Though their lives will be dramatically different, an animal in a research institution and one in a shelter have something in common—they lack an ideal home. Viktor and Annie Reinhardt of the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., have edited a book that, although meant to instruct scientists in the proper care of laboratory animals, can give shelters insight into the care of all kinds of creatures—from guinea pigs to pigs.

Animal caretakers can adapt much of the information to make their charges’ temporary homes’ more comfortable and to inform the animals’ adopters on how to best look after them after bringing them home. Each chapter of the expanded ninth edition of Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals—written by veterinarians, scientists, and animal caretakers—highlights a different animal.

The chapter focusing on rabbits, for example—by authors at the Animal Care Centre at the University of British Columbia—contains several recommendations for care. The authors point out that rabbits are social animals and don’t fare well when housed singly in small cages. “The quality of life of group-housed rabbits is significantly improved,” they write, “even of individuals who rank low in the social hierarchy, compared to those kept in solitary confinement.” The authors include tips on the size of group housing (converted dog runs are mentioned as one option), selection of rabbits to be housed in a group, bedding material, toys and other important rabbit “accessories,” and proper handling. Other chapters offer similar detail, and are similarly illustrated with plenty of photographs.

To read Comfortable Quarters online, visit www.awionline.org/. To order the book, contact the Animal Welfare Institute at P.O. Box 3650, Washington, DC 20027; 703-836-4300 (phone); or 703-836-0400 (fax).