Bunny Breed Guide: Flemish Giant Rabbit
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Nothing is more awe inspiring in the bunny world than a Flemish Giant. Often referred to as gentle giants, these rabbits can grow larger than a dog, and can be quite the conversation stopper when they come casually hopping through someone's back yard!
The Flemish Giant first came to fame in America in the early 1900's , when people began to show off these giant beauties at county fairs and shows. Like the New Zealand White, they are highly prized for both their meat and their fur, and make excellent pets due to their docile and friendly natures.
As with all rabbits, it is important to get your Flemish Giant Rabbit used to being handled, and to associate you with positive things. Because these rabbits are relatively large, the bite or scratch you get from them will be much more painful than that of a mini lop or dwarf breed. Having said that, if you treat your bunny well, bites and scratches are more of a rarity than a rule.
A Flemish Giant may be a good choice if you are looking for something with a relaxed temperament that doesn't need to run around like a mad thing too much. Unlike their smaller counterparts, Flemish Giants are quite happy to lay around a fair bit, though be warned, they do consume a lot more feed than smaller rabbits.
If you're considering a Flemish Giant, also consider the cage you will need for these bunnies. 30 by 48 inches is considered to be the smallest acceptable floor space for a single Flemish Giant, though larger quarters are of course, encouraged.
Flemish Giants come in a range of colors, light greys, sandy tones, darker greys, fawns, whites, blacks, and blues are all possible colors for a Flemish Giant.
An average Flemish Giant generally weighs around 6.5 to 7 kgs, or 14 - 15.5 pounds. If you would like to show your Flemish Giant Rabbit, or would simply like to know what the breed's ideal standards are, here are a few things to look out for:
Head: The Flemish Giant has a large and well shaped head. The eyes should be bright and alert, and the ears should stand nicely erect.
Body: The body of a Flemish Giant Rabbit should be long and powerful. It should be in proportion throughout the entire body. The hindquarters should be nice and thick, and the flesh of the rabbit should be solid and well formed. The fur should be glossy and thick set.
Faults: Too much fat is considered a fault in Flemish Giant Rabbits, as is baggy skin. The coat should be even in color, so patchy colored coats are frowned upon. The rump should be nicely rounded, so square looking hindquarters are not good, neither are wedge shaped heads, or ears that are not carried nicely erect.
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Comments
that big boneded thing made me lol!maby ill tell my bff about this
nightmares!! they are comming to get me!! the giant bunnies!!! ARRRGHH!!
Can it live in a tropical country?
looks like my bunny
I am a proud owner of a Flemish Giant, and i live in Southwest Florida, for that tropical part. We have a/c, and never let the house get above 85, and have fans frozen water bottles and so forth to keep them cool when the air goes off and windows come open. They are such WONDERFUL rabbits, I cant imagine life w/out. I just wish they had a longer life span :-( 4-6 years is all we get with these beautiful bunnies.
i have a flemish giant. i almost sold her for market but i ran out crying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have two flemish giants, and they are just the best. But they are not for every body. Bigger sheds,bigger poos,bigger appitites,bigger binkies.. i live in south florida so as far as tropical goes, they do alright. However I keep mine inside, and they only play outside in the early mornings when it is cool enough. They have so much fur that they get hot very easily.
Ive been looking at getting one from my Boss at work. This site has been the most helpful for information about them!!!
I have a baby flimish and I love her so much
I love my baby giant named Chewbacca. Not skittish like our smaller bun. Very sweet bunny.
I am a breeder of Flemish, but have had them for years as pets. They are hands down the friendliest and sweetest rabbits in the world...Could never be without one!
I am looking to get a flemish, I have read up a great deal on them and have had many bunnies in my life.. where could i get one and how much?
