• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Want to tear apart this rabbit book....

Kibbles

Mama Doe
Im having a flip through a kids rabbit book from my school library, and I want to tear it apart. :shock:
In one section, it says:
'If you check your rabbit's health at home, you will only need to take it to a vet if it looks very ill, or its teeth or claws get too long. If you want to keep a male and a female rabbit together, the male will need an operation called neutering. You should ask your vet about this when you first take it.'

Now, there are so many problems in this bit of text alone, apart from the entire book. :shock:

Another part.
'Your rabbit may need to have some injections to stop it from getting some nasty diseases.'

Oh, no, no need to tell us about these 'nasty diseases' or even where to get the injections or what they're called!!! :censored:

And then in another part, it tells us we should have woodshavings for bedding. Just woodshavings. Oh no, not dust-free... Not any other sort of bedding... Woodshavings.

Every paragraph of this pathetic excuse for a book is entirely wrong. :shock:
 
It is a kids book though, a 6 year old will only get bored if it goes into too much detail and myxi and VHD or exactly what sort of bedding to use. A small amount of information is better than nowt. Besides it won't be intended as a handbook for pet owners, just a educational guide for young children.
At least if a child reads it when they have a rabbit they can say to mummy or daddy "Bunny needs jabs" or "bunny needs special operation". If mummy or daddy didn't know already they can use this prompt to do further research.


I have an rspca book about rabbits from the early 80s, they don't even mention getting your rabbits neutered.:shock:
 
As far as rabbit books go, I wouldn't consider it all that bad... Some of the ones I bought before I got my first bunny, about nine years or so ago now make no mention of neutering or spaying. No mention of vaccinations, never mind the diseases. Nor did my vet think any of that was necessary, either. o_o

I guess it has to be simple if it is for children...
 
I think it's fine for children - at least it's not promoting breeding like the book my mum gave me, which also suggested the best treatment for every rabbit illness was killing the rabbit :roll:
 
When was it published? I have some books from the 80's which are absolutely filled with bad advice and the most detail is in the breeding sections.

I expect in 20 years everything we know now will be considered wrong and outdated.
 
well my 6 year old read a very similar book when we got our buns, and I wouldn't dream of giving him anything more detailed. Much better for him to read something to give him an idea, and not nightmares!
 
i have a book which is 99% excellent but randomly has little snippets like "its ok for your hutch not to have a complete roof" and "if youre alllergic to hay, just feed extra pellets".

*sigh*
 
Didnt cross my mind that it might be 6 year olds reading it. :shock:

ALTHOUGH there was one bit of the book that said, 'if your rabbit doesnt eat some food in its bowl, feed it less the next day.'
So its either eat it or dont get any food at all? Starsky has things in his Russel Rabbit(im going to start buying him pellets) which he would never eat, so I empty those out and refill the bowl! because this is probably what would happen if you gave it less food each day with the food they dont eat:
bunny has bowl of food
bunny eats food
bunny leaves food
next day:
bunny gets less food
bunny eats food
bunny leaves food and the food from yesterday
bunny gets even less food
and then even less food until all the bowl has is those old food things which the bunny has to eat before it can have more food :shock:
 
Maybe they're trying to cut out selective feeding - suggesting if the rabbit is hungry it will also eat the bits it doesn't like. Really though, they should be suggesting a pellet.
 
Didnt cross my mind that it might be 6 year olds reading it. :shock:

ALTHOUGH there was one bit of the book that said, 'if your rabbit doesnt eat some food in its bowl, feed it less the next day.'
So its either eat it or dont get any food at all? Starsky has things in his Russel Rabbit(im going to start buying him pellets) which he would never eat, so I empty those out and refill the bowl! because this is probably what would happen if you gave it less food each day with the food they dont eat:
bunny has bowl of food
bunny eats food
bunny leaves food
next day:
bunny gets less food
bunny eats food
bunny leaves food and the food from yesterday
bunny gets even less food
and then even less food until all the bowl has is those old food things which the bunny has to eat before it can have more food :shock:

The book is probably trying to prevent over feeding. A young child probably wouldn't understand selective feeding.
 
I guess this is what I get for borrowing a book from my school when I dont even know if I'm allowed to. :shock:
 
Well, it was in my desk anyway because we always have to get a book to read in school, so I could just say I stuffed it in my bag by accident with all my stuff.
 
My sis got my kids a rat book from tesco's once. Big bright colourful and Adam could understand it, those were the good points.

The down side to this book was my son asking me why we dont follow the advice in the book. Honestly if I could have drawn up a how not to keep rats book this could have been it!

Only feed the muesli (it's not a bloody hamster it needs proper food)

They some times like to be kept in pairs (it is essential their well being that their is more than one, they can go so insane with lonlyness that they chew off their own tails!)

It should ideally be housed in a glass vivarium!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It should have a good layer of sawdust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rat respiratory issues are legendary!

I threw the book out and the vet had a word with young son hehehe
 
i have a book which is 99% excellent but randomly has little snippets like "its ok for your hutch not to have a complete roof" and "if youre alllergic to hay, just feed extra pellets".

*sigh*

I'm allergic to hay...and I have a bunny in my bedroom:lol: Then again I'm no that bad I'll fall ill by only having a few straws, so I can fill up the hayrack and feel just fine:) However if I stay in the same room as a haybale for too long I might get a bit sneezy:roll:

Only feed the muesli (it's not a bloody hamster it needs proper food)
Why shouldn't a hamster have "proper food"? I fed mine rat-and-mouse-pellets:lol: (Mixed with a hamster food mix. No muesli in this house:D)

I have yet to find a pet-book in Norwegian I really like...One book about hamsters (the one most pet owners read I guess...) says Syrian hamsters can be housed together if they're litter mates...Syrians are known to be extremely solitary and would kill most cage-mates, even siblings!:shock:

Not to mention something odd I found in a rabbit-book once...translated it said:
"This is a Dutch (shows picture of a Siamese Netherland dwarf) they are very small rabbits that only grow to about 1 kg" :shock:
I am a tad bit worried about this BIG translation error...if someone asks for a dutch thinking it'll be small, and they get a 3 kgs heavy rabbit:shock: (Sure pet store nethies have a tendency to grow up to 2 kgs as well..)
 
Back
Top