Flemish Giant Rabbits?

[L&Schickens]

I am seriously thinking of getting a Flemish Giant for my son to show. I found a breeder who shows also and has 2 show quality does that are 4 months old. They also have pedigrees. We are going to look at them on Tuesday. The breeder says the dam is 14 pounds and the sire is 17 pounds. She also has an unrelated buck we can breed our doe to later if we want to.
I am getting a big cage set up for our new little darling now and am wondering if they are big diggers or anything else interesting I should know about. Can I feed her hay cubes once in a while? They are hard and might help with chewing for a rabbit. Just curious.

 

[millebantam]

In ARBA shows, the youth entrants must carry their rabbits to and from the judging table without the assistance of anyone. Large breed rabbits can be a handful for even adults to carry at a show, when the rabbits are understandably stressed and jumpy. A small kid would almost need body armor to carry a 17 lb FG in an edgy mood. Showing rabbits is a lot of fun, but a few "bad" experiences can easily take the fun out of it for a kid. Personally, I'd choose a smaller breed if only for ease of handling. FG's are relatively gentle by nature, but their size can make them difficult for the inexperienced handler to handle.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

My 10 year old son has a 16 lb Flemish buck, he showes it with no problem. He also spends alot of time holding him and getting used to carrying him while wearing long sleeves for protection. At the fair the judges used him for showmanship and none of the other kids could handle him.
Before deciding to purchase to "Show" rabbit I would get yourself a copy of the breed standard and take it with you when you go see these "show quality" rabbits. All breeders have different things they look for in rabbits. Find out why the breeder is willing to part with these, if they were great rabbits the breeder would keep them for show themself. Some rabbits meet the breed standard but do not meet the ideals of the breed so are not good for showing. A good reputable breeder will discuss these problems with you, and let you decide if its worth it to show the rabbit. On the show table alot comes down to the judge and what they see or are specificly looking for.
My sons buck got best of breed from 1 judge, disqualified due to color problem by another, and a third had no comments either way about him!
If your son has any hopes of winning shows and taking home trophies, get a small breed. The Flemish are great rabbits and everyone gets a kick over their large size but in the end the cute small breeds take home the trophies.
Just my 2 cents.
As for digging all rabbits like to dig, flemish are larger so the damage can be greater. We keep ours in cages that are half wire floor and half wood. because of their size they get sores on their feet if they only have wire floors. They also need large cages, 9 square feet or larger and about 2 feet tall so they can stand up and strech out.
Hay cubes are fine, we use hay bales on top of the cages. This way they can stand up and pull at the hay. It seems to cutt down on waste and give the rabbit something to do when they get board. The hay is also ruffage and helps pass/break up hair balls. We also keep a small chunck of wood in the cages for something to chew on or bat around.

 

[chinbunny]

I wouldn't place her in an area where she can dig, and get herself dirty. Filthye, stained, dirty rabbits do not place well at rabbit shows. You need her in a cage where she stay clean, but yet it won't bother her hocks. Flemish are prone to getting sore hocks because of their size and weight. I would use her breeder as a mentor, and have him/her show the proper cage setup for a large rabbit like that. Also properly caged Flemish will condition out and show better.

The only thing you will need or your bunny is good quality grass hay, water, and a good quaility pellet. Try to use what the breeder recommends. Yes they can have alfalfa cubes as treats.

Ive seen plenty of children hauling around 15 pound rabbits at rabbit shows. He should be ok once he is taught how to properly handle the bunny.

This is a also a breed that you can easily leash train too. They make harnesses for rabbits. I have seen kids taketheir flemish for a 'walk' at rabbit shows.

 

[L&Schickens]

Thanks for all the advice. It is great!
The cage will be my chick grower cage and it has an all wood floor with a door. During the day I can let her out in "the yard" part of it to eat grass and play.
As for gettinging dirty, she is a rabbit. She will get dirty. But I intend to groom and bathe her before a show and bathe her to get her use to it as well.
I will have to see how the two show quality bunnys look before I decide. They have been ahndled a lot already I have been told.
Even if we end up not showing her, I thnk it will be fun to have such a big pet rabbit.

 

[chinbunny]

L&Schickens :

Thanks for all the advice. It is great!
The cage will be my chick grower cage and it has an all wood floor with a door. During the day I can let her out in "the yard" part of it to eat grass and play.
As for gettinging dirty, she is a rabbit. She will get dirty. But I intend to groom and bathe her before a show and bathe her to get her use to it as well.
I will have to see how the two show quality bunnys look before I decide. They have been ahndled a lot already I have been told.
Even if we end up not showing her, I thnk it will be fun to have such a big pet rabbit.

Please do not bath your rabbits Its not good for them. it will dry out their skin and ruin their coat. Plus bathing will not remove a stain. Once a rabbit gets really stained or dirty its pretty difficult to get it out until it molts again(sheds). It will count against the rabbit if its severely stained. If you want to do show rabbits, follow the original breeders setup. Letting out is OK. However, you want to keep them in a place they have a better chance of staying clean. The largest wire floored rabbit cage you can works well for this. Something with a pure solid floor for chickens would not. Wood tends to soak up urine, and fecal matter, which could make the rabbit sick, or stain them. You can buy plastic matts to cover the cage floor for the rabbit to sit on stay comfortable. They don't stain. And the urine and poop falls right through them. You also got to watch giving them wood boards to sit on too. Even if its just a small section in the cage. Rabbits will poop and pee all over them and make a mess of themselves from it.

Rabbits are not an animal that gets dirty just because they are rabbit. You don't just groom and bath before a show and expect the animal to become clean. It just doesn't work that way. I say that because I am a breeder and I do show. When you are showing you have to do things the right way with them, or you will be setting yourself up for a lot of disapointment. As a breeder, I would rather see someone go into showing by doing it right, then end up getting disgusted and leaving the show world because of it.

Rabbit show judges can be pretty strict when it comes to judging rabbits. If the rabbit is dirty, out of condition, has poor coat quality, ETC they will catch it. Those animals normally get placed lower in the class.

Those are the reasons why I strongly suggest you allow the breeder to mentor you, and help you out.​

 

[L&Schickens]

Well, now I am thinking twice about it. I don't have a wire cage I would feel would be big enough for a large rabbit. Maybe I better not get one.

 

[chinbunny]

L&Schickens :

Well, now I am thinking twice about it. I don't have a wire cage I would feel would be big enough for a large rabbit. Maybe I better not get one.

Ask the breeder where they get theirs from, and look at how they house them.

I would say something like a 30x30 inch or close to it would be fine. I certainly don't want to discourage you from getting your rabbits though. Its great that you want to learn, and show them. Shows are fun, and believe you me you will learn alot of them. get yourself a copy of the arba guidebook and see what sizes they recommend. I am thinking 30x30 without looking at the book. You can it at www.arba.net. Its free if you join the club. they provide lots of great rabbit information.​

 

[L&Schickens]

Too late. I cancled our apointment to go see them. I have to re-think it anyway. I thought maybe I could use the chick house for one and put a litter box in there for the rabbit to use. But, I don't know how hard it would be to train the rabbit to use one.

 

[chinbunny]

L&Schickens :

Too late. I cancled our apointment to go see them. I have to re-think it anyway. I thought maybe I could use the chick house for one and put a litter box in there for the rabbit to use. But, I don't know how hard it would be to train the rabbit to use one.

I really wish you would reconsider.

Just talk to the breeder, read some books on how to house them and stuff. You have a livestock auction nearbye? Sometimes you can pick up decent large cages at them for next to nothing.​