🐇Fauve de Bourgogne: gear and buying guides

The Fauve de Bourgogne is a hardy French breed with a uniform golden-red coat, weighing around 3.5 to 5 kg. Historically a farm breed, it has earned a place as a robust companion rabbit with a steady temperament. Its medium-to-large build calls for spacious housing and sturdy equipment.

Profile : Between 3.5 and 5 kg as an adult, short golden-red coat, hardy and even temperament.

Fauve de Bourgogne gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  Coming from farm lines selected for growth, the Fauve de Bourgogne converts food very efficiently and gains weight easily once adult: ration pellets according to its actual weight and rely on unlimited hay and greens.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  A quintessentially hardy breed, it only needs weekly brushing of its dense short coat. Its robustness does not exempt it from basic care: nails every four to six weeks and vaccination against myxomatosis and RHD, especially if it lives outdoors.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  This medium-to-large rabbit loves digging and foraging: a digging box filled with soil or shredded paper and large snuffle mats channel this behaviour well. Choose sturdy toys suited to its powerful jaw.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  Plan for a pen of at least 3 square metres; its hardiness allows year-round outdoor living in an insulated hutch with a wired run, provided it is protected from draughts, damp and predators.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  Choose a large cat carrier or a small dog crate: at 4 or 5 kg, it is cramped in standard models. A top-opening carrier makes handling this muscular rabbit easier.

• 🧰 Accessories

  Go for large, durable equipment: a cat litter tray, heavy ceramic bowls and a metal hay rack. If it lives outdoors, a frost-proof drinker is useful in winter.

Guides to read

• Safe vegetables and greens for rabbits: the complete shopping listFood

  Which vegetables and leafy greens are safe for a rabbit? A vetted shopping list, daily amounts, forbidden foods and a realistic weekly budget.

• Healthy treats for rabbits: which to choose, which to banFood

  Which healthy treats can you give a rabbit? Dried flowers, herbs, tiny fruit portions: our criteria, the pet-shop traps to avoid and typical prices.

• Hay racks for rabbits: which one limits waste without creating risksAccessories

  Hay ball, wire rack, hay feeder or open box: which hay rack should you choose for a rabbit? Safety criteria, recommended designs and prices.

• Litter training your rabbit: the corner tray method, step by stepCare & grooming

  How do you litter train a rabbit with a corner tray? Step-by-step method, choosing the tray, the right litter, mistakes to avoid and the budget.

• Secure outdoor rabbit run: wire mesh, predators and best practiceTravel & safety

  How do you build a secure outdoor run for a rabbit? Predator-proof mesh, protection against digging escapes, shade requirements and a detailed budget.

• Outdoor hutches and winter: how to protect your rabbit from the coldBedding & habitat

  Which outdoor hutch will get a rabbit through winter? Insulation, straw, positioning, fatal mistakes and suitable models: the full guide with prices.

• Non-slip rugs and flooring for rabbits: protecting paws and parquetBedding & habitat

  Which non-slip rug or floor covering should you choose for a rabbit? Slippery tiles, wooden floors, joint risks: safe materials, traps and prices.

• Tunnels and hideouts for rabbits: the hiding places that change everythingToys & enrichment

  Which tunnels and hideouts should you choose for a rabbit? Safe materials, dimensions, placement in the pen and budget: our reasoned selection.