Anyone else own a Flemish Giant?

[StickyBun]

Just wondering who else here might own a Flemish Giant?  Our guy is 9 weeks old now and doing great…but I would love to speak with experienced Flemmie owners and get their take on these wonderful buns!

Would love to know what you found best works for toys (since everything is so SMALL!) and habitats (again, everything premade is so SMALL!) and such. We are attempting to be creative and he is only a bit over 5 lbs now so we haven’t hit any huge hurdles…but anyone who has been through it and can give me some direction…LOL.

At this point, we know he has no interest in cardboard or paper…and I can’t find a way to get him interested in foraging but I haven’t given up yet!!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

My Flemmie is pretty laid back, she likes hay balls/bowls, grass mats, cardboard. She’ll push around one of those $2 balls from the ball bin at walmart every once in a while. One of the favorites was a cat treat ball with some pellets in it, they both push that around for awhile
I don’t really buy anything from binky bunny or the pet store for them, since as you’ve said, its all too small. But the toys link above has a lot of good ideas (a toilet paper roll or paper bag stuffed with hay, some pellets and maybe some craisens or carrot bits) that all bunnies love, regardless of size

[mocha200]

I don’t own a Flemish giant but I do think it is annoying that people who make rabbit toys don’t understand that not everyone owns dwarf rabbits. Haha!

For housing, most store bought cages are to small for even small rabbits. Best housing option for larger rabbits is probably a metal dog exercise pen or just a bunny proofed rabbit room.

[Lis]

I’ve owned 2 Flemmies in the past.
3 cage options I’ve used: Whole room, large pen, and XXL dog crate.
Toys: Hideaway were a no go. Some companies make them specifically for flemmies but I’m cheap. Big old boxes (such as ones vaccuums come in) are great. Link loved any throwing toy he could get (toilet paper rolls, teething

[StickyBun]

 

He is sooo photogenic!  I wonder if that left ear will ever stand up…LOL!!

[mocha200]

He is so cute!

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Oh concrete forms from the hardware store make great tunnels, you can get ones big enough for even a full grown flemmie to run through

[Eepster]

Did you get him from a breeder, or somewhere else? The way his ears are beginning to flop looks kind of like a young lop’s would. If he came from a pet shop or shelter, he may be a mix, or they may just label all giant breeds as flemish giants. I wonder if he’s actually part french lop. English lops are more giant, but his ears don’t look long enough.

[StickyBun]

He was purchased from a show breeder who only has Flemish Giants.  He is only 9 weeks old, as far as I understand it is fairly normal for their ears to outgrow them for a bit!  LOL

[Beka27]

Not related to toys or housing, but I would strongly recommend you look into pet insurance if it’s available in your state. Flemish Giants seem to be riddled with health problems. I don’t really know why, but an extraordinary number of our members have had young flemmies get very sick and pass away (under about 3 years old). I’m not sure if this is just a known issue of the breed, or some type of inbreeding in their lineage. Not all flemmies will get sick that soon, but I’ll just say, I don’t know of many old flemmies.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Not a Flemmie owner, but I also own a giant breed, Zeus is either a French Lop or possibly a French/Mini Lop cross.  He weighs about 10 lbs and is full grown, so not quite as big as a Flemmie but I’ve gone through the same ordeal of basically all rabbit products being waaaay too small.

Cat toys, and small dog toys make good toys.  Zeus has a ball with bells in it he likes to throw around, it has fish and mice on it I think LOL.  His cage is actually a run designed to attach to an outdoor hutch, it’s wood and coated wire with linoleum bottom.  I then added an addition onto it with NIC cubes.

Get a big water dish, they tip anything even remotely lightweight over.  Be careful adding levels to the habitat; they need to be reinforced to hold their weight safely.  Make sure the litterbox is plenty big enough, and quite deep.  The big buns seem to be able to accidentally pee over the sides easier than smaller buns do.  Also make sure to attach the litterbox to the side of the cage in multiple places, if they jump in they can so sliding in the box due to their weight.

