Mom of Joy and Love
Well-Known Member
Do part Flemies count? Joy and Love are each 1/2 Flemish Giant. People are always startled when they see them because of their size.
add me to the Flemmie Owners' Club!
- Thread starter SnowyShiloh
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BlueGiants
Well-Known Member
Of course they count!
wabbitmom12
Well-Known Member
...and don't forget Titan, Thumper and Velvet!! (I believe you already mentioned our Sweetie 
:bunnydance:Hurray! More Flemmies!!
Have you ever wanted a free ranger bun? Flemmies are perfect for that! They can't get lost, for one thing.
:bunnydance:Hurray! More Flemmies!!
Have you ever wanted a free ranger bun? Flemmies are perfect for that! They can't get lost, for one thing.
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
WabbitMom, I knew I was leaving some out but couldn't remember who! Are Titan, Thumper and Velvet your bunnies? I'm not familiar with them.
We need a Flemmie appreciation thread- a thread to share stories and funny things Flemmies do. I was actually daydreaming about having a free range bunny. We'll have to see what our "little" guy's personality is like.
How are Flemish Giants different from other bunnies as far as care goes? Also, even if our bunner is eventually free range, how big of a NIC cage will he need? I was thinking of making a three level cage for him, but Flemish Giants are such big rabbits that I wouldn't want the cage to collapse or something, especially if he thumps while on one of the upper levels!
We want our new place to have 2 bedrooms and I'm daydreaming about the second bedroom being the bunny room. I don't see why not. Paul likes the bunnies but their cages, especially once McBiggo moves in, take up a lot of space. Having a separate bunny room would make it easier to have multiple rabbits out of their cages at once (since our 3 hate each other and have to be completely apart). Or, hey, if we had a bunny room we could have Ror, Sky and Phoebs caged and BigButt uncaged with a baby gate across the doorway keeping him in. So many options!
We need a Flemmie appreciation thread- a thread to share stories and funny things Flemmies do. I was actually daydreaming about having a free range bunny. We'll have to see what our "little" guy's personality is like.
How are Flemish Giants different from other bunnies as far as care goes? Also, even if our bunner is eventually free range, how big of a NIC cage will he need? I was thinking of making a three level cage for him, but Flemish Giants are such big rabbits that I wouldn't want the cage to collapse or something, especially if he thumps while on one of the upper levels!
We want our new place to have 2 bedrooms and I'm daydreaming about the second bedroom being the bunny room. I don't see why not. Paul likes the bunnies but their cages, especially once McBiggo moves in, take up a lot of space. Having a separate bunny room would make it easier to have multiple rabbits out of their cages at once (since our 3 hate each other and have to be completely apart). Or, hey, if we had a bunny room we could have Ror, Sky and Phoebs caged and BigButt uncaged with a baby gate across the doorway keeping him in. So many options!
wabbitmom12
Well-Known Member
SnowyShiloh wrote:
It's okay, you can't know everything!
A Flemmie appreciation thread would be fun. Like all rabbits, they are full of personality!
Our Velvet had a three story NIC cage for quite awhile...until space became a major consideration. She loved it! She thought she was the Queen, because she could sit up higher than the other buns, and survey her kingdom. LOL It kept her in great condition, too, with all of the jumping from shelf to shelf. And, if you can build "up", the perimeter of the cage's ground floorcan be a bit smaller. We reinforced her 2nd and 3rd stories with wooden dowel rods, 2 inches thick, by slipping 2 or 3 of them through the NIC wires under the floors. (You space them out, like they do the joists in a house.)
The big bunnehs have a few special needs. As adults, they will consume about 2 cups of pellets per day (give or take, depending on how you feed hay and veggies.) We always free feed hay to ours...it keeps those guts a'movin. They require a great big water bottle, which makes sense. Flemmies aren't full grown until they are about 16 months old, so you keep that in mind with behavior and feeding concerns. They are one of the breeds that is prone to sore hocks. They MUST have a smooth surface (boards are best, as they aren't slippery) on which to rest. Some do okay with low pile carpet in part of the cage, and for others it wears the fur off the bottom of the paws too much.
Sounds like you're enjoying the planning phase!
Maybe you know of my hubby, wabbitdad12? (He's been on RO much longer than I have.) We have 16 bunners, 4 of which are Flemmies. 2 Black and 2 Blue - a buck and a doe of each. Sweetie and Titan are black, and Velvet and Thumper are blue.
It's okay, you can't know everything!
