Flemish Giant care questions!

[arbjorn]

Hi, I’m new here and we are looking at adding a male Flemish Giant to our family. We’ve got a spayed female harlequin mix, and hoping for them to bond eventually. The Flemish will be a baby (about 12-14 wks) and I’m perfectly fine keeping them separate til he’s neutered. (Although I’d like to see how they do together sooner-the female is incredibly sweet and laid back with us and other animals).

Meanwhile, I have a couple questions about raising a giant breed rabbit. I tend to try and keep my animals as naturally as possible (I feed my dogs raw and minimally vaccinate) and I know with dogs, especially large breeds, it can be very harmful to neuter them before maturity. It makes sense to me because hormones play a huge role in proper growth! So, I’d like to keep the rabbit intact as long as possible for healthy growth. He absolutely will not be around any intact females! Anyone know any more about this?

As for diet, is it really advisable to free feed pellets? Our 8 pound girl is limited to 1/4 cup per day because if she had free choice, that’s all she would eat! Because we limit her pellets, she eats loads of hay and has never had digestive trouble. (She also eats a large handful of greens every day). I want the Flemish to learn to eat lots of hay too! Would it be okay for his growth to limit him to say 1/2 cup of pellets per day and then feed free choice alfalfa and mixed hay? Would he still get everything he needs? I think about the way animals would eat in the wild (hence the raw meat for the dogs) and a rabbit wouldn’t have any pellets or special “junior” food. They eat what the adults eat (maybe just more of it to support growth).

Last thing, how do I go about getting a baby rabbit used to being handled? Is it better to go slow and work up to it, or just do it a lot right from the start so they get used to it?

Any input is appreciated, any other giant breed info is welcome too.

[Hazel]

A Flemmie, how exciting! 

Generally you want to keep them intact until they’re done growing. With a Flemish that might take as long as a year. Most people get them done once they hit puberty and become hormonal, which is unfortunate since those new hormones are what they need for proper growth. Of course I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to put up with a hormonal teenage bunny that prays 6 feet up their walls.  Most people have smaller sized buns, so for them it’s not as important to wait a long time since they stop growing much sooner than a giant breed.

As far as food goes, I’m not sure how much a baby Flemmie should eat. A baby bun should get” unlimited” pellets, but that doesn’t mean their food bowl has to be full 24/7. I think a good way to ensure proper nutrition and encourage hay consumption would be to let them eat their fill of pellets, then let them go without for a couple of hours. That will give them some time to have a go at the hay.

You’ll get different opinions about handling. Personally I don’t believe they should be handled more than necessary, since they are hardwired to hate being lifted off the ground. Yes, getting them used to being picked up would make things like nail clipping easier on us humans, but there are other ways to accomplish those goals than to subject them to something they’re afraid of. Besides, in most cases, trying to get them used to being handled results in the rabbit losing trust in their human and thus makes them even more hand shy, sometimes aggressive. Giant breeds like Flemish are generally pretty easy going, so I don’t think you need to worry too much about the handling part anyway. 

[Asriel and Bombur]

I love Flemmies They’re just big balls of fluff and love!

I had my boys neutered at 4 months, and honestly they grew just fine.They’re Holland Lops and both weigh around 5 pounds, and were considered full grown around 6 months. So I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting him neutered whenever his testicles drop. It’ll be less frustration for the both of you.

As for food, I never gave mine unlimited pellets. Before 6 months I gave them 1/2 cup a day and now they only get 2tbsp. Because you’re getting him at 3 months, you can start him on greens very slowly. Introduce one new one every few days and monitor poops. Too much and he could have runny poops as his gut learns to adjust. Personally to encourage hay consumption, especially in a new bun is to do non hay feedings every 12 hours. That way they go so long without anything else that they’re forced to eat their hay. Because he’s a flemmie it might be a good idea to do 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening, and in the evening give him a few leaves of a new veg until you can safely give him handfuls.

Handling, I’m with Hazel. You have no idea what this bunny’s personality will be like. They could be very loving and want to always be cuddle. Then again you could get a very timid bunny who takes months to open up and even want you to touch him. So it’s best you don’t handle him unless you absolutely need to. If you try to handle him and he’s afraid and keep trying to get him used to it, it will only make him fear you.

Good luck

[arbjorn]

Thanks for the great input!

I think if he starts spraying he’ll need to get neutered ? although I’m sure all buns are different… I had a Mini Rex years ago and he was intact til about a year…he never once sprayed!

I think I will limit the pellets a bit, maybe when I first get him home, I’ll see how much he eats over the course of a day, and then limit him to slightly below that to encourage hay eating!

The people I’m getting him from sent a video of him being handled and pet, and he just sat there munching on grass. ? they say he’s very sweet.

One more thing, are Flemish known for more health problems than smaller breeds? I’ve heard of some only living a couple years or less ? anything we can do to prevent some of those issues?

[Asriel and Bombur]

I think smaller breeds are more prone to them, Dwarf breeds are quite prone to teeth issues, and the lops are prone to teeth and ear issues. I think as a rule they live “shorter” lifespans because they’re so big. I don’t think it’s really indicative of any health issues. But every bun is different. I have one bunny who is constantly sick and another as healthy as an ox, and they’re from the same breeder. So I don’t think it’s really something you can tell.

As for being handled, I’d still use caution. You’re a stranger to him. And while he’s a sweetheart and doesn’t mind being handled by the people he’s grown up with, you’re entirely new and he’ll be in a new environment, near a new bunny, and possibly becoming hormonal… all at once. So I still really wouldn’t handle him all that much, especially while he’s getting adjusted.

[Author]

Messages