Here are some photos of our bunny garden this year. So far we’ve harvested for Coco and Cosette some bok choy, oregano, lettuce, mint, cilantro, strawberries, and a teeny tiny carrot that I pulled out by accident while weeding.

In this bunny garden, we’re growing lettuce, cilantro, oregano (which is trying to take over the entire garden), and basil.

Closeup of the romaine.

In this (mostly) bunny garden, we’re growing carrots, Swiss chard, basil, and a couple non-bunny items.  We harvested bok choy from the corners earlier in the spring.  In the background, you can see our pots of mint.

Do you have a bunny garden this year? If so, what are you growing for your rabbits?

For all the bunny lovers in the UK, this week is a wonderful time to learn more about proper rabbit care and get free health checkups. 

It’s Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) from May 23 – May 29, 2011!

Here are a few facts about pet bunnies:

• Rabbits can be litterbox trained.
• Rabbits need space to run and play everyday. In fact, many rabbit owners opt to let their bunnies have free reign all the time in a bunny-proofed room or entire home. They don’t actually need to be caged.
• Rabbits’ main diet should be hay (not pellets!). Hay should be available to rabbits at all times so they can graze when they want.
• Most rabbits don’t like being held. They prefer that you sit down with them at their level.
• Spaying/neutering your rabbit is essential. When spayed/neutered, rabbits become less aggressive and territorial, males stop spraying, litterbox habits improve, there are no accidental babies, and cancer risk decreases significantly.

Watch an adorable video from the RSPCA of how rabbits act when they’re not stuck in a hutch all day:

To find out which places are offering free health checkups and other rabbit-related events, go to the event locator on the Rabbit Awareness Week website.

To learn more about rabbit care, see:

• Rabbit Awareness Week website
• RSPCA RAW page
• House Rabbit Society
• My House Rabbit’s rabbit care section

Marie Mead’s Rabbits: Gentle Hearts, Valiant Spirits, a beautiful book filled with uplifting stories about rescued rabbits, has gotten even better!  A revised edition, being released this month, contains five new stories and two new articles.

From the author:

The impetus behind the revision is the excellent article titled “Modeling Love and Respect for a Classroom Rabbit,” written by elementary teacher Cheryl Rosemary Abbott. It provides interesting, down-to-earth guidance for teachers—and parents—about introducing children to a rabbit, bunny-proofing, rules for everyone’s safety, and the all-important issue of role-modeling love, respect, and responsibility.

You can purchase the book from the publisher or from Amazon.

To learn more about the book, visit:

Nova Maris Press
Celebrating Rabbits

Today is Earth Day! To celebrate, here are two articles relating to bunnies AND helping the environment.

7 Ways Rabbits are Environmentally-Friendly Pets
There are many benefits to owning a pet rabbit: they’re utterly adorable, they’re funny, they’re quiet, they’re clean… I could go on and on. But one thing many people may not realize is that rabbits are ecologically-friendly pets. [Read more]

Bunny Gardening for Beginners
One of the great things about owning a pet rabbit is that you can grow a lot of their food yourself in a backyard garden. In fact, you don’t have to be a master gardener or own a huge plot of land to grow a few of your bunny’s favorites. [Read more]

When Easter is around the corner, many people consider buying a pet rabbit, sometimes on a whim or as a gift for small children. While rabbits do make wonderful indoor companions (who can be litter-trained, just like cats), people should take the time to learn the reality of pet rabbit ownership.

Read the full article »

The University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences is conducting a study of how rabbits are cared for in the UK.

According to Dr. Emily Blackwell, a member of the research team: “We are keen to hear from rabbit owners about all aspects of their rabbit’s life as very little is currently known about the way pet rabbits are kept in the UK. We want to know where rabbits live, how they behave, what they eat and how healthy they are, as well as how they interact with their owners.”

If you live in the UK and own a rabbit, go to www.survey.bris.ac.uk/awb/rabbitsurvey to complete the survey. Everyone who fills it out will have the opportunity to win 100 pounds.

As January comes to a close, we are entering a time when many people may be suddenly inspired to buy a pet rabbit.  The Chinese Year of the Rabbit starts February 3rd, and Easter is around the corner on April 24th.  Of course, at My House Rabbit, we love having rabbits as pets, and we love that many other people share that sentiment. However, before prospective bunny owners make any impulse buys, we wanted to encourage a few things:

Do your homework about pet rabbits first!  Make sure a bunny is right for you and your family.  Check out these articles:

• Thinking About Getting a Pet Rabbit?
• Children and Pet Rabbits
• Bunny Proofing Your Home
• Housing Options for Your Pet Bunny

Second, if you have done your research and are certain you can provide a loving home to a bunny, we strongly encourage you to adopt a bunny from a rescue or shelter.  Shelters are overrun with homeless bunnies in need of forever homes.  Check out the following article for many reasons why adopting a bunny is preferable to buying one from a pet store or breeder.

• Benefits of Adopting a Pet Rabbit

In closing, please don’t make impulse bunny buys!  Pet rabbits are long-term commitments, and they are not by any means low-maintenance pets.

Wabbit Works, maker of the Screwy Rabbit Hay Buffet, is having a pre-holiday sale of $5 off hay boxes and $5 off shipping if you order now. If you have free reign bunnies in your home, this hay box is a very good addition to your current setup. It greatly reduces mess, the hay stays dry and clean (eliminating a lot of waste), and you don’t have to keep replenishing the rabbit’s hay throughout the day.

Buy it at WabbitWorks.net »

For all UK rabbit owners: the RSPCA wants to hear from you!

Rabbits are the third most popular pet in Britain, and many end up in shelters across the country. The RSPCA is launching a campaign to improve rabbit welfare, and the first step is gathering information about rabbits and their owners currently.

So if you live in the UK, own a rabbit, and care about rabbit welfare, take the survey here: Great Big Rabbit Survey.

If you participate, you can download a free rabbit screensaver and enter a free prize draw for rabbit food and supplies.

We’ve recently added a couple new articles to our collection.

The first one describes the potentially deadly condition, GI stasis, and discusses causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.  If you’re a bunny owner and unfamiliar with this condition, it’s an important read.

GI Stasis in Rabbits: A Deadly Condition

One very serious, fairly common health issue pet rabbits face is gastrointestinal stasis. GI (or gut) stasis is a potentially deadly condition in which the digestive system slows down or stops completely. [Read more]

The second article serves as a beginner’s guide to growing your rabbit’s food yourself. It will depend where in the world you are if the timing is right to start gardening – for me in New England, the gardening season will probably wind down in a month or so.  But, for those who are new to gardening who want to give it a try, the article will provide an introduction, giving examples of vegetables that are fairly easy to grow.  And when the time is right, you will be able to get started on your very own bunny garden.

Bunny Gardening for Beginners

One of the great things about owning a pet rabbit is that you can grow a lot of their food yourself in a backyard garden. In fact, you don’t have to be a master gardener or own a huge plot of land to grow a few of your bunny’s favorites. [Read more]