Virginia Parker Guidry - Rabbits: The Key to Understanding Your Rabbit

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Vice President, Kennel Club Books: Andrew DePrisco

Production Supervisor: Jessica Jaensch

Production Coordinator: Tracy Burns

I-5 Press: Jennifer Calvert, Amy Deputato, Lindsay Hanks

Karen Julian, Elizabeth L. McCaughey, Roger Sipe, Jarelle S. Stein

Text copyright 2001 by I-5 Press.

Photographs copyright 1998, 2001 by Stockdale, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier printing as follows:

Guidry, Virginia Parker.

Rabbits/Virginia Parker Guidry;photographs by Renee Stockdale.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-889540-73-3 (paperback : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-889540-73-0 (paperback : alk. paper)

1. Rabbits. I.Title.

SF453 .G85 2001

636.932--dc21

2001001329

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and bound in China

15 14 13 12 11 10 7 8 9 10

Acknowledgments

IM GRATEFUL TO THE KNOWLEDGEABLE RABBIT enthusiasts who were willing to answer my many questions, especially Jeffrey R. Jenkins, D.V.M., of the Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital in San Diego, CA. And thanks to the House Rabbit Society and the American Rabbit Breeders Associationtwo wonderful resources for all rabbit lovers.

V.P.G.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MY NEW FRIEND SANDY Griggs of Sandys Royal Angoras, Warren, MI; Amy Williams of Williams Rabbitry, Milford, MI and her children, Lauren, Christopher, and Ashley, for supplying bunny models for this book; Dr. Simon of Woodside Animal Hospital, Royal Oak, MI; Pet Stop of South Lyon, MI; Melissa Danley; Nancy, Joey, and Nikki Mitts; Erika Strausberg; April Moore; Marti and Myia Blackwood; Diane McIntyre; Sheila Wiggins; and Jill Wells.

A special thanks to my son, Jerid, who is dearly loved and to our own bunnies, who are always patient with me.

R.S.

Contents

The Romans developed the Angora, whose long and luxurious fur can be spun into yarn.

R ABBITS ARE SUPER PETS. A SK ANY BUNNY OWNER . Rabbits are cuddly, quiet, full of personality, affordable, fairly small, and they get along well with other pets. And theyre really cute and really soft. These are all good reasons why domestic rabbits are popular companion animalsand probably why you just acquired (or are considering acquiring) a rabbit.

Rabbits havent always enjoyed a super-pet status, though. Only since the last quarter of the twentieth century have rabbits been considered popular pets. That may seem strange, considering how common it is today to own a pet rabbit. Its not unusual to know someone who has a rabbit, to see rabbits for sale in a pet store, or to see rabbit supplies advertised in the newspaper. Rabbit publications are easy to find at the library, and information about rabbits is available on the Internet. Its even common for schools to have a classroom bunny.

But long ago and far away, the domesticated rabbits ancestors were wild creatures. Rabbits experienced none of the benefits or problems associated with domesticity. At several points in history, rabbits were kept, bred, coaxed, befriended, and tamed. Countless generations later, we have a fabulous house pet.

Their long ears, wiggly nose, soft coat, humorous antics, and ability to hop-hop-hop have captivated and endeared us. It doesnt matter whether rabbits are placed in a work of literature or a drawing, or admired in the wild or as house pets. We cant help but love and exclaim over them.

Rabbits often are portrayed as heartwarming, playful characters in childrens stories.

Childrens author and animal lover Beatrix Potter intuitively knew the rabbits appeal and chose Peter Rabbit to star in her stories. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, originally based on a letter Potter wrote in 1893 to the young son of her former governess, was an instant success. And it still is successful today. Readers young and old continue to enjoy the antics of Peter Rabbitalong with other bunny tales written by Potter such as The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies. Exactly what is it about these stories that makes them so popular? Undoubtedly theyre exiting, well written with colorful illustrations (drawn by Potter), and fun. They also have happy endings. Most likely, though, the tales owe their popularity to Potters primary choice of animal character: the rabbit.

Childrens classics aside, the domestic rabbit has been a close companion of humankind for many generations in a variety of ways, some not so pleasing to lovers of companion animals. Traditionally viewed as a source of food and fur, and used as a lab animal, the rabbit has most recentlyin the last twenty yearsachieved the status it really deserves: special companion and house pet. Todays domestic rabbit is almost as popular as the cat and dog. Nutrition, care, and training information is readily available, as are products and foods specially made for rabbits. No longer just an Easter pet, the rabbit enjoys all the benefits (and sometimes heartbreaks) of popular companion animals.

Wild Beginnings

Todays domestic rabbit, in spite of breed differences (color, size, shape, and fur), can be traced back to one wild species: the European wild rabbit, or Oryctolagus cuniculus. Although there are about twenty-five species of wild rabbits throughout the world, only Oryctolagus cuniculus has been domesticated. Rabbits, along with their wild cousins, hares and pikas, are members of the Lagomorpha order of mammals. Rabbits were once classified as rodents, but rabbits, hares, and pikas are not rodents (order Rodentia) even though they share a few characteristics such as evergrowing teeth. Unlike rodents, rabbits have two sets of upper front teeth.

Did you know?

T HE WORD LAGOMORPHA is derived from the Greek words lagos, which means hare, and morphe, which means form or shape.

All domesticated rabbit breeds are descendants of the European wild rabbit.

A rabbits teeth grow continuously.

Historians speculate that early civilizations recognized rabbits as a potential food source and hunted rabbits for meat. As to the rabbits origin, several sources point to southwestern Europe, in Spain, where caves contain pictures of rabbits dating from the Stone Age. Fossil remains show that rabbits lived in this area for thousands of years. Although controversial among historians, it is believed that rabbits in Europe and Africa were used for meat and fur around 600 B.C., but there isnt much recorded history prior to the Roman civilization.