They eat A LOT.  I suggest finding a feed store or horse stable to purchase hay by the bale, much cheaper.  I spend a lot of money in greens, haven’t found a good way to save money on that yet.  The cheap stuff I find is usually partially wilted or just not good quality.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Posted By Eepster on 05/09/2013 06:06 PM
Did you get him from a breeder, or somewhere else? The way his ears are beginning to flop looks kind of like a young lop’s would. If he came from a pet shop or shelter, he may be a mix, or they may just label all giant breeds as flemish giants. I wonder if he’s actually part french lop. English lops are more giant, but his ears don’t look long enough.

 

Lady’s ears flopped for a few months, shes a pure flemmie Its a lot of work to keep those big ears up!

[bullrider76543]

Sorry I have been away with finals LOL too much studying. Anyway I have a flemmie named Big Blue and he is pretty laid back. the only thing he doesnt like is getting picked up. (but thats normal) I had to build him a condo that is 5′ wide and 4′ long and 7′ tall. he is too big for almost all the bunny toys we get, so we get tunnels for cats and he still climbs through them. he is a wopping 21 lbs and when he stretches out is 4 feet long! Flemies are fun!! good luck!! here is a pic of Big Blue begging for a treat next to my wife.

[Minhua Xu]

I recently adopted a flemish giant mix. Her mom is a pure flemish giant, dad is a 15-pound new zealand and giant chinchilla cross.

She was close to 4 month old in those photos, but she was already big! The bunny next to her is Prada, who is around 6 lb. The bed measures 36″x23″.

She is very sweet and laid back.

I bought a concrete form from home depot to use as a tunnel. For the habitat, I use a 5′ x 10′ dog kennel.

 

[bullrider76543]

oh @ Beka27 Flemmies are known for developing heart issues, especially if they do not get enough exercise. Big Blue gets checked every few months by my vet, but so far is extremely healthy except for a small bout with an upper respiratory infection. Not to pick on people but a lot of people do not feed their flemmies right also not giving them enough hay or feeding them too many pellets which can develop Upper chest weight putting pressure on their hearts, and very easily getting fatty liver disease. the average life span for a Flemish giant is only about 8 years, they seem to not live as long as the smaller breeds.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Squee @ all the flemmies!!!! You big bunny Mom’s and Dad’s are lucky!

[StickyBun]

Thank you everyone for all this wonderful information on Flemmies! 

@Beka27-I am actually a veterinary technician and one of the veterinarians I work for is quite rabbit savvy!  I feel extremely fortunate to have such a great job…with the added benefit of the best care for my pets round the clock!  LOL!! 

The concrete forms are a fantastic idea!  I will be checking those out this weekend!  At this point I am using large cardboard boxes and cutting out ‘doorways’ and laughing hysterically as he sprints through them! 

He is out of his 5′ x5′ x pen set up when we are home.  I hope he is getting enough exercise, he has every opportunity to move around the house as much as he wants.  At this point, he is only getting pellets and lots and lots of hay and water.  I know he can’t have any greens until 12 weeks…but I can’t wait to discover what he loves!  We are free feeding currently as he is just a bit over 9 weeks old, from what I have read so far that is the correct thing to do. 

He doesn’t love being picked up, so at this point we just let him get in and out of our laps as he wants while we sit on the ground.  He has become quite affectionate and gives kisses and then zooms off!  We are seeing him flop more and more every day.  His favorite position is flat on his tummy with those huge back feet all stretched out behind him! 

The only thing that we have not able to do (and I feel so guilty about it) is give him anything soft to lay on when he is in his pen.  He immediately pees on anything absorbent   So, for the time being, he is on the wood flooring…and he goes in the litter box pretty consistently.  I want him to develop good litter habits now and then hopefully after he is neutered, he will not want to pee on his bed so much!  He has not peed or pooped outside of his pen AT ALL!!!  I’m pretty sure he is a genius…but perhaps I am a bit biased.

@bullrider-I think your blue boy is lovely!  Our little guy is blue as well, although he has some ticking.  He hasn’t got his adult coat yet, I am anxious to see what color he ends up being!

