Flemish

[flemishr2cool]

Depends where you are in the country. If you are in a state where there are a lot of Sandy and fawn breeders. sandies and fawnsare the biggest. A state where there are a lot of White/light gray/steel breeders those are the biggest. etc. etc. More devoted breeders, better, bigger, healthier rabbits.

All of my flemish are on wire floors and I have never had a problem with poor weight gain, sore feet, or bad legs. (all of them are over 16 pounds)If my Flemish Get sore hocks its from travelling to shows. I hate solid wood floors because I think it is a huge breeding ground for bacteria. Its also stains the rabbit's fur and if you have messy rabbits they lay in their feces and urine. You just need a strong gauge wire.

Steels are a beautiful variety but if you are new to Flemish you will want to start with steels and light grays and whites. Steels are a VERY difficult variety to breed so it helps if you know how to raise good Flemish Giants first before you start tackling the most difficult variety to raise By working with all three colors you can see how to the color genetics work together to create the right steel coat and color. My friend raises Steels and she breeds steels to whites with steels in their background but not light grays. Some of her best whites come out of a steel breeding. She uses a white out of light gray background then to breed with her light grays. She used to cross light grays and steels but she ended up with some real light colored steels so she's moved back to using blacks and whites with steels instead. Confused yet? lol I had to read that a number of times to make sure I had it right.

 

[gentle giants]

Yeah, I still get confused about the whole genentics thing, I have only been breeding for about three years now. Unless you count my 4-H years, which I don't, LOL. I love the steels though, and hardly anyone in my area raises them. It would be really cool if I could get started in an excellent line of steels and become The Name for steel Flemish in my area... One of those rose tinted dreams of the future, LOL!

 

[rabbit_whisperer]

Flemish are gentle giants,huge stuffed animals,like a dog kinda,in size that is.LOL

 

[mariah416]

Here is my Fonsie (the dad) and my new babies. I don't have a pic ofLaney (the Mom) on this computer but my hubby can't tell here andFonsie apart. The babies are 5 days in this pic.

 

[TinysMom]

Oh - I LOVE the babies. How old are they?

I wish I could've seen Tiny as a baby - when we got him he was either 8weeks or 12 weeks old - I forget. He was about 6 pounds if I rememberright - now he is about 17 pounds...

Peg

 

[mariah416]

they are almost a week old.

 

[mambo101]

mariah416, you have a private message.

 

[mariah416]

Here are new pics of the babies!3 weeks now

 

[lulubelle]

Hi! I was wondering if a flemish giant would besuitable as an indoor pet? I just love their look, and the size iswonderful! But how's their temper, are they sociable animals?

 

[TinysMom]

Tiny would say "yes" to this....although he prefers the outdoors some days.

Tiny isn't as sociable as some other flemish we've had on the boardbefore. He was three months old when I got him and he wasn't socializedat all. However, he is very sweet and is mostly litter boxtrained...although he does have some accidents.

I think a flemish giant would be great for someone who wanted a largerpet like a dog - but without having to walk the dog, etc. I thinkthey're better natured than cats (even when they're notsocialized)...and they can be fun to watch when they decide to binky.

My only regret about having a flemish is that I hear they have shorterlifespans that other rabbits - like 5-7 years. Tiny will be 2 nextmonth and I can't picture my life without him.

Peg

lulubelle wrote:

Hi! I was wondering if aflemish giant would be suitable as an indoor pet? I just love theirlook, and the size is wonderful! But how's their temper, are theysociable animals?

 

[TinysMom]

What adorable pictures of your babies.

I wish Art would let me get a trio of flemish and breed them - or evenjust a buck and doe. But Tiny would probably be jealous and I'd beafraid that some people might want them for something other than pets -especially in this area (near Mexico) where people eat rabbits. (Nottrying to hijack the thread- honest).

There is a family in this area that are fascinated by Tiny and he'sthinking about getting a trio of flemish this spring. I'm seriouslytoying with the idea of trying to convince Art to see if they can pickme up a young doe to be Tiny's companion. I know he likes the lionheaddoes and he tries to have a harem if they get out of the rabbitry (andthen I have to chase them down to catch them). But I think a flemishdoe might be right for him....

We tried having an English lop so that he'd have someone his own sizebut they hated each other from the get go....we had someone whodesperately wanted her so we rehomed her (and they just adore her andshe adores them).

Anyway - I love seeing the babies...please keep updating with pictures!It isn't as good as having one of the babies here...but it sure is nice!

Peg

 

[mariah416]

lulubelle wrote:

Hi! I was wondering if a flemish giant would be suitable asan indoor pet? I just love their look, and the size is wonderful! Buthow's their temper, are they sociable animals?

I think they make wonderful house rabbits. They are easy to littertrain (you just need a big enough one so their butts don't hang overthe edge ) and it's pretty easy to keep them out of places you don'twant them because of their size.I wouls suggest that if you got one asa house rabbit you have it spayed or neutered. They tend to getaggressive and like to mark their territory when they are not fixed.



If you want to see new pics of the babies they are on my site!

http://www.freewebs.com/laymanswayrabbitry/

 

[TinysMom]

Will you be at the Ohio state show in May? We're hoping to go (its lionhead Nationals) - in Columbus, OH.

I wish I could talk my sweetie into letting me get a doe for Tiny....oh well...

Peg

 

[mariah416]

hopefully we will,my husband wants to work in the ohio div of wildlife booth so it's just a plus for me!

 

[flemish_breederrz]

I think flemish make great indoor pets. They'resuch sweethearts. They're really just big babies and they're a blast tohave in the house. My dad makes the joke that it's like having a smallhorse in the house because you hear them thumping all over the place.