Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits: Breeds, Care, Facilities

by Bob Bennett

Whether you’re interested in raising rabbits for show, meat, fur, or as pets, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to keep your animals healthy and productive. Offering expert advice on breed selection, housing, feeding, humane handling, routine medical care, and dealing with diseases, Bob Bennett also provides tips on how to make raising rabbits a financial lucrative endeavor. Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits will help both the commercial producer and the backyard fancier achieve their rabbit-raising goals.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Rabbits, Agriculture, Reference, Gardening, How To

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2000

About the author

Bob Bennett is the author of six books on rabbit raising, including "Storey’s Guide to Raising Rabbits" and "Rabbit Housing," as well as numerous magazine and newspaper articles. He has served as the editor of Rabbits magazine, has been a contributing editor to Countryside magazine, and is the founder of Domestic Rabbits and a past director of the American Rabbit Breeders Association. An Air Force veteran, Bennett has a master’s degree from New York University and lives in Vermont, where he has raised rabbits for more than 50 years.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll give it two stars, because Bennett writes what you would expect him to, but not what you were hoping for. I think this book was published before we all started getting pissed off about factory farms, but the heavy regimen of daily antibiotics he prescribes might make anyone look twice. I'll keep searching for a more progressive approach to the topic.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book full of good information on one method of raising rabbits. Unfortunately, the author is very opinionated, and close minded against any method besides his. His description of diseases, prevention, and treatment comprise only a few pages, and all boil down to cleanliness - which is important, yes. But a reference for when things go wrong is much more useful.
To any rabbit raisers, I'd recommend the Rabbit Raising Problem Solver by Karen Patry.

[paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Far from organic

Very informative but my man is far from organic and should brush up on the definition of humane. Also he's riding food science's nuts! All in all I got a lot for this book

[Shnnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am starting the research to own rabbits for show I found this book a perfect resource. I will need more deeply written volumes as disease, breeding, or skinning challenges come up, but as a beginners reference it is a five 🌠

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book immensely. As a new rabbit raiser I learned much. I modeled my hutch system after the one described in book. Simply hanging wire cages up. While the plans in the book were a bit unclear, it has done well. So far my rabbits have remained happy and healthy. (And delicious).

[Alisa Raty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather dogmatic, but full of good advice. I learned a lot. Found the sections on breeding and marketing particularly helpful. I have to admit, I did skip any parts about showing rabbits because I have no interest in that. So I don't know how good those parts were. But the rest was really helpful.

[michelle yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

For rabbit farmers

I was quite disappointed in this book. This book is for those who are using their rabbits for enterprise, not for people who want to keep rabbits for pets or companions. The first chapter talks about how your rabbit doesn't need to be let out of its cage. Its perfectly happy to stay locked up in a cramped cage because it doesn't know any better. Really?! Good info as far as husbandry, butchering, breeding etc. But does not teach you how to enrich a bunnies life.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely don’t read this if you’re looking for information on pet rabbits, or are a person in general that cares about the welfare of rabbits. That’s all I’ll say.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Copy from Netgalley for review - Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits, 5th Edition

If you've ever been interested in raising rabbits for meat, show, and/or for business purposes, this book could be for you. If you're looking for a book about raising pet rabbits, this book is not for you.

Bob Bennett believes his way of raising rabbits is the best way to raise healthy, productive rabbits. He doesn't believe in the colony method nor raising them in natural settings. He goes into why cages are better when you need to control all aspects of raising the rabbits for the best health, genetics, and production. Raising rabbits for show, meat, or other production aspects is completely different than raising pet rabbits. He also believes very strongly that rabbits should be fed commercial rabbit food.

Since I'm new to raising rabbits, I found many aspects of the book very helpful including housing requirements and methods as well as best breeding methods. The information about the different breeds was quite interesting, and I learned that I've already made some rooky mistakes when it comes to getting my first breeding trio (which he doesn't recommend).

It would be nice to have the various recommended forms included in the book, so new rabbit owners could make copies until they decide exactly what they personally need. Some examples are given, but actual forms would be nice.

Because this book includes raising rabbits for meat, he includes details on how to process a rabbit as well as recipes.

Bennett approaches raising rabbits as a business, and the methods in the book reflect that approach. Breeding the best rabbits for your desired purpose and creating a good business model to make money off those rabbits are the ideas that are woven throughout the book. While I am not at the point where I want to sell rabbits, it's good information to have on hand as you want to start off on the right foot so you can sell down the road if desired.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book to educate myself in my consideration of buying a rabbit for a pet and all it entails, after reading the guide to raising beef cattle; in all its detail of care I thought this would be a good buy. However I have to say I’m disappointed, I’ve already had to skip whole pages to avoid the authors rankings of inbreeding. As someone who has worked in pet care I can vouch to the horrific consequences of inbreeding and the toll it takes on the life the breeder created...the author proclaims himself someone who loves rabbits, and more than likely does, but refuses to acknowledge or accept any opinion on the subject than his own.

To quote: “Better than anything else, purebred stock will help you start raising rabbits the right way...”(reasons purebreds are superior)...”But first, consider crossbreds. Crossbreds Are Least Valuable: Crossbreds are mongrels....” (more reasons that they suck). He then goes on to advise you on how to select a breeder, afterwards he states “depend upon the raisers judgement as to which pairs to buy. Don’t insist upon unrelated rabbits....unrelated rabbits will not the job nearly as well as unrelated stock.”

The author tries to persuade his audience that his opinion is undebatable and absolute while trying to convince HIS CUSTOMERS not to question him, to question anyone challenging his beliefs and insuring you buy from him....

The book is good in terms of care but you’ll have to skip quite a few pages...

