Would you like a giant, white rabbit breed that makes an excellent companion? Then why not consider the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit?
A Blanc de Bouscat rabbit is a giant rabbit breed that was initially bred for meat and fur purposes. These days, the all-white Blanc de Bouscat rabbits are popular pet rabbits in France where the breed is a firm local favorite. Blanc de Bouscat rabbits can live 10 years or longer if you take care of them.
Ready to learn more about this French rabbit breed?
What Is a Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit?
A Blanc de Bouscat rabbit is a giant-sized rabbit breed that weighs 13 pounds or more. With an average lifespan of a decade, you’ll have a long-time fluffy-eared bestie.
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed is “gentle giants” because they are social, playful, friendly, and sweet.
Their care difficulty level is rated as moderate, but these bunnies make great pets for first-time pet rabbit owners, families with older kids, and those with enough space to look after these buns.
Comparable rabbit breeds for the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit are the French Lop rabbit, Blanc de Hotot rabbit, and the Flemish Giant rabbit.
Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit History and Origin
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit was originally called the Ermine rabbit. The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed hails from France, and like the breed’s name suggests, the village of Bouscat in Gironde is the starting point of this rabbit’s development.
In 1906, Mr and Mrs Dulon wanted to create a rabbit that was large in size. This rabbit also had to have red eyes and a frosted white fur coat.
By crossing the Flemish Giant rabbit with the Argenté Champagne (or Champagne d’Argent) rabbit and a French Angora, the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed was created.
In 1924, these rabbits were imported into England to help revive the commercial rabbit farming industry.
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed is accepted by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). The breed, however, is not recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit is still popular in France, but abroad, it has become a rare rabbit.
Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit Characteristics
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit looks quite similar to the Blanc de Hotot rabbit at a quick glance.
So let’s examine the personality and physical characteristics of the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed.
Temperament
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbits are active so they love playtime. While you may think these bunnies are restless, that’s not true.
They are gentle giants, so they are calm, which makes them an ideal companion and a good fit for any household.
Like other rabbits, the Blanc de Bouscat is also smart. Take the time to teach your pet rabbit tricks to stimulate their mind. You can also invest in puzzle toys and make obstacle courses for your Blanc de Bouscat bun.
Because these rabbits were originally bred for meat and fur, they take well to being handled. So they won’t mind if you pet them, and if you pet your Blanc de Bouscat correctly, they’ll even love it.
Body Shape
The giant Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed weighs a minimum of 13 pounds when mature. These buns can weigh a lot more as there is no set limit on how much they can weigh.
The body shape of a Blanc de Bouscat bunny is semi-arched or mandolin shaped. You’ll see a strong and muscular body when looking at the Blanc de Bouscat breed. They also have long, thick ears that are always held upright. Their ears are rounded at the top too.
Coat
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit has a soft, silky, and dense coat which was used to make fur coats and other clothing pieces when rabbit pelts were still popular to trade.
Their luxurious coat is no surprise, however. The French Angora rabbit was used to develop the Blanc de Bouscat breed.
With a medium-length coat, you don’t need to worry too much about grooming the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit. You can simply brush your rabbit’s coat once a week with a rabbit-friendly slicker brush as a way to spend time or bond with your bun.
When it is molting or shedding season, increase the grooming frequency to twice a week.
When you groom your rabbit more often as they actively shed, you ensure that more of their loose fur is kept out of their digestive system.
As a rabbit grooms itself and its rabbit friend that they are bonded to, some fur will make its way into the bun’s digestive tract, which can cause serious health complications like a GI obstruction.
Grooming also ensures you keep your rabbit’s fur (or most of it) off your furniture and clothes.
Color Varieties
The albino Blanc de Bouscat rabbit breed was specifically bred to have an all-white coat. These rabbits should have no markings on them. However, there may be a frosty sheen on their pure white coat.
Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit Care
If you are lucky to own a Blanc de Bouscat rabbit or are thinking of adopting one, here are the best care tips for this rabbit breed:
Rabbit Enclosure & Exercise Pen
Since the Blanc de Bouscat is a giant rabbit, any rabbit enclosure and exercise pen needs to be large enough for this bun.
In essence, the rabbit should be able to hop 3 times in any direction in the enclosure. The top of the enclosure must also not touch your rabbit’s erect ears.
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit isn’t suited for a small house or apartment. If you have a large enough property, you can keep the rabbit outside or inside.
An outside rabbit hutch should be made safe so no predator can make their way inside, scare your rabbit to death, or prey on them.
The hutch should also keep the bun safe from the elements – so your rabbit should be able to move from shade to sunny areas to help self-regulate their internal body temperature.
Your rabbit can more easily suffer from heatstroke since rabbits prefer the cold.
Your bun’s coat should also not get wet from the rain because it takes too long to dry. And if your Blanc de Bouscat rabbit catches a chill, they can sicken and die.
For an inside rabbit pen, ensure there’s enough space for the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit inside. Also bunny-proof the areas of your room that your rabbit will spend time in.
Part of keeping a rabbit healthy is ensuring they get plenty of exercises, and that’s where an exercise pen is handy. It should be at least 3 times bigger than the rabbit hutch or cage.
Rabbit Diet
A rabbit needs a healthy and balanced diet.
Make sure your rabbit has all-day access to drinking water and hay to wear down their teeth that are ever-growing and to keep their digestive system moving.
Then feed your Blanc de Bouscat rabbit rabbit-friendly pellets, leafy greens, and herbs twice a day.
High sugar veggies and fruit should be given sparingly so your rabbit doesn’t become obese. It’s best to keep fruit, etc. as snacks while you bond with your rabbit or train them.
Rabbit Health
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit is quite a healthy rabbit breed with no specific hereditary illness.
There are various health issues you do need to keep an eye on, just like with any other rabbit breed:
- Sore hocks
- Overgrown nails
- GI stasis and other gut-related health problems
- Pneumonia
- Myxomatosis
- Flystrike
- Ear mites
Breeding Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit has been or is being bred for these purposes:
As Pets & for Show
Currently, the Blanc de Bouscat are bred as pet rabbits; however, some of them are also bred for show and exhibition purposes.
For Wool & Meat
When the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit was first bred in the early 20th century, the main purposes of the rabbit were to produce rabbit meat and fur for clothing items.
The rabbit’s white soft and silky white coat is perfect for the fur trade. And since the rabbit is a giant size, there’s lots of meat for the rabbit meat industry.
Blanc de Bouscat Rabbit Price
Unless you live in France, it’s very rare that you will be able to buy a Blanc de Bouscat rabbit. If you can find one, you’ll pay between $25 and $50 for a Blanc de Bouscat bunny.
However, expect to pay $200 or therearound for a pedigree Blanc de Bouscat that’s show-worthy and competition ready.
My Last Bunny Thoughts
The Blanc de Bouscat rabbit makes an excellent family pet despite its rather giant size. But the Blanc de Bouscat is a sweetie, and the bun will win over your heart if you decide that this white rabbit is the right pet for you.
Look after the rabbit well, feed them a balanced diet, make sure the rabbit gets plenty of mental, social, and physical stimulation, and you’ll have a friend for a really long time.
After all, there’s a reason the Blanc de Bouscat rabbit continues to be a popular companion choice for families in France.