Wow! So many of us would snap that guy up in a heartbeat! Flemish Giants have the same basic requirements as any bunny, but of course there is going to be more food, hay and litter being used. They are usually allowed to be free-range, but seeing as he’s still young (and possibly unneutered?) he will be likely to exhibit normal, destructive teenager behaviors, so totally free-range may not be an option right away. You could do a combined xpen set-up (I use two xpens for my buns set-up in a large rectangle) and that combined with supervised playtime will suffice until he is old enough to consider 24/7 free-range.

The problem with fostesr is… they tend to STAY! LOL! I think it’s a good plan to take him in and see how it goes, but I’m seriously guessing you’ll just fall in love. I can’t help too much on the traveling thing, I don’t have any first-hand experience with that…

So they are really “getting rid of” him b/c he is getting big?! What did they expect?

There’s room at my place!

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of what a Flemish Giant would require is hay storage. You will need to buy hay by the bale and it needs to be stored properly.

flemish eat SO MUCH, be prepared for it! most of the time nori’s cage floor is filled with food, i have to feed her a couple times a day.. and she’s pretty skinny. flemish also seem to really live up to the nickname “gentle giants”. i have one and a friend of mine from work has an unneutered male, and even hers is such a sweetheart, to other buns as well. as for their size, you dont have to worry too much. make a large NIC cage! you really shouldnt have to worry about levels, they’re too big unless you make a really tall cage anyway.
as far as free range goes, it should be easy to let him out most of the time. nori is still in her teenager stage and she is barely destructive. the only thing she does is chewing a little on the baseboards, when she’s lounging near them. and my friend’s unneutered male doesnt even chew wires! she lets him run around in her wire-strewn apartment every day and he doesnt chew them. it seems that other than the feeding requirements flemish are a lot easier. but im only basing this off of two, so i could be wrong!
also, make sure you have carpet, because as felmish are large they dont binky as much as they zoom and they really need the extra traction because of all the momentum they have!

ohh, and come nail clipping time you’ll probably need an assistant. nori is pretty relaxed but shes too big to even fit in my lap so its difficult.

Posted By sgregory on 12/14/2009 04:37 PM 
and my friend’s unneutered male doesnt even chew wires! she lets him run around in her wire-strewn apartment every day and he doesnt chew them.

Argh…I feel like a busy-body!  I want to say…what about the day he does decide to try chew them?  They can be unpredictable sometimes. Please encourage your friend to cover them as a safe guard.  Please.

AV – it’d be cheaper if I just come pick him up myself. It’s what, like and 8 hr drive?

oh i know! it worries me too.. he could get electrocuted! but she’s had him a little over a year and there’s never been an issue.. it’s weird, i dont get it!

I am…but i can’t I am…but i can’t I am…but i can’t
Unless I miraculously get better paid work between now and then, I cannot really have him. If I’m meant to have him – then the way will become clear. I’m just going to have to take this attitude. There’s a Melbourne rescue I came across but cannot remember the name. Edit:  http://www.rabbitrunaway.org.au  You may have even mentioned them yourself. Perhaps you or the current owners could contact them to see if they know anyone who is after a Flemish.
Also just found this person http://www.myspace.com/rabbitcare

Hahaha! JG – you, like me, don’t need another rabbit…but oh do I want a Flemish. My BF is looking for a Flemish, he’s 8 hours from Melbourne and visits regulary. I bet he’ll be pretty easy to convince once I steal my rabbits from him.

don’t need another rabbit

lol. Speak for yourself. I always want/need another Flemmish or not. I don’t want to upset J&R’s equilibrium but I crave meeting other rabbits.  I think my solution will be to work with rabbits – paid or volunteer.  Your BF sounds like a good candidate. Strongly encourage him.

Any update AV? I’m curious to hear what you decide to do (and we love Flemmies so a pic would be awesome if you brought him home!)

Oooo a Flemie…I hope my husband doesn’t see this post or he’ll want to steal him I have always heard great things about Flemish Giants as well, as far as their personality, but I would imagine that the level of destructiveness probably depends on the rabbit, and also he may decide to “mark” around the house. I hope that he is able to stay with you, or find a good home, there are often lots of people out there looking for the bigger rabbits. I have also tried fostering before…and failed…I kept two fosters before I realized I’m not any good as a foster mom

All these things people say about Flemish giants makes me think that Fern was born as the wrong bunny! She is just like a Flemish, she is so calm and gentle and doesn’t chew wires or anything at all (except her grass mats).

