Rabbits are popular pets, especially with children. They are cute and like to be petted. It’s good to know, however, that there is a wide range of rabbit breeds. There are even giant breeds, which require slightly different care than dwarf breeds. We asked the breeder Nikola Čapková about how to take care of the giant breeds and what to keep in mind before getting a giant rabbit.
Which breeds fall into the giant category?
Among the most popular are the Belgian Giant, the French Ram, the German Checkered Giant, and the Moravian Blue. These rabbits weigh over 5 kg, so they are no dwarves.
Is the care of giant breeds any different? If so, how?
The care differs especially in the area of feeding. A giant rabbit needs a larger home, with some of the breeds having huge ears, which means that the height of the rabbit’s shelter will also be needed to be taken into account. When it comes to food, these rabbits eat a lot.
What does a giant rabbit need?
Giant rabbits need, above all, enough space. Putting them into a meter-by-meter cage is certainly not possible. Therefore, many people choose a rabbit hutch, but if the rabbit is a pet and not a breeding animal, a pen or paddock is worth considering. For lop-eared rabbits, I would focus on suitable bedding – some of them have long ears that can easily get dirty.
What should we prepare for before we get a giant rabbit?
Be sure to think about the financial and time aspects. Rabbits of giant breeds need enough bedding, feed, and we should also consider the time needed to clean their large pens. Next, we need to ask ourselves whether we can handle such a large animal, whether we have a place for it at home. If we answer these questions with a ‘Yes’, then all we need to do is to choose between a rabbit with lop ears or erect ears.
Do rabbits of the giant breeds require more time for physical activity?
The large breeds are rather calm in nature. For example, the rabbit hop discipline is out of the question with these breeds, since their bodies are too heavy and their bones and joints would suffer. Although they know how to have fun, they prefer toys or cuddling. Of course, they can be taught simple commands like spinning or standing on their hind legs. Rabbits are happy to do so in exchange for a good treat.
How different is the amount of feed that giant rabbits need?
From my own experience, it is about twice what small rabbits need (in my case, I am comparing a French Ram with a small Tan Rabbit). Of course, there is a big difference whether we feed with cheap fattening dry food or a quality brand. The feed ratio may vary slightly between different brands.
Are rabbits of giant breeds suitable for apartments?
Yes, definitely! People often get the larger breeds for their apartments. These pets are a little less demanding than a dog but similar in size. They are calmer in nature, so you don’t need to worry about chasing them all around the apartment. Another plus is their calm and even temperament, which makes them the ideal pets.
What should future owners prepare for them?
Above all, lots of love and a lot of hand for cuddling. Other than that, prepare enough space and a decent supply of feed, especially hay, which forms the dietary basis of all rabbits. They like grinding their teeth on it.
tradiční dárky pro psy .jpg/30x20/FIT)
tradiční dárky pro psy .jpg/600x400/FIT)
Christmas is coming and it’s the time we are thinking of how we can please our loved ones. Besides family and friends, we should also not forget about our loyal companions that have stood by our side through our highs and lows during the whole year....
In this article, we’ll introduce you to another discipline of Disc Dog – our focus will be on Parallel Time Trial. The most important thing in it is the time within which a dog catches a flying disc. What does this discipline look like, in what...
Coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on the lives of most people. Our travelling has been limited, we started spending most of our time at home – with our furry friends in many cases. However, it has also been a change for them. They suddenly had...
Most of us dream about having a long and happy life, and ways to ensure it have been sought for centuries. Recent scientific studies, however, suggest that the answer has been right before us all along: Our cats, in addition to being nice companions,...
Defence Training is a process in which we try to encourage and develop the predatory instinct. We differentiate between practical and sports defence. In the case of sports defence, the dog is controllable and it isn’t headless stimulation of...
This animal is a wild predator that also likes to just relax on the couch. We are, of course, talking about the American shorthair cat, which can be considered similar to its European counterpart, just on the American continent. What makes this breed...
Wolves belong to the Carnivora order, and the thought of meeting them in the wild scares many of us. It is therefore quite surprising that wolves are very shy and wary animals that will try to avoid human contact at all costs. All the more if the...
Like humans, our pets may experience adverse reactions to some food or ingredients. Whether we give them dry food or raw meat, there is always a risk that the food will not suit our pets, perhaps simply because they cannot digest it. How to recognize...
On our blog, we have already written about dogfrisbee, a sport where dogs catch flying discs. Its advantage is that both the dog and the owner play sports together. Dogfrisbee is also a great sport for its diversity – it includes various disciplines...
Sport cynology is sometimes also called the royal discipline. It is mainly because of its difficulty – very versatile skills are needed for it both from the dog handler as well as the dog. What aspects are the most difficult and what is its...
The Vizsla comes from Hungary where it arrived with nomadic tribes. The written references about this breed can be traced back to 14th century, but it started to be more significant in 18th and 19th centuries, mainly in association with races just...
As well as people, dogs are unique living beings which differ in their nature and in what they like and don’t like. A significant part of it depends on upbringing of course, but owners need to accept some characteristic features of a dog and learn...
