Tim Behringer's rabbits don't have cute names – they have numbers. And for this 10-year-old, it's no big deal when the courier comes to take one of his rabbits away.

After all, that's all part of the job.

The ten-year-old from Zirndorf, northern Bavaria, has just been crowned Europe's Youth Rabbit Breeding Champion.

Photo: DPA

With a former German Youth Champion for a father, and a Grandfather who's won every title from Club Champion to European Champion, Behringer was pretty much born into the business.

“When my Grandad was on holiday, I always had to look after the rabbits,” he told DPA.

And with between 60 and 120 rabbits in the hutches in his grandfather's garden at any one time, this was no mean feat.

So what's involved in looking after dozens of rabbits from day to day? “Food, water and giving out hay, clipping their nails and cleaning out the hutches,” Behringer listed.

Herbert Behringer introduced his grandson to the hobby.

“He always helped me a bit more in winter than in summer,” he told DPA. “Naturally, playing football with his friends came first then.”

Nonetheless, Europe's newest rabbit breeding champion makes plenty of time for his animals.

At the moment, the young Bavarian still gets help from his grandfather – but at a later date, he hopes to take over the business completely.

12,000 rabbits from 18 different countries were exhibited at this year's European Championships – which took place in the French city of Metz.

The championships were on a school day, meaning Tim himself couldn't make it – but his grandfather went along, and soon rang the young champion with the news.

“When I rang him and told him: you're the European Champion, he was really proud,” he told DPA.