Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 2 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide By Aaron Webster © Rabbit Empire 2013-2014 – All Rights Reserved Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 3 Forward: Wind and clouds swirled through the skies with only the treetops blocking their incredible force. Way below the ferocious winds, there was a faint shadow of something running under the moonlit sky. The something carried a dim lantern and ran with weak but determined footsteps. A hurricane was coming and the footsteps belonged to me, a thirteen year old boy at the time who was desperately trying to protect his beloved rabbits… My real name is Aaron Webster however many around the World prefer to call me by my earned alias “The Rabbit Master”. I first began my rabbit adventure at age 10 when I purchased three rabbits with the purpose of raising and breeding them for 4-H. It didn’t take me very long to fully realize this newly found passion and as a matter of fact by the time I graduated from High School, I had already raised and sold hundreds of rabbits and built up one of the most known rabbitries in the state of Texas. Over the last several years I have made it my goal to teach others everything that I have learned over the years about raising and caring for rabbits. That is why I decided to write a book a couple years ago titled: Raising Rabbits 101 and start the website RabbitBreeders.us which is now World famous. Since I received so much positive feedback from first book I decided it was time to write a sequel that would focus more on the “Pet Rabbit” side of the industry vs. breeding and selling, which is how this book came about. A photo taken of me at age 15, holding “Hope” the rabbit. Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 4 Introduction: I decided to write The Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide with the purpose of providing the newbie rabbit enthusiast with a complete guide to getting started with a pet rabbit, and a guide that would teach them all the basic rabbit care essentials, through my own personal experience and conducted research. This book is meant to be a book that targets all ages of pet rabbit enthusiasts. Regardless of whether you are age 8, 88 or anywhere in-between, provided that you are indeed interested in owning a pet rabbit, this book is definitely for you. If you make the decision and commitment to read this book from cover to cover, I can almost guarantee that by the end of this book you will have acquired all the information that you need to get started with a pet rabbit and effectively care for it. In this pet rabbit care guide I will be essentially covering everything that you need to know to jumpstart yourself into the Pet Rabbit Industry and make your rabbit adventure worthwhile. In addition to reading this book I suggest that you check out the various resources that I have compiled and recommend throughout this pet rabbit guide, as doing so will help you learn more about rabbits in general and will help insure that you get the right supplies for your rabbit. Good Luck and I Hope you Enjoy this Book, Sincerely, Aaron Webster Author of: Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide | Raising Rabbits 101 P.S: I would love to hear your thoughts, comments or suggestions about this book. Feel free to email me feedback at any time. My feedback email is [email protected]. Also if you would like to potentially get a picture of yourself and beloved bunny included in the next edition of this book, feel free to send me pictures. Doing so will additionally give you a chance to win cool prizes :) THANKS! Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 5 Table of Contents Contents Forward: ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction: ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................ 5 Interesting Facts about Rabbits .......................................................................................................... 8 Reasons to Own a Pet Rabbit .............................................................................................................. 9 Responsibility of Owning a Pet Rabbit .............................................................................................. 11 Cost of a Pet Rabbit........................................................................................................................... 12 Pet Rabbit Breed Selection ............................................................................................................... 13 What is your favorite rabbit breed and why? ................................................................................... 22 47 Breeds of Rabbits Photo Gallery .................................................................................................. 23 Breeds of Rabbits Average Size Chart ............................................................................................... 27 Buying vs Adopting Debate ............................................................................................................... 29 Buying your Rabbit ............................................................................................................................ 30 Rabbit Breeder Directories ............................................................................................................... 31 How to Tell if a Rabbit is a Boy or a Girl ............................................................................................ 32 Pet Rabbit Supplies ........................................................................................................................... 33 Getting Started Overview ................................................................................................................. 35 Chapter 2: Caring for Your Pet Rabbit ....................................................................................................... 36 Feeding Your Pet Rabbit.................................................................................................................... 37 Pet Rabbit Health .............................................................................................................................. 39 Should I Spay or Neuter my Pet Rabbit? ........................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: Interacting with Your Pet Rabbit ............................................................................................. 42 Pet Rabbit Behaviors and Meanings ................................................................................................. 43 Training your Pet Rabbit ................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 4: Exclusive Bonus Section .......................................................................................................... 47 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #1 ......................................................................................................... 48 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #2 ......................................................................................................... 50 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #3 ......................................................................................................... 52 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 6 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #4 ......................................................................................................... 54 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #5 ......................................................................................................... 