A Flemmie appreciation thread would be fun. Like all rabbits, they are full of personality!
Our Velvet had a three story NIC cage for quite awhile...until space became a major consideration. She loved it! She thought she was the Queen, because she could sit up higher than the other buns, and survey her kingdom. LOL It kept her in great condition, too, with all of the jumping from shelf to shelf. And, if you can build "up", the perimeter of the cage's ground floorcan be a bit smaller. We reinforced her 2nd and 3rd stories with wooden dowel rods, 2 inches thick, by slipping 2 or 3 of them through the NIC wires under the floors. (You space them out, like they do the joists in a house.)
The big bunnehs have a few special needs. As adults, they will consume about 2 cups of pellets per day (give or take, depending on how you feed hay and veggies.) We always free feed hay to ours...it keeps those guts a'movin. They require a great big water bottle, which makes sense. Flemmies aren't full grown until they are about 16 months old, so you keep that in mind with behavior and feeding concerns. They are one of the breeds that is prone to sore hocks. They MUST have a smooth surface (boards are best, as they aren't slippery) on which to rest. Some do okay with low pile carpet in part of the cage, and for others it wears the fur off the bottom of the paws too much.
Sounds like you're enjoying the planning phase!
TinysMom
Well-Known Member
For most of his life - Tiny was a free-roaming bunny. When we first got him - and for the first few months here he did have a cage that he got locked into when we left the house and he wouldn't have anyone around. Here is a picture of his dog kennel...
What surprised me was how territorial he was about me cleaning it out..
He was almost never locked up for more than a couple of hours - so this cage was plenty big for him - and he would go in it sometimes to take a nap and be away from us.
Shortly before he passed - I tried to put him in a NIC cage that was pretty huge (along with Miss Bea) to work on retraining his litter box skills - I didn't realize he had a UTI and that was why he wasn't using his litterbox - I thought it was territorial.
He literally stood on his hind legs and shook his cage for almost an hour - he'd stand up - shake it a few times - sit back down for a minute - and then stand back up again. He couldn't deal with the idea of being locked away from me - even though I was only 3' away.
I say all this to say - Flemmies can get really REALLY attached to you and resent a cage if they're free roaming - so if you're going to keep a flemmie caged for certain times - keep it that way always because once they're always free-roaming - they might not adapt back really well.
It brings tears to my eyes to see my big guy now in these pictures - I sure do miss him.
Expect any flemmie you get (like most bunnies I guess) - to steal your heart...
What surprised me was how territorial he was about me cleaning it out..
He was almost never locked up for more than a couple of hours - so this cage was plenty big for him - and he would go in it sometimes to take a nap and be away from us.
Shortly before he passed - I tried to put him in a NIC cage that was pretty huge (along with Miss Bea) to work on retraining his litter box skills - I didn't realize he had a UTI and that was why he wasn't using his litterbox - I thought it was territorial.
He literally stood on his hind legs and shook his cage for almost an hour - he'd stand up - shake it a few times - sit back down for a minute - and then stand back up again. He couldn't deal with the idea of being locked away from me - even though I was only 3' away.
I say all this to say - Flemmies can get really REALLY attached to you and resent a cage if they're free roaming - so if you're going to keep a flemmie caged for certain times - keep it that way always because once they're always free-roaming - they might not adapt back really well.
It brings tears to my eyes to see my big guy now in these pictures - I sure do miss him.
Expect any flemmie you get (like most bunnies I guess) - to steal your heart...
TinysMom
Well-Known Member
I bumped some flemmie threads for you Snowy - here's one from the rabbitry:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11363&forum_id=8&jump_to=602185#p602185
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11363&forum_id=8&jump_to=602185#p602185
momof2buns
Well-Known Member
Congrats on getting a Flemish Giant soon!!! They are SO Pretty!!!
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
I'm sad to say that we may be reconsidering getting a Flemmie- someone posted in another thread that Flemmies usually only live about 5 years, and it seems like most of the Flemmies on this forum haven't made it even that long. My bunnies dying is one of my #1 fears and I don't know if I want to intentionally fall in love with a rabbit that will probably have an even shorter life than usual. I mean I'm not even "over" Tallulah yet and it's almost been a year- she's been gone for way longer than she was ever alive! Cinnabun died almost 7 years ago and he's been gone for almost as long as he was alive too (just a month or so shy) and I'm hardly "over" him. I don't know if I can handle one day having so many dead bunnies (the idea of one day not having Rory, Skyler and Phoebe Mae is way too depressing)or if I should get a rabbit that will likely not live very long :cry2
We were originally going to get a Pionus parrot after we move for many reasons, one reason being that their average lifespan is over 40 years so I won't be worrying about him/her passing away as much!
