Mammals, Original Wild Facts

Wild Fact #576 – The Real Easter Bunny? – Flemish Giant

Photo by Lucile Petit

As you probably know by now, it is Easter weekend.  I really wanted to celebrate the weekend with a Wild Fact on the Easter Bunny but I believe I did that last year.  Although, since I have never actually met the Easter Bunny, I am not sure what breed of rabbit he is.  And considering the size of today’s bunny rabbit, this just may be the real Easter Bunny.  To celebrate the long weekend, we are going to look at the Flemish Giant so sit back, grab a Cadbury egg or two and enjoy this years Easter Wild Fact!

As you might expect from their name the Flemish Giant is an odd breed of domestic rabbit that is well known for their incredibly large size.  They are also known for hiding eggs in everyone’s house this weekend.  As crazy as this might sound, it is not uncommon for the Flemish Giant to weigh as much as 10 kg (22 lbs) with some individuals weighing as much as 13 kg (28 lbs).  I don’t know about you but that sounds more like a small dog than a cute, cuddly bunny rabbit.

Photo by richie graham (Wikimedia)

Although this breed may be a favourite for pet owners, you better have a lot of space for them to roam.  Let’s face it, they are the size of a Smart Car so you need a big area.  Another thing to note is this particular breed of rabbit will eat more food than your 16 year old son.  Again, their large size means they require more food than a regular ol’ bunny.  They apparently do make great pets though as they are fairly docile (probably because they are too big to move 🙂 ) and will tolerate some gentle handling.

If you do get a pet Flemish Giant then you can expect to have them for at least 5 years but many have been known to live into their teens.  Of course, once they get to their teenage years they become embarrassed of you, skip their curfew and think you know absolutely nothing about life.

Flemish Giant Fast Fact – You know the Flemish Giant is big when they have actually been used to combat famine.  That’s right, in 2006 a German breeder was selling these rabbits to North Korea in an attempt to control famine.

Well that does it for our Easter Wild Fact.  Enjoy your long weekend and make sure you spend some time with your family at this special time of year.  See all of you on Monday!

4 Comments

  1. HAPPY EASTER!!!!

    Good you didn’t disappoint me….you did a post on the Easter Bunny. He’s gorgeous. . Do rabbits lifespan vary depending on their breed?

    1. Happy Easter, Mom!

      I had to do an Easter related fact! I would imagine the lifespan of domestic rabbits does depend on their breed, much like dogs and cats. Different breeds will have stronger or weaker genes allowing them to live longer lives.

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