56 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #5 ......................................................................................................... 58 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #6 ......................................................................................................... 61 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #7 ......................................................................................................... 63 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #8 ......................................................................................................... 65 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #9 ......................................................................................................... 67 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #10 ....................................................................................................... 69 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #11 ....................................................................................................... 71 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #12 ....................................................................................................... 73 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #13 ....................................................................................................... 75 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #14 ....................................................................................................... 77 Pet Rabbit Owner Interview #15 ....................................................................................................... 79 101 Pet Rabbit Name Ideas ............................................................................................................... 81 Chapter 5: Rabbit Resources/Glossary and Final Words ........................................................................... 82 Resources for Rabbit Owners ............................................................................................................ 83 Final Words: ...................................................................................................................................... 90 Abbreviated Glossary for Pet Rabbit Raisers ..................................................................................... 91 Abbreviated Rabbit Terms and Definitions ....................................................................................... 92 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 7 Chapter 1: Beginning Your Pet Rabbit Adventure Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 8 Interesting Facts about Rabbits Rabbits are an incredibly interesting species that come in all different shapes, colors, breeds and sizes. Here is a listing of 15 interesting facts about rabbits: 1. Globally there are around 180 recognized breeds of rabbits. The leading organization, ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) currently recognizes 47 breeds. 2. The record for the longest rabbit ears measured was 31.125 inches long. 3. Female rabbits are commonly referred to as “does” and male rabbits are likewise referred to as “bucks”.’ 4. The World record for a rabbit long jump is currently 3 meters. 5. Baby bunnies are commonly referred to as “kits” and bunnies from the same mother born at the same time are referred to as a “litter”. 6. The record for the largest bunny rabbit litter ever reported was 24. 7. The teeth on a rabbit never stop growing. 8. Rabbits are not “rodents” rather their scientific classification is “lagomorphs”. 9. The only place rabbits actually sweat is on the pads of their feet. 10. On average pet rabbits live longer than wild rabbits. Also rabbits that are raised indoors that don’t have litters of bunnies, will usually live longer than those raised outdoors in rabbitries. 11. Rabbits actually have five toenails in their front paws and four toenails in their back paws. 12. Several of the wild species of rabbits found in North America include; cottontails, jackrabbits and snowshoe rabbits. 13. At the time of this writing, the World’s heaviest rabbit is named Darius, weighing an unprecedented 50 pounds. 14. Bunnies are actually born furless with their eyes closed. 15. Throughout history rabbits have been commonly used in religion and mythical symbolism. For instance, the Aztecs believed in a pantheon of 400 rabbit gods which represented fertility, parties and drunkenness. Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 9 Reasons to Own a Pet Rabbit In theory I believe that if everyone knew even half of what I know about rabbits, for every person who owns a cat, there would be at least one person who would potentially choose to own a rabbit. Here is a list of reasons why I believe rabbits make such great pets: 1. Rabbits literally come in all different shapes and sizes – I have found from personal observation that very few people realize the huge variety of rabbit breeds available. Most people just assume rabbits are all very similar in size and appearance. The fact of the matter is that, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just like it has been said that “there is a breed of dog to fit each individual”. I honestly believe that “there is a breed of rabbit to fit each individual”. Want a small rabbit that you can hold in your palms full grown? No problem, get a Britannia Petite. Want a huge rabbit that will make your friends and family literally fall over in astonishment? No problem, get a Flemish Giant. Want a rabbit with adorably long ears and a tame personality? Get a breed of Lop. Want a breed of rabbit with long fur that resembles wool? No problem, there are Angora Rabbits waiting in cages at rabbitries at this very moment, waiting for you to come take them home. 2. Rabbits are naturally tame animals – I have found that naturally most rabbits are tame animals. As long as you let them get used to you at a fairly early age and select a more pet oriented breed, they will almost always allow you to pet and cuddle them. 3. Rabbits are very quiet animals – At the very moment I am writing this message my dog is standing outside my room door barking once again, for no real apparent reason. You can rest assured that rabbits won’t ever cause you or your neighbors this sort of agitation as they are naturally extremely quiet animals. In fact the only time rabbits will make noise is when they are hurt or terrified by something, if they are you will usually hear them squeal to alert you. 4. Rabbits are fairly easy to train – When owning a rabbit, especially one of the pet breeds I recommend in this book, you can rest assured that if you wish you can train them pretty easily to do things such as use a litter box. Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013 Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with a Pet Rabbit page 10 5. Rabbits are Low Maintenance Animals – Although it is recommended that you spend some time with your rabbit each and every day. Compared to most dogs and even many cats, rabbits are low maintenance animals. 6. Rabbits naturally are clean animals – Similar to cats, rabbits will generally stay pretty clean as they lick themselves down frequently. Also I have noticed that if you keep multiple rabbits together, many times they will give each other “tongue baths”. 7. Rabbits are fairly low cost animals – When buying a pet rabbit usually you will pay less than $100 regardless of the breed, compared to several times that price for a purebred dog. 8. Rabbits are simply AWESOME and make nice pets – Ok maybe I’m a bit biased since I’m “The Rabbit Master” however I truly believe rabbits are about the best type of pet you can own. They are AWESOME animals, enough said. :) Hoppy Pet Rabbit Guide – Copyright © 2013