We were originally going to get a Pionus parrot after we move for many reasons, one reason being that their average lifespan is over 40 years so I won't be worrying about him/her passing away as much!
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
Yay!! My bf really wanted a steel flemmie as a buddy for Benjamin, but the fact that we couldn't get one at the shelter and if we got from a breeder we'd have to pay the big $$ for a spay turned him off to the idea for now. Flemmie is on my list of bunnies that I one day must have!!
kherrmann3
Well-Known Member
SnowyShiloh wrote:
I know it may sound odd, but if you were to ask any of the people on this forum if they regret having a Flemmie (and the whole short life span thing) I bet you that no one would say they regret it, even if their Flemmie's passing broke their heart.
werecatrising
Well-Known Member
I try not to think of an animals life span. After all, I have had rats most of my life and they are lucky if they make it to 3. I actually think I'd have a harder time adjusting to losing a critter after having them for 40 or 40 years.
TinysMom
Well-Known Member
SnowyShiloh wrote:
Yes - Flemmies generally have a shorter life span than the smaller breeds of rabbits. Yet - we've still seen other breeds of rabbits die at younger ages too. For instance - I think the oldest rabbit I knew of was Domino and he was something like 12 when he died - and I think if I remember right - he was a holland lop. I want to say he even lived outside for a large portion of his life.
Yet - Tallulah was a holland lop that lived indoors - and didn't make it to a year.
As much as it hurt to lose her - if you had to do it over again - would you knowingly take her - knowing that your time would be limited?
I think that if you make your choices based on your fears - you are going to wind up depriving yourself of some of your greatest joys. For instance - so many marriages end in divorce...why get married? And yet...so many marriages go on for years and years (I've been married almost 30 years). I know this is an extreme example...but it is the first one that comes to mind.
If you decide not to get a Flemmie - it isn't like I'm going to think you're bad or doing the wrong thing - I hope you know that.
But I honestly think you'll be depriving yourself of the experience of a lifetime.....
I have owned/been owned by the following breeds:
lionheads
Holland lops
mini lops
Netherland Dwarfs
French Lop
Mini Rex mixes
Californians
New Zealand (I think - when I was a kid)
Flemish Giant/ Flemish Giant mix
and of all of them - I don't ever see myself without a flemmie - even though it means the possibility of losing them earlier in life.
I find their temperament so unique - their capacity to love - and be loved - so awesome....that I'd rather have 3 years or 2 years of that love and then a lifetime of grief - then to go without the experience of that love.
But I know you need to make the decision that is best for you. Just remember - any rabbit can die young....
I hope I don't come across wrong....because I don't mean to sound critical.
Yes - Flemmies generally have a shorter life span than the smaller breeds of rabbits. Yet - we've still seen other breeds of rabbits die at younger ages too. For instance - I think the oldest rabbit I knew of was Domino and he was something like 12 when he died - and I think if I remember right - he was a holland lop. I want to say he even lived outside for a large portion of his life.
Yet - Tallulah was a holland lop that lived indoors - and didn't make it to a year.
As much as it hurt to lose her - if you had to do it over again - would you knowingly take her - knowing that your time would be limited?
I think that if you make your choices based on your fears - you are going to wind up depriving yourself of some of your greatest joys. For instance - so many marriages end in divorce...why get married? And yet...so many marriages go on for years and years (I've been married almost 30 years). I know this is an extreme example...but it is the first one that comes to mind.
If you decide not to get a Flemmie - it isn't like I'm going to think you're bad or doing the wrong thing - I hope you know that.
But I honestly think you'll be depriving yourself of the experience of a lifetime.....
I have owned/been owned by the following breeds:
lionheads
Holland lops
mini lops
Netherland Dwarfs
French Lop
Mini Rex mixes
Californians
New Zealand (I think - when I was a kid)
Flemish Giant/ Flemish Giant mix
and of all of them - I don't ever see myself without a flemmie - even though it means the possibility of losing them earlier in life.
I find their temperament so unique - their capacity to love - and be loved - so awesome....that I'd rather have 3 years or 2 years of that love and then a lifetime of grief - then to go without the experience of that love.
But I know you need to make the decision that is best for you. Just remember - any rabbit can die young....
