Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing - Third Edition Paperback – October 2, 2019

The language is straightforward in describing complicated science. Moore never talks down to you or glosses over important details - she just uses plain english and understandable terms. My vet recommended this book to me after the pellets I bought for my bunny caused serious dental problems because they were formulated without vitamin D-3. I'd recommend this book to anyone with a bunny!!!

I am a long time bunny owner and have often wondered why some rabbits can eat some things and be fine, and other rabbits cannot. Rabbits are all the same physiologically inside and in their digestive systems. Why would some of my buns be ok on greens, but not others? Why would some prefer pellets to greens? or fruits? Why did some prefer orchard grass to timothy hay? or dandelion weeds I pulled from my yard (pesticide free of course) to store bought? Why would a Flemish giant not do well on only a 1/4 cup of pellets a day per general House Rabbit feeding guidelines? But smaller rabbits were fine on those same guidelines? Why can not all rabbits have the same protein levels in their pellets? What do you have growing in your yard that you can feed your buns? How important is diet and why can all buns not live on hay and pellets alone and some can?Well, this book explains it all. I found it fascinating, informative, enlightening and very well written. I am not much into science and the nitty gritty details, but I couldn't put this book down. It was great! Everything I ever wanted to know about feeding my many rabbits, from the big ones to the little ones and in between.I originally bought this book on the recommendation of one of my friends, who the author requested write a blurb in there about feeding. Boy!!! Did I learn ever so much, even if it wasn't recommended to me, I would have gotten it. It was a long time coming, and I am sure the author will take some heat from rescue groups and breeders alike, but if you read it, it makes sense and answers so many questions! No matter what side of the bunny you are on!If you have a bunny, and want to feed it right, in the broader, big picture way, not by guidelines for ALL rabbits, but by the individual bunnies needs, not based on breed or geography, buy this book!!! It is great and the author should be commended, as well as the people who contributed to the book. All deserve commendations!!!Thank you to all the contributors and the author, Lucille. This book is a must have.

I have had house rabbits ever since 1992, and I have had problems knowing exactly what they need to eat and what they like to eat and what is best for them. Lucille's book is very comprehensive and has great information in the book about what to feed and what that food does for the rabbit. There are many natural remedies which are wonderful for feeding your bunny the natural way, and caring for the medical needs of your bunny the natural way. It tells how much to give the bunny and different foods for different ailments the bunny might have. It is good for keeping your bunny alive for 10, 12 even 14 years. Lucille has done a great deal of in depth studies and gathering true and accurate information that she shares with us, the reader. She has worked for a long time on this book and I really like it. It has a permanent place in my rabbit care library. I love Evonne Vey's drawings too. They are so precious and gives us insight into our bunnies adorable character. She is a very talented artist. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is just very superb.Cheryl G

This book added to my knowledge of rabbit nutrition. I would have liked a little more information about what to do when adjusting the diet. Even when the core of the book is that there are no hard-and-fast rules, there can be a starting place suggested.I especially appreciated the discussion of pellets. Too many people have gotten the impression that pellets are practically poison, when they in fact are a near necessity for good health. Just because they can be overdone & lead to obesity is no reason to omit them entirely. It seems as though some people think they are worse than artificially colored & flavored treats.

This book is long overdue in the world of rabbit nutrition. Share with your vet so he may tell others which in turn will help help them gain knowledge from the well written and researched book. The drawings by Evonne Vey are to enjoy just browsing through the book, wonderful artwork.

Its a much needed book on the subject. Rabbits are very complex and this is one book that every rabbit caregiver should have on the shelf.

We show rarebreed rabbits and this book is a great reference to help get the nutrition right.Feeding a locally sourced diet is much more sustainable and earth friendly.I highly recommend this book to all my rabbit friends!

I wasn't crazy about this book. It was too confusing and not average bunny owner friendly. I would have liked to see more recommended diet ideas for the different scenarios - like a diet for senior bunnies, a diet for baby rabbits, etc. It seems like it was just written by a writer who owns a bunny or two but doesn't have a lot of experience with many rabbits.

