Mary Allen
Anyone who sees a giant rabbit for the first time will be amazed for the first time: Compared to wild rabbits or common domestic rabbit breeds, the animals are downright enormous. The giant rabbits are three to four times as heavy as a “normal” domestic rabbit and still have the same, cute-looking proportions. The round head, the large eyes, and the compact body are enormously enlarged in dimensions. Originally bred as fattening animals, the long-eared giants are now enjoying increasing popularity as household members. No wonder: the gentle colossi have a lot of advantages as a pet. Read more about the large breeds of rabbits here.
Why are There Giant Rabbits?
Humans once domesticated rabbits in order to eat them. The animals could be kept with little effort and reliably and plentifully provided for offspring. So you no longer had to go hunting. A major advantage – and so, in the course of cultural history, rabbits quickly spread almost worldwide in the wake of humans. For the people, it was of course an advantage if the animals were as large as possible and quickly gained weight. As a result, the mating of large parent animals was started and selection was made according to the body size of the animals. Little by little, breeding lines emerged in which the size of the animals played an increasingly important role. The establishment of color strokes was added later. Compared to the original form, the result was gigantic rabbits in regionally characteristic color variants: a result of genetic selection and targeted mating over countless generations of rabbits.
What Breeds of Giant Rabbits are There?
According to internationally established breeding standards, giant rabbits are considered to be animals that are heavier than 5.5 kilograms. The upper limit permitted for exhibitions is currently 11.8 kilograms. The current record was set by a British rabbit named Darius, who weighed 22 kilos at a length of 1.32 meters.
The special charm of giant rabbits as pets is what makes them not only their impressive size, but also their character: The animals are considered to be extremely cozy, gentle, and balanced, and quickly become tame and trusting. Due to their size, they are also somewhat more robust than their small, delicate conspecifics and usually get along with smaller children or playful pets such as smaller dogs or cats.
What Should I Watch Out for When Keeping Large Breeds of Rabbits?
The obvious thing about keeping giant rabbits: They need space. Lots of space. In order to offer giant rabbits a species-appropriate life, you cannot avoid an enclosure or aviary or continuous free-range housing in the apartment. Spatial confinement in the stable or even in cages is absolutely not animal-friendly! Such unfortunate animals become apathetic and immobile.
The menu of the giant rabbit, on the other hand, does not differ from that of a smaller domestic rabbit – apart from the fact that larger portions are required of everything.
Four varieties of giant rabbits are common in Germany:
- German giant: The German giant is actually a Belgian. The breed emerged in the 19th century in Geneva, known for its rabbit breeding, and was exported to Germany towards the end of the century. In 1893, the first giant rabbit – at that time weighing just 4.5 kilograms, much lighter than its modern offspring – was presented at an exhibition in Chemnitz. In the further course of the breeding history, emphasis was placed on a single-colored coat without a mark and as high a weight as possible. Today, in the interests of animal welfare, care is taken that the animals have a healthy stature and proportions. The animals were listed as “Belgian giants” until 1948, but are now recognized as a separate breed. The usual weight of a German giant is around seven kilograms.
- White giants are the white color of the German giant, which was bred out of the targeted mating of albinos. White giants were exhibited for the first time in 1904. The animals are pure white and have red eyes. Their fur was in great demand: as an inexpensive alternative to noble fur. Since 2012, the white giants are no longer a separate breed but are assigned to the German giants. At 6.5 kilograms, the White German Giants are slightly lighter on average than the wild-colored variants.
- Giant German Checks: This breed appeared in the Rhineland at the turn of the 20th century. The strikingly patterned animals emerged from the so-called Belgian or German land rabbit. The giant chicks were bred parallel to the land rabbit for a while. In the breeding standards, it is very precisely specified how the typically spotted rabbits should look and be distributed over the fur. With a weight of around six kilograms, German piebalds are relative “light”.
German Aries: Formally, this is not a giant rabbit breed, but the animals are very large, weighing between five and a half to nine kilograms. The Mümmler is a further breed of the French ram and is recognized in many different colors. Its floppy ears have a wingspan of up to 45 centimeters.
Unfortunately, like other giant rabbits, the life expectancy of giant rabbits is significantly lower than that of smaller conspecifics. The average life expectancy of a giant rabbit is around four years; However, if they are kept in a species-appropriate manner and have a stable health status, they can also get significantly older in individual cases. Due to their breeding history, they are also more prone to heart disease, abscesses, and hip dysplasia. German giant checks are still susceptible to the so-called megacolon syndrome, a hereditary disease that manifests itself in chronic digestive disorders and immunodeficiency diseases.