 

[bullrider76543]

@stickybun Thank you, Blue has gotten a lot bigger than that picture, go see him in the picture thread. It sounds like you are off to a great start, don’t worry too much about the pee thing, after his neuter it will get better. but Blue likes to eat anything I put soft in his condo. I have replaced his carpet 3 times and currently am looking at linoleum for the bottom floor, he leaves all the other carpet alone. once a month I buy a large hallow chew log for him to chew on. just wait till he gets bigger and zooms through everywhere and knocks over the coffee table and thumps and binkies shaking the floor LOL Oh and do yourself a favor and get really good nail clippers, Blues nails have gotten as hard as a dogs!!!

[StickyBun]

I’m sorry….where do I find the picture thread?!!? Holy cow…that sounds like something I can look at for HOURS!!!

[bullrider76543]

Its in the lounge we start one every month sharing pics of all of our bunnies

[StickyBun]

So, I am updating this thread with another question! For all of you with experience with big buns, what do you use for a litter box? I currently have a large Rubbermaid dish pan. It has very deep sides and really is quite big…and I cannot believe it but he is almost too big for it already! His x pen area is approximately 5 x 5, which he is only in when we are not home. How big can I make his litter box without taking too much away from his room to move and stretch out in his pen? He has peed outside the box a couple of times in the last few days…and its only because his bum is hanging outside the box! Clearly we need a bigger litter box…and I would rather just get the size he will need when he is full grown!

[bullrider76543]

I have two litter boxes in Blues condo one is 3 foot by 1 1/2 foot and the other is 3 foot by 2 feet. and he still just fits. Walmart storage bins are your best bet get one that is about 6″ to 1 foot deep is what I suggest. If Blue lays down and stretches out feet out front and behind like he likes he is 4 feet long!!! so they get really big!!! but he was the easiest to potty train!!!

[Roberta]

Can you get a large cat litter tray ? You could also look at some of the long rectangular planter boxes. The ones with the lower sides for herbs.

[jerseygirl]

Under bed storage boxes work well.

The only thing that we have not able to do (and I feel so guilty about it) is give him anything soft to lay on when he is in his pen. He immediately pees on anything absorbent

Oh don’t feel bad about this at all! Many rabbits prefer the hard floor anyway. It’s also super common for them to pee on soft, absorbant things. You might be able to give something when he’s a bit older but don’t feel badly if it never works.

[StickyBun]

@jerseygirl – I know I shouldn’t feel badly…but I see all these pictures where buns have carpet, rugs, blankets or soft beds in their pens/cages and I wish he could have one!!  I think we will wait til he is old enough to be neutered and see how it goes after that is done.

My big concern about getting a huge box for a litter box is that it will take up so much room in his xpen area, which he is in all day while we work… the pen is only 5′ x 5′.  I think for now it is fine but when he is full grown, I want to be sure he has plenty of room to stretch out!

He has become so good with his litter habits…even most of his poos are in the box now!  LOL…I think entirely too much about my buns potty habits!!

[MoveDiagonally]

Posted By StickyBun on 05/17/2013 06:31 AM

.I think entirely too much about my buns potty habits!!

Don’t we all! I have never been as obsessed with a pet’s poo as I have been since I’ve had rabbits. Lol. 

[NatalyNapaea]

Where do I get good nail clippers? Should I buy dog clippers because I’ve tried multiple from the small pet category and they all don’t work!  My flemish giant’s back nails are also like a dog’s so the regular clippers don’t cut them! 

[Sr. Melangell]

Olly has been seen by 5 vets who say he is a British Giant But nothing fits or its too small, like litter trays are too small or cat collars just for a photo, as someone said not all Bunnies are Dwarf, its such a shame.
I knew when Olly put weight on (He was very ill treated by his old owners) he was some sort of Giant or Giant mix, the vet who came to see him last time said. “Lets look at the little man.” I said. “Little?” I’ve never owned a Flemish giant, but I think if I had the choice I would get another British Giant.

[Author]

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