for special-needs rabbits. The Health and Medicine page of the Rabbit Refs tab (linked here) lets you choose a topic from the drop-down list or scroll through, but click on the other topics at the top for the Health Hazards page, which includes topics such as poisoning, mold, and pesticides; the Rescue Organizations page; the Mailing Lists page, for a number of online groups; and others. Note that some of the lists are outdated, however. Also included, by clicking on the tabs on the side of the website, are personal stories and other fun topics.
Bunny Stories
www.bunny-stories.com
Bunny Stories describes itself as “a bunny blog spreading bunniness” through stories from bunny families, fun articles on rabbits, and photos. While many rabbit blog sites contain stories and photos of the site’s own bunnies, Bunny Stories is unique. Features include bunny comics, a newsletter readers can subscribe to, to-the-point tips about bunny care spread throughout the articles and entries on the site, and tags at the bottom of each article and entry. The site is very well-designed and easy to read, and users can comment on entries and submit their own stories.
Budget Bunny
www.budgetbunny.ca
Budget Bunny is another blog website, which makes it personable and fun, but it also contains handy information, especially for newer bunny families. Sections include how to make your own bunny toys and housing, money saving tips, reviews of products for both bunnies and other small animals, and “Bunny Sunday,” where each week a new bunny is featured (readers submit photos and descriptions of their bunnies for consideration). Helpful articles and videos include tips such as improving litterbox habits and organizing supplies.
MediRabbit
www.medirabbit.com
What sets MediRabbit so apart from other rabbit medicine resources, besides the fact that it can be accessed by both veterinarians and bunny families alike, is that it is accessible in nine different languages: English, French, Chinese, Hebrew, German…and, well, others I can’t recognize. Topics are categorized and sub-categorized extremely well and include information not easily found elsewhere, such as surgical procedures and post-surgical care, congenital defects, and statistics. One of the coolest features is that you can view presentations of lectures given by veterinarians and other experts – although most are not in English – and x-rays with explanations. Also, videos showing procedures such as administering sub-cutaneous fluids are provided, along with recommended books and texts. (Note that, as the website states, the information presented is for informational purposes and not to take the place of a veterinary visit.)
Have fun exploring these great websites, and let us know your favorites! Oh, and you can thank me now.
Author: Amy Bremers