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well... my opinions on this book are mixed. It is pretty educational if you are into the rabbit meat/showing/cooking/breeding business, but it definitely should not be used as your only book on any one of these topics. It's a good overview, but no more.
Also, Mr. Bennet has the point of view that the rabbits should be treated with little consideration to the comfort of the rabbit.
And some of his information is outdated and unhealthy to the rabbits. If you were a new rabbit owner and read this book you would be seriously mislead. Thankfully I read this after having raised rabbits for a few years and was able to see the red flags.
This is NOT a book for pet rabbits! I got it thinking it was, but was seriously mistaken. I nearly threw up when I accidentally flipped to the butchering page. And Mr. Bennet has a very low opinion of lop-eared bunnies! :'(
All in all, it is a good source of info for meat rabbit raisers. That's pretty much it. It has some good rabbit housing plans though.

[Alyssa Bohon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough guide, though not very encouraging to the curious, "Might get a rabbit for the kids to learn about" type. Reading an expert who knows he's an expert and has little sympathy for bunglers felt a bit jarring at times, but it was good to be reminded that if one is going to do a thing, it ought to be done right. Old school ("modern") things he advocates like giving constant antibiotics were a bit outside my style, but appreciated lots of great guidelines for hygiene and also using the manure for gardening. My main takeaways were 1) wire cages are more sanitary, 2) baby rabbits must never be fed greens, and 3) when killing rabbits for meat, freezing them for awhile helps with memory associations. He highly advocates eating rabbit and is frustrated with current society's aversion to eating 'fluffy pets'. I appreciate a good rabbit stew, but would still have a lot to overcome in eating my own.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a book to help me learn how to raise and care for our family's new pet rabbit. This book is primarily geared to raising meat and show rabbits, and getting set up as a breeder. I would have given it more stars as I suppose it had useful information for that demographic, BUT he gave some very questionable advice. For instance, our vet and several feed stores said to give very minimal pellets for young rabbits as the majority of their diet should come from hay. He says the opposite. He also recommends given rabbits corn, which is a big no-no. Lastly, one of the final chapters is all about how to cook rabbit. So, if you're looking for a book about caring for pet rabbits, you might want to look elsewhere.

[Missi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very much for beginners. But not really for pet beginners. Author is very opinionated and I disagree with several things- Rabbits are happy living in cages because they don’t know anything else. Um there’s this thing called instinct. Rabbits like to do rabbit things, they need enrichment just like any other creature. Snake keepers mostly feed F/T and not live rabbits. That is mostly a non issue.
Author really only discussed breeds he liked. Many breeds not mentioned. And I would have liked a more comprehensive health section. Common diseases and the treatment would be helpful

[Cora Robles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the book I was wanting. I got a pet rabbit and this book was more for raising feeder and show rabbits, not ones for pets. So if you’re looking for more of a farm rabbit book this is a good one but not if you’re wanting a book to pet care.

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good info. Looking forward to the day when I can raise rabbits.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and concise, no matter what you want to keep rabbits for.

[Will G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The very conventional guide to raising rabbits.

[Meagan Sneeringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly focused on raising rabbits as a meat animal, but a lot of good information about how to house and care for rabbits in general.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read to learn about raising rabbits.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I need to buy one, this will be it.

[Lizeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! You can really tell Bob bennett loves what he does. He really cares for his rabbits and for other people learning to raise them. Very informative and enjoyable to read.

[Gabriela Probst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid introduction. I wish some of the instructions about building it creating various items were a little more clear; he assumes a fair bit of construction knowledge. But it's definitely enough to give confidence about starting some rabbits in my backyard. On the hunt for cheap building materials now

[Fernleaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of raising rabbits, very focused on rabbits that actually turn a profit. The author doesn't disparage people who want rabbits as pets but his book is definitely focused on rabbits as a productive animal to supply meat, test subjects or breeding stock to a potential market and much of his advice is geared toward this. His advice is also a little rigid, wire cages and pelleted feed no exceptions. While I'm sure his advice is sound because of his long years of experience the scientist in me has some questions about the feeding recommendations. All in all fairly practical, chapters include housing, feeding, breeding, showing, marketing, processing meat, etc... One downside is that there is no discussion of heritage breeds at all, many of them aren't even mentioned in the text.

[Literary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended by a rabbit raiser I met in Tractor Supply. I couldn’t wait to read this book and learn more.

It’s definitely not for the everyday person with pet rabbits. This book is meant for rabbit breeders and rabbit meat raisers. Many of the topics covered in here are for the person interested in raising breeding and raising rabbits for show or food.

I had expected information about the different breeders, how to care for them and have a rabbit home.

The section on rabbit cages is for those that are housing their rabbits in a separate living area.

This is a great guide for the movie homesteader or farmer. Pet owners may find very little helpful information.

I don't recommend this for pet owners.
I can recommend this for breeders and rabbit showers.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in raising rabbits, this is the book that you want to invest in. I go to it for all of my rabbit related questions as it provides the best information about keeping your rabbits happy and healthy.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a really great book for beginner rabbit breeders (like me.) I covers everything from if rabbits are a good choice for you to the housing to the breeding to the showing (and the butchering part but I skipped that

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

RABBITS!!!! I love rabbits. This book was Okay, it gave a pretty round look at taking care of rabbits. What earned this book only three stars was the last two sections of the book. Killing and skinning a rabbit and recipes with rabbits. The horror of killing a rabbit.

[Thalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives essential information that other books left out.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overall book on the species. Has some dedicated information on breeds by size, general first aid/care. If you're interested in buying a rabbit or starting a rabbitry this is a good primer.