The first-year house rabbit guide
Many first-year rabbit problems start in week one. Start yours right.
The wrong pen, the wrong food ratio, a litter box in the wrong corner, a vet you only go looking for at 9 p.m. on a Sunday. The First-Year Bunny Guide is a 246-page plan for your rabbit's first twelve months: a home that works, the diet a rabbit's gut actually needs, litter training without a fight, and the emergencies that can't wait until morning. It comes as a large-type PDF plus an EPUB for your phone, tablet, Kindle or computer.
I · Why it matters
Rabbits hide trouble. A good setup catches it early.
Rabbits are prey animals, so they hide pain and illness, and their gut has to keep moving all day. Most first-year problems trace back to a few early choices: space, hay, litter, and knowing what normal looks like.
The home
Pens beat cages
How big a home base should be, what to bunny-proof, and the litter box setup that actually gets used.
The bowl
Hay is the diet
Unlimited hay, measured pellets, a daily salad, and treats in amounts that won't upset a sensitive gut, by body weight.
The clock
Some things can't wait
A ten-minute weekly health check, and the go-now signs, like a rabbit that has stopped eating, that mean a same-day vet.
II · What you get
Everything for year one, in one place
- The full guide. 246 pages in a large, readable serif, set up for phones, tablets, Kindle and printing.
- Feeding amounts by body weight. Hay, pellets, greens and treats for rabbits from 2 to 10 lb, plus a baby-to-adult schedule.
- 46 reference tables and 5 charts. Safe greens and how often to feed them, the never-feed list, safe litter, costs, and symptom-to-urgency guides.
- The go-now emergency list. GI stasis, heatstroke and the other signs that mean a same-day vet visit.
- A first-year budget. Realistic US cost ranges, so the spay or the first emergency doesn't come as a shock.
- Checklists and a 12-month tracker. Daily, weekly and monthly routines, plus a page to log weight, droppings, nails and molts.
III · A note from Kate
Plain answers, in one place
I make Bunnies with Kate, a YouTube channel of plain-language bunny care for US rabbit owners. The same questions come up again and again: how big the pen should be, how much to feed, why the litter box isn't working, and when something is an emergency. This guide puts the first-year answers in one order you can follow and come back to.
I'm not a veterinarian, and the book doesn't pretend otherwise. It's written to help you set up well, notice problems early, and get more out of every vet visit.
Kate
IV · What is inside
Six parts, thirty chapters
Part One
Before Your Rabbit Comes Home
- Is a Rabbit Right for You?
- Choosing Your Rabbit
- The Real Cost of Year One
- Finding a Rabbit-Savvy Vet
- How Rabbits Work
Part Two
A Rabbit-Ready Home
- Pens, Not Cages
- Bunny-Proofing Every Room
- Where the Pen Goes
- The Litter Box Setup That Works
- The First 72 Hours
Part Three
The Bowl
- Hay Is the Diet
- Pellets: Which Kind and How Much
- Leafy Greens and Smart Rotation
- Treats, Fruit, and the Never-Feed List
- Water and Changing Food Safely
Part Four
Trust, Training, and Behavior
- Reading Rabbit Body Language
- Litter Training Step by Step
- Handling and Lifting Safely
- Chewing, Digging, and Enrichment
- Spay, Neuter, and Bonding
Part Five
Keeping Your Rabbit Healthy
- The Ten-Minute Weekly Health Check
- Grooming, Molts, and Nails
- Teeth and Why Hay Matters
- GI Stasis: The Emergency to Know
- Head Tilt, Flystrike, Sore Hocks, RHDV2
Part Six
The Rest of Year One
- Month by Month: Baby to Adult
- Summer Heat and Winter Cold
- Travel, Sitters, and an Emergency Plan
- Kids, Cats, and Dogs
- The Routine for the Next Ten Years
Plus a Quick Reference section: daily, weekly and monthly checklists, go-now emergencies, feeding amounts at a glance, safe greens and never-feed lists, a first-year shopping checklist, and your 12-month tracker.
V · A look at the pages
Real pages. Real numbers.
Set in a large, readable serif with clear headers, tables and charts. It reads as well printed as it does on a tablet.
VI · The honest version
What this book will and won't do
This book will help you set up a good home, feed well, and notice problems earlier. It will not diagnose your rabbit, and it does not replace a rabbit-savvy veterinarian. Kate is not a vet, and the book says so plainly. The amounts and costs are general US guides, and your vet's advice for your own rabbit comes first. What good first-year care does is make the common mistakes much less likely and the years ahead more comfortable for your rabbit.
Who it's for
- New and soon-to-be rabbit owners in the US who want one clear plan for year one
- Families adopting a rabbit into a home with kids or other pets
- Owners who want to check their setup, diet and routine against a plain checklist
Who it's not for
- Experienced keepers looking for advanced breeding, showing or veterinary material
- Anyone looking for a substitute for a vet visit when a rabbit is unwell
VII · Questions
Frequently asked
What exactly arrives after I buy?
Two files, ready to download right away: the PDF (246 pages) and the EPUB. They are yours to keep, and you can download them again any time from your Gumroad library.
Which file should I use?
The EPUB on a phone, tablet or Kindle (use Amazon's Send to Kindle). The PDF on a computer or for printing.
Is checkout secure?
Yes. Payment is handled by Gumroad's checkout, and your card details are never shared with us.
Is this a printed book?
No. It is a digital download. You are welcome to print the PDF for your own use.
Is Kate a veterinarian?
No, and the book says so plainly. It is written to help you work with your vet, not replace one.
I already have a rabbit. Is it too late?
No. Most of the book is about daily care, diet and health checks, which apply at any age, and Chapter 30 covers the routine for the years beyond the first.
Hay first. Go slow. Watch closely.