This book is very hard for me to review. It started out extremely strongly, and for the first 75% or so, I felt I was able to trust the authors judgement of studies they included in the book and the evidence they presented.However, Moore includes the occasional guest article from other authors, and that is where the books fails. Moore is a scientist who clearly relies on evidence-based medicine to help her come to decisions about best practice regarding nutrition. Other authors featured in the book, such as Kathy Smith, do not. Unfortunately, their additions discredit the book. To a certain point I was ready to recommend this to other rabbit owners, then I found myself cringing once the pseudoscience and "complimentary" medicine crept in from the co-authors.Sections which need to be removed from this book include:"Tap Versus Bottled Water" by Kathy Smith, whereby the supposed risks of certain types of water are discussed for 2 pages. Smith states that "tap water may (or may not) pick up contaminants... bottled water may (or may not) pick up toxins from plastic containers..." and goes on to describe the different types of bottled water. I'm not sure why this appears in a book about evidence-based rabbit nutrition. Conspiracy theories about how supposedly unhealthy tap water and/or bottled water are have no place in this book. Nor does Smith make any recommendations or present any evidence of how bottle versus tap water might impact rabbit health."Weather Rabbits" by Kathy Smith; a 6 page anecdotal report on how one of Smith's rabbits can apparently predict weather with no acknowledgement of the fact that this observation is likely to be due to the authors bias and perception of the rabbit's behaviour. Again, I'm not sure why this is in an otherwise evidence-based book."Energy" by Kathy Smith, whereby Smith tells readers that "energy can transform food" and spends 3 pages telling the reader to "consciously infuse our rabbits food with nurturing energy" and to "help dispel any negative energy the food may have absorbed from contact with unhappy humans" or to perform Reiki over food before giving it to our rabbits. Again, WHY does this appear in an evidence-based book about rabbit nutrition? PLEASE remove this from future editions."Nutrition and Intuition" by Kathy Smith, whereby Smith spends 9 pages in contradiction to the premise of the entire book by suggesting that we intuitively know what is best to feed our rabbits and encourages exercises such as using rabbit food tarot cards to help us pick what to feed because "the intuitive mind will tap into whatever it has access to when it needs to communicate with you". I was bewildered and baffled while reading this section, thinking it must have been included in the book by mistake. PLEASE also remove this from future editions.However, I applaud Moore for her contribution to rabbit nutrition and welfare. As as result of this book, I now think carefully about which combinations of foods I give, and I have now begun supplementing my rabbits diets with select nuts and fruit. My copy is well thumbed and highlighted throughout. I'm now confident that my rabbits are not lacking in any vitamins or minerals, which I realise they possibly might have been in the past.As a side note (and I know this is mentioned in the preface of the book) but I really wish Moore would reconsider her decision not to include academic style referencing within the text. Just having a reference list at the end of each chapter makes it difficult to find specific studies. I also feel that by not citing within the text, Moore inadvertently might be discrediting herself and some of her claims. Making a statement supported by research evidence makes a sentence hold more weight.

This book is a mind of information on all aspects of what your Bunny needs for a healthy diet. The chapter on Water alone leads us to consider the harmful minerals we might be subjecting our Rabbits to when we turn on the tap to fill their water bowls.The information on the differences between feeding your Doe and her Kits, again another area where caution is needed, was particularly useful. With Rabbits having such a sensitive and complicated digestive systems, some more than others, it is essential to make sure that they are getting a balanced diet and this book provides all the information you need to do just that.The book as a whole can seem rather heavy going at first glance , but I found that using it like a reference book and choosing the chapters that were of particular interest to me, worked well. I am sure that whatever your Rabbits dietary needs or problems are, you will find the answer in this book. The Illustrations by Evonne Vey are delightful as they appear at various intervals throughout the book.Well done to the Author Lucile Moore