Organizations and Resources
The following animal welfare organizations answered my initial query and provided information for stories about rabbits who live at or were adopted from their organizations; some of those stories were included in Rabbits: Gentle Hearts, Valiant Spirits. Their websites provide links to other rabbit rescue groups, businesses that carry rabbit and rabbit-related supplies and gifts, veterinary references, and other information. The House Rabbit Society maintains one of the most complete lists.
- House Rabbit Society: www.rabbit.org
- Best Friends Animal Society: www.bestfriends.org
- Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue: www.bhrabbitrescue.org
- Rabbit Sanctuary, Inc.: www.adopt-a-rabbit.org
Supported by The Fund for Animals (www.fundforanimals.org) and the Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org)
There are many wonderful rabbit rescue organizations; unfortunately, it’s impossible to list them all here. In addition to checking for information on the websites listed above, an internet search for rabbit rescue organizations will help get you started.
For information on the Guardian Campaign (which encourages the philosophy of being an animal's "guardian" rather than "owner") visit www.idausa.org.
To find out why a rabbit should not be purchased as an Easter gift or decoration, go to www.makeminechocolate.org. The Make Mine Chocolate!™ campaign was established by the Columbus (Ohio) House Rabbit Society.
Drollery Press offers a selection of DVDs and VCDs that cover a variety of subjects, including getting your first rabbit, introducing rabbits, encouraging exercise, and caring for special-needs bunnies.
Of the many books about rabbits, Marinell Harriman’s House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit was the first to focus on living with house rabbits; it is updated as needed. Additional how-to books have been published since then, including Living with a House Rabbit by British authors Linda Dykes and Helen Flack.
Good information can be found both in veterinary journals that report current research (e.g., Exotic DVM and Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine) and in books, increasingly available, by veterinarians about rabbit health. They cover a wide variety of subjects, and the material is relatively easy to understand by laypersons.