Good luck on the Flemmie! I hope you get him! To tell you the truth, the chances of you getting him are high.
1. You are seriously thinking about getting him and know all the perks of having a Flemish.
2. If you foster him you will fall in love and keep him.
3. If you end up not getting him then you will think about him a lot until you do, or until someone else does (either way he gets a home)
These are all things that would happen to me in your situation. They might not happen to you, it is just a guess!

Oh wow. I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. That is also against anything I’ve ever heard about Flemish Giants, but I guess like with any animal, environment and training will have a lot to do with the animal’s disposition. I feel so bad for that poor bunny, but I can understand their concerns.

Binky Free Flem. I hope you can find peace.

That’s terrible. What an ordeal for all of you. I am worried most about your head hitting the coffee table. Make sure you keep an eye on yourself for any other problems.
If Flem’s scratches did that much damage I’m guessing they didn’t trim his nails much either. That much aggression after being neutered is a sign of something wrong. It’s possible that he had some sort of illness that none of you were aware of. I once had a cat who was pretty aggressive, and he died young of kidney disease that turned out to be fairly common to his breed. Flem just may have inherited an excessively aggressive nature, or had an underlying condition that kept him on edge that way. By 5 years old he was going to turn the corner and be a geriatric bunny within 2 years or so anyway, so I’m guessing something was off for him as well.

You show great kindness in being upset about his fate, rather than having any animosity toward him and his owners for all the harm you suffered.
{{{{{{{Healing vibes to you}}}}}}}}}
{{{{{{{{{{{{Binky free, Flem}}}}}}}}}

Absolutely! ^^^

I’m sorry, rereading my post, I didn’t mean for it to sound as if I was not concerned for YOU! I’m just shocked by everything. Please take care of yourself! It’s not your fault he had to be put down. With that kind of aggression and a young child in the house, I can’t help but think it may have been for the best. You don’t realize the strength that is involved with a rabbit of that size.

OMG

Firstly-you didn’t fail him-they did. Obviously did not train him properly and I wonder if he was even neutered… This is definitely a case -imho-of them lying about why they want to get rid of the rabbit-the ‘he’s just too big’ is an obvious excuse-they got a flemish GIANT- big should be what they were after; Sounds to me like they ended up with a problem rabbit and wanted to get rid of him. That’s too bad

AND My gosh-no kidding the doc thought it was a dog who got you! I can’t even imagine. I hope you are doing better now?

Wow that’s unbelievable. I’m happy to hear that you are okay.
I don’t mean to make light of the matter, but am I the only one that immediately thought of the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog from Monty Python fame?

  I’m so sorry AV and hope you recover well.   I really don’t know what to say in regards to Flem… I’m just so saddened.

Its too abd about Flem, poor bun… Binky free Flem!

very cute about anya and bugz tho

Yes, Binky Free Flem. So sad he didn’t get a better chance at a better life.  AV, I hope this experience doesn’t cloud your opinion about flemish giants. Could have been any breed really.   I think human error is to blame here.   As you know, when you work in Rescue with animals, these sorts of scenarios come across your path all too often.  It is lovely to hear you have 2 sweet bunnies at home to remind you of better side of life.

that is so funny about your Bugz.    Gosh what an attack rabbit.  I bet he would have been good to deter thieves from breaking into your home.

Poor Flem        Poor you     get well

Nethies seem to be very dominant, from what I’ve seen of Monkey lol. Bugz doesnt want anyone stealing his Human away, so he’s gotta make sure you are well marked

Wow. That is just crazy. I can’t believe that happened! I know a breeder of Giants and even though they aren’t fixed, at least with the males, you would hardly even know (except they are stinky). They are just so sweet and loving. They can just be picked up and cuddled like giant babies! On the other hand, we did have a female (unspayed) who bit my sister. Hardly a nip though compared to what happened to you! I hope you heal well! Don’t feel too bad about him. Too many rabbits suffer a much worse fate, for much less. He was taken care of in a humane manner. I think it was actually the responsible thing on the part of his owners.

That’s a good point too… I find it hard to believe they’d have a 15 pound bun who was THAT aggressive for 5 years and not do anything about it long before then. It’s very likely that it was something that came up more suddenly. Regardless, he’s in a better place now and no longer (possibly) hurting…