What does a big rabbit need and is it a good fit for our family?

What does a French Aries weigh? A French Aries is a great friend, they normally weigh between 5-6 kg. It happens in some cases that they approach the 8 kg stretch. Which can be equated with a really big cat or a pretty big dog. To get a slightly better grip on the size, we can compare with our Miniature Schnauzer Ester, which is a large model of the breed and weighs between 8-9 kg.

In the breed standard for French Aries, there is also no upper limit for preferred weight and over 5.51 kg. gives higher points at exhibition. See table below and feel free to read more Swedish Aries Club's website.

Age in months / Ideal weight in kg

4 up to 5 months - 3.9 kg.
5 up to 6 months - 4.5 kg.
6 up to 7 months - 5.0 kg.
7 up to 8 months - 5.3 kg.

Weight as an adult / points scale

-4.80 kg - 0 points
4.81-5.20 kg - 3 points
5.21-5.50 kg - 4 points
5.51 and higher - 5 points

What does it mean to have a large rabbit compared to a dwarf rabbit? Well, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Having a large rabbit has many advantages, it is solid and in many ways not as fragile as a dwarf rabbit, often they are also a little calmer to handle.

It is rarely a rabbit, regardless of breed, likes to be lifted or carried, so I would like to recommend a French Aries for smaller children, but why then? First, I would like to mention that there are exceptions to all rules, if the rabbit is very well socialized, daily uplifted, carried and handled like cubs. Then there are the occasional rabbit who still in the long run also as an adult thinks it is perfectly okay.

Therefore, there is a great favor in my opinion to get a French Aries for smaller children, as it will not be as natural to pick up the rabbit in time and out of time, but instead sit down and have the rabbit on your lap. It prevents accidents and is nice for both children and rabbits.

A large rabbit also needs significantly larger areas to move on, even if no rabbit likes to be trapped in a small cage. It is important to let young rabbits move a lot to build a healthy body with strong ligaments and good muscles. An adult and older rabbit then needs to move properly and regularly to maintain a healthy body as well as mind. Rabbits are both sociable and by nature have a lot of running in their legs, a happy rabbit can be out and about every day!

Whether this is in a fenced garden outdoors or completely or partially free-standing inside an apartment or a house, in my opinion is secondary. Only there is room for play and movement.