Continental Giant

What is a Continental Giant?

Among the largest domestic rabbits, 6-10kg as a working figure and considerably more in some individuals, reaching 80cm nose to tail. Long, powerfully built, with heavy bone and thick upright ears.

They are a lovely animal and a serious undertaking, and the two facts have to be held together.

History and origins

Developed in Belgium and Germany from the Flemish Giant, bred for meat and fur - the size was the point. They were standardised in Germany in the early 20th century and reached Britain as pets much later.

The British Rabbit Council recognises both a Coloured and a White variety. They are closely related to the Flemish Giant and the two names are often used loosely in adverts.

Appearance and size

6-10kg and often beyond, 50-80cm. A long body with a distinct arch, heavy bone, and ears that can be 20cm. Dense glossy coat in many colours.

They grow slowly and do not reach full size until about eighteen months.

Temperament and personality

Placid, patient and slow to alarm. Well-handled Continental Giants are affectionate and enjoy company, and their calm means many tolerate being picked up, provided the hindquarters are properly supported.

They are strong. A frightened 9kg rabbit kicking out can injure a person and can break its own spine doing it. Handling is a two-hands, close-to-the-body, low-to-the-ground job, and children cannot do it.

Intelligence and trainability

Intelligent and easily litter-trained. They learn names, routines and simple cues, and their calm makes them easier to train than a flightier small breed.

They are also perfectly capable of opening an unlatched enclosure and strong enough to move furniture in the process.

Children and other pets

Good with older children under supervision, and the tolerance is genuine. But a child cannot safely lift one and should not try.

They live well with other rabbits, and a bonded pair of giants needs a proportionately enormous space. Never house a rabbit with a guinea pig.

Health problems

Sore hocks (pododermatitis). A very heavy rabbit puts great weight on a small area. Deep soft bedding throughout is not optional.

Arthritis and spinal problems, common with age and size, and a frequent reason for early euthanasia. A giant that cannot reach its own bottom to groom cannot stay clean, which brings flystrike into it.

Cardiac disease, more common in giant breeds.

Gut stasis and dental disease as with any rabbit. Myxomatosis and RHDV1/RHDV2 - vaccinate. Flystrike - and check thoroughly, because size makes soiling easier to miss.

Anaesthetic risk is higher in giant breeds, which matters because rabbits need anaesthesia for routine dental work.

Four to seven years is the honest range and people who fall in love with the breed find that the hardest part of it.

Daily care routine

A large amount of hay, water in a bowl rather than a bottle, litter cleaned daily, and a full-body check including feet and bottom. Nails every six weeks and they are substantial. Weight monitored, because obesity in a giant is a fast route to hock and joint disease.

Grooming and coat care

Weekly brushing, more in a moult. Where they need help is reaching themselves: an older or arthritic giant needs its back end cleaned and checked daily.

Exercise needs

The Rabbit Welfare Association's 3m x 2m x 1m minimum is for an average rabbit. A Continental Giant needs more - realistically a dedicated room, a converted shed with an attached run, or free run of a large secure indoor space. No commercial rabbit hutch sold in a pet shop is suitable for this breed. Not one of them.

Feeding and diet

85% hay, unlimited, and a great deal of it - budget for a bale rather than a bag. Generous daily greens and a measured portion of single-component pellets scaled to body weight. No muesli. Growing giants need more protein than adults; ask the breeder what they were fed and change it gradually.

Price

£80-£250 from a breeder, and rescues have them regularly. The purchase price is the least of it.

Setup is £600-£1,500 for genuinely adequate housing. Running costs £1,200-£2,000 a year for a pair. Vet fees are higher throughout because drug doses are by weight, and a neuter on a giant is a bigger procedure than on a dwarf.

Buying advice

Be honest about the space first. If you would not have room for a medium dog, you do not have room for this rabbit, and daily free-run time does not compensate for an enclosure that is too small.

Ask what the parents and kits are housed on and look at the hocks of every rabbit on the premises. Ask the adult weight of both parents - "giant" is used loosely and a 3kg rabbit advertised as a Continental Giant is a cross.

Do not buy under eight weeks; ten is better. Find a vet experienced with giant rabbits before you bring one home, not after.