online rabbit resources

Online rabbit resources – my recommendations

I admit to being pretty clueless when we adopted Ned and Gingee. I’d had a rabbit growing up, so I thought I knew what I was doing. Then it turned out Ned was pretty sick, and I started looking for online rabbit resources.

There is a lot more information out there than there used to be. Back in the 90s, when I had my first lovely bunny, everything seemed very simple. But then again, rabbits didn’t live very long back then either. Everyone was amazed that I had a bunny who was 11!

Even nowadays, a lot of “civilians” don’t know much about the proper care of a rabbit. Fortunately, I’ve found loads of online rabbit resources that have helped us bring Ned back from the brink, keep Gingee healthy, and be the best owners that Barbara needs.

I’ve divided my list into two sections: one is “static” information, and the other is helpful groups that you can join. I find it can actually be helpful to have someone to talk to, and I’m a part of a few Facebook groups.

(Do note: I have house rabbits, so my resources might be a bit biased towards them. I’m also based in England.)

Online rabbit resources

  • MediRabbit: With two special needs bunnies, I’ve spent a lot of time on here reading up on different illnesses. Obviously I’d always recommend a trip to the vet rather than just doing online research, but when the appointments were booked or it wasn’t an emergency, this has been a great resource for reading up on what could be the issue with Ned. If you’re a bunny hypochondriac like myself, though, do beware. I’d pretty much diagnosed poor Ned with syphilis at one point! (Eventual diagnosis: very flat face, malformed tear ducts, prone to infection, pasturella. Treatment: tear duct flushing under sedation as necessary, regular eye cleaning at home and trimming his face fur to stop any matting.)
  • The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund (RWAF): The UK’s largest rabbit association. They have some brilliant information on what to do in various bunny health situations, and their rabbit-friendly vet list is one of the best you’ll find in the UK.
  • Binkybunny.com: This site has some great information on topics such as litter training, bunny-proofing, healthy diet, etc. They’re a US site so some of their information about costs isn’t quite accurate for me, but I usually find myself here if I’m curious about whether a new food is okay. There’s also a forum, which I’ve never participated in but have read fairly extensively. Over the years they’ve answered most questions I’ve had, without my even having to ask!
  • The House Rabbit Society: Lots of good resources on difference aspects of raising a house rabbit, and also plenty of lovely pictures. If you’re in the US, they also have a good list of vets who will treat rabbits.
  • Rabbit Awareness Week: You didn’t know about Rabbit Awareness Week? Dreadful! It’s in June. Their site has some good information on environment, bunny behaviour and health. I’d be wary of their guidance on which is the best food, though, as they’re sponsored by Burgess Excel, who are a food company. (And I’d always recommend feeding Science Selective if possible.)

Online rabbit communities

  • Rabbit Owners Community: This is, hands down, my favourite online rabbit resource. There are members from all over the world, which means that you get a great variety of opinions, and there are a lot of very wise rabbit owners there. If you’re doing something that could hurt your bunny or that isn’t best practice, you’ll be told. If you just want to share cute pictures of your rabbit, they’re very very welcome! They have some great resources in their downloadable files as well, some great guides to bonding, vets, etc. Definitely worth joining this one!
  • UK Rabbit Group: I’d recommend that everyone joins a local rabbit Facebook or similar group, if they can. While obviously we all like to think we’re prepared in terms of emergency vets, last-minute food questions, etc., we all know that problems crop up from time to time. And it’s nice to have the possibility of local people to ask.

I’m sure I’ve missed some really good ones – are there any others you’d recommend?

 

10 thoughts on “Online rabbit resources – my recommendations”

  1. It is so wonderful that the bunny community is united around the world. For those in the USA this is a great resource: http://rabbit.org/. Many of the chapters also have great resources.

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