TinysMom
Well-Known Member
I forgot to add...you can always look for a flemish giant mix. Zeus has much of the temperament of a flemish giant...but I think he has a lesser health risk because he is a mix.
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Peg, why exactly are Flemish Giants more at risk healthwise?
kherrmann3
Well-Known Member
TinysMom wrote:
That is why mutts are better sometimes (doggie breeds).
TinysMom
Well-Known Member
SnowyShiloh wrote:
Some of our former members - specifically Dajeti2 & Jenniblu had flemish giant bucks that were related - half brothers or something? I forget - and I could be wrong about that.
But both of those bucks died suddenly - I know with Jenniblu's Vash - it appeared to be heart problems. I think Apollo had heart issues and he'd been fighting stasis - I'd have to go back to the archives to look it up.
My personal opinion is that many flemish giants are fairly inbred (to get the large size) and that their hearts may have a greater strain on them or something. I don't know for sure.
I want to say that I've heard of Flemish Giants that were 7 years old (maybe it was when I went to get Tiny? I forget). BlueGiants is a better one to share about that as she does breed them.
In the case of Tiny - I truly believe his death was due to the fact he had a hidden illness (urinary tract infection) that we didn't catch in time and it caused his organs to shut down and stuff. When I saw his "output" - it was like toothpaste or caulk - it was so bad.
Tiny had been sending me signals - but I thought they were behavioral issues (I'm about to cry as I type this - I haven't shared this on the forum before).
We believe that Tiny was sensitive to calcium and something caused it to build up - and then cause an infection - and then - well - we know the outcome.
If I had it to do over again - I would have monitored him better - he was free roaming but he wasn't the best about using his litter box.
I honestly believe that had I caught Tiny's infection even a week or so earlier - he would've lived and still be with me. I don't think that he would've had heart problems - partly because he was "small" for a flemish giant.
One of our members - Carolyn - got a flemish doe shortly before I joined the forum about 4 years ago. I want to say that her doe was an adult at the time - and to my knowledge - she's still alive and doing well. I'm going to PM Carolyn and ask her to look at this thread because she may know some more about flemmies too.
Once again - I'm really not trying to be critical...I hope you know that. Its just...almost every animal is going to leave us at some time. Most likely the rabbits you have now will leave you sometime in the next decade....would you not want to have them?
Honestly - if you want to enjoy the flemish personality without the health issues - get a flemish giant mix.
By the way - one thing I considered when we talked about adopting Zeus - was his age. He was already over a year old...I'd lost Tiny while he was still fairly young....I truly wanted a BABY flemish. But my heart felt pulled to Zeus and I had to ask myself - was I willing to my my heart at risk again (for heartbreak) knowing that he was an older rabbit.
I realized that even if he died 2 years down the road (young for a flemish)....I could either have the joy of that 2 years with him - or miss out on 2 years of joy.
I guess I'm sharing all this because I had to face my fears and either be willing to risk my heart breaking (and you know how many losses I've had over the last two years) - or go on without a flemish giant.
I decided it was worth the heartbreak - to experience the love.
Flemish giants aren't for everyone. But I'm not really a dog person or cat person - yet flemish giants can be like a puppy sometimes - they will follow you around and dodge your footsteps and sometimes they can be as ornery as a cat.
But they have such a capacity to bring love to a home....
Ok - I'll just get off my soapbox....and go PM Carolyn and ask her to share about her doe, etc.
BlueGiants would be the best person to ask about that - but here is my take on it.
Some of our former members - specifically Dajeti2 & Jenniblu had flemish giant bucks that were related - half brothers or something? I forget - and I could be wrong about that.
But both of those bucks died suddenly - I know with Jenniblu's Vash - it appeared to be heart problems. I think Apollo had heart issues and he'd been fighting stasis - I'd have to go back to the archives to look it up.
My personal opinion is that many flemish giants are fairly inbred (to get the large size) and that their hearts may have a greater strain on them or something. I don't know for sure.
I want to say that I've heard of Flemish Giants that were 7 years old (maybe it was when I went to get Tiny? I forget). BlueGiants is a better one to share about that as she does breed them.
In the case of Tiny - I truly believe his death was due to the fact he had a hidden illness (urinary tract infection) that we didn't catch in time and it caused his organs to shut down and stuff. When I saw his "output" - it was like toothpaste or caulk - it was so bad.