Hi I just bought 2 flemish rabbits. I am very new to this. The female is supposed to be pregnant. Should I build her own pen or can they stay together??
from kruduck@yahoo.com
please advise on how i can get a flemish giant rabbit to purchase. i live in the Commonwealth of Dominica (situated between the french departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique) and must not be confused with the Dominican Republic found alongside Haiti. kindly include cost as CIF. i can be found on telephone 1-767-616-5216
OMG, I want one so bad, I love this information that you have provided on this site. It was very helpful. I hope to find one when I purchase one here in Chicago, IL. Thanks for the info, I really needed to know all of this, so that I'm able in finding the right flemish giant rabbit. Hopefully I find a blue one.
Thanks
I just got a Flemish giant and its the most adorable animal i have ever own.. he likes to lay down and watch t.v. with me when i come from work. he is at the door waiting for me when i come home from the office..i could not compare him with any other pet that i had. he is the greatest pet ever
I am getting one of these beauties within the next week. I live in sunny South Africa. I have been wanting 1 for a long time and have just found a breeder. I am so happy.
looking to buy young flemish giant
We have a Flemish Giant male rabbit, he is the most mellow, laid back rabbit I have ever been around, a real member of the family. He is about 30 months old, and has recently, in the last two months, gone blind. He has Galucoma. Anyway, we are treating it, and he's a house rabbit, so it doesn't seem like it's too big a deal. It's not like he has to forage for food! We have two dogs, and they act like the rabbit is another dog, and are very gentle when he comes around. We still let him out to roam the house a couple times a day, and he still know when he is under a table, or other furniture, so we suspect he can see at least a little. We love this little guy, and would recommend this breed to anyone thinking of a rabbit. If anyone else has a rabbit with Glaucoma please email cpuncher2000@yahoo.com and let me know your experience.
Thanks!
I am a proud owner of a fawn Flemish Giant kit (baby) doe called, Toffee! She is the sweetest cuddlest thing! But she bites. How do I stop her doing this? And I am thinking of breeding in a few years/months when she is older. What age do they have to be to start breeding? This web site has been VERY helpfull! :D
dovadee, I would advise you keep your pregnant rabbit seprate from the other rabbit as I have herd of stories that rabbits/guinea pigs have eaten/attacted the others babbies! So I wouldn't want that to happen to my Toffee's babbies (she is my fawn FG kit, doe). Rather be safe than sorry! LOL !
thanks
P.S: My Toffee has moved in with my chickens around the back and the chickens are scared of Toffee lol! She is rapidly growing (which is good) and is not biting as offten as she was when she arrived (I suppose it was stress related)
thanks again!
O MY GOSH! Huge
OMG Toffee is not biting much anymore but she still gives the odd hard bite. How do I stop this? ITS DRIVING ME MAD! And when guests come around they are put off by her biting (it hurts) how do I stop it plz plz reply! I'm in desprate need of a solution.
Btw guys when we offer Toffee a small bowl of sun-flower seeds, instead of eating them, she grabs the rim of the plastic bowl with her teeth and pushes/pulls it away from her violently, whats up with that? I am reseaching but... no luck. If you have any ideas of what this could be reply to me! PLEASE!
Thanks!
Lydia/ponylover!, In my experience, I've noticed that does/females are more aggressive and the biting can be from hormones. She sounds like a dominant female bunny. To keep her as a pet, I'd recommend spaying her and I bet she will calm down a lot. You could also breed her and that could calm her down, but that requires a lot of research to do correctly. I've been breeding rabbits for 15 years. You can breed FG females between 8 months to 12 months. If she is over 12 months and has never been bred, there can be complications and it is best to not breed at that point.
I just got my first Giant bunny, I named it Humble Bug, It is still small and so sweet, and really is Humble,I have a large walled in yard and love the fact that it will have a large yard to ;ive in with my kangaroos and other animals, it is living in a play pen at this time and seem very happy doing so. it loves being with me and loves to cuddle. I am getting one more of these gentle giants in a month, so I will be twice as happy then, I love having it as my new mate,,
omg i just bought a flemish. 4 months old and already big,with lots of room to grow. love him
John Rowan says:
2 years ago
Nice helpful guide,im intrested in getting 2