Tiny had been sending me signals - but I thought they were behavioral issues (I'm about to cry as I type this - I haven't shared this on the forum before).
We believe that Tiny was sensitive to calcium and something caused it to build up - and then cause an infection - and then - well - we know the outcome.
If I had it to do over again - I would have monitored him better - he was free roaming but he wasn't the best about using his litter box.
I honestly believe that had I caught Tiny's infection even a week or so earlier - he would've lived and still be with me. I don't think that he would've had heart problems - partly because he was "small" for a flemish giant.
One of our members - Carolyn - got a flemish doe shortly before I joined the forum about 4 years ago. I want to say that her doe was an adult at the time - and to my knowledge - she's still alive and doing well. I'm going to PM Carolyn and ask her to look at this thread because she may know some more about flemmies too.
Once again - I'm really not trying to be critical...I hope you know that. Its just...almost every animal is going to leave us at some time. Most likely the rabbits you have now will leave you sometime in the next decade....would you not want to have them?
Honestly - if you want to enjoy the flemish personality without the health issues - get a flemish giant mix.
By the way - one thing I considered when we talked about adopting Zeus - was his age. He was already over a year old...I'd lost Tiny while he was still fairly young....I truly wanted a BABY flemish. But my heart felt pulled to Zeus and I had to ask myself - was I willing to my my heart at risk again (for heartbreak) knowing that he was an older rabbit.
I realized that even if he died 2 years down the road (young for a flemish)....I could either have the joy of that 2 years with him - or miss out on 2 years of joy.
I guess I'm sharing all this because I had to face my fears and either be willing to risk my heart breaking (and you know how many losses I've had over the last two years) - or go on without a flemish giant.
I decided it was worth the heartbreak - to experience the love.
Flemish giants aren't for everyone. But I'm not really a dog person or cat person - yet flemish giants can be like a puppy sometimes - they will follow you around and dodge your footsteps and sometimes they can be as ornery as a cat.
But they have such a capacity to bring love to a home....
Ok - I'll just get off my soapbox....and go PM Carolyn and ask her to share about her doe, etc.
irishbunny
Well-Known Member
I think I read somewhere that they have a shorter lifespan because they are so big, like un-naturally big, so it puts more pressure on their organs and they don't last as long
BlueGiants
Well-Known Member
The Flemish do tend to have a shorter lifespan that smaller bunnies... but it is the same in Dogs and other animals. Great Danes do not live as long as little Poodles. I'm not exactly sure what the physiological reasons are, whether the heart is stressed more or it's harder to pump blood through a larger body...
As far as health concerns, most of them are the same as any rabbit... stasis, parasites, infection, etc. Yes, they can get sore hocks, it's a lot of weight on their back feet. But little Mini Rex get sore hocks too. My personal opinion is that poor felting over the feet allows the area to get irritated and sore. This is something that breeders can work on improving.
Keep in mind that Flemish were originally bred to be a meat rabbit. No one cared if they had a long lifespan. Now we do... again, it's an issue that breeders can work on, but the problem is that by the time we find out if a rabbit has the propensity for a long lifespan, they are too old to breed. I have had Flemish live as long as 7 1/2 years. And I've had them drop dead at 18 months... (Never an easy thing to handle). But as TinysMom said, once you have been loved by a Flemish, you will know how special they are.
Their large size gives them a serenity and confidence that other rabbits don't always have, and yeah, a bit of an attitude too.
As far as health concerns, most of them are the same as any rabbit... stasis, parasites, infection, etc. Yes, they can get sore hocks, it's a lot of weight on their back feet. But little Mini Rex get sore hocks too. My personal opinion is that poor felting over the feet allows the area to get irritated and sore. This is something that breeders can work on improving.
Keep in mind that Flemish were originally bred to be a meat rabbit. No one cared if they had a long lifespan. Now we do... again, it's an issue that breeders can work on, but the problem is that by the time we find out if a rabbit has the propensity for a long lifespan, they are too old to breed. I have had Flemish live as long as 7 1/2 years. And I've had them drop dead at 18 months... (Never an easy thing to handle). But as TinysMom said, once you have been loved by a Flemish, you will know how special they are.
Their large size gives them a serenity and confidence that other rabbits don't always have, and yeah, a bit of an attitude too.
SnowyShiloh
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your input, BlueGiant, Peg, Irishbunny and kherrmann. I'll have to think about it! At the moment there aren't any Flemish Giants available near here anyway and we won't be moving for another month and a half, so I have plenty of time to think it over.
