Flemish Giant Rabbits?

[chinbunny]

That looks more like an american chin then a flemish. Unless its a young rabbit.And kind of dark for a grey. Could be the camera though. Again, nobody said you had to keep the rabbits on the wire. It was just an example. That is why you give them things to sit on. The whole the "wire hurts their feet" is a myth anyhow. And as pointed out before a setup like that is nice for pet rabbits, but may not be ideal for a show rabbit. Flemish are a breed that is prone to hock problems period no matter what they are sitting on. trust me, I know. I used to raise and show them. I know breeders that have them too.

 

[gypsy2621]

Wendy! awesome set up for a spoiled rabbit. LOL.
I like that cage set up. I tried that with a normal chickne coop type cage, took the legs off set it on the floor took off the door etc, big booger chewed it to shreds lol.

Your Flemish looks like my Babe ( RIP) yes he was spoiled also, 4x4 round pen on the floor chick cage for his hutch.
Yours looks to be a light grey tweener, meaning some one of the parent was a steel and the other was a light grey. I love tweeners they make great pets even though they cant be shown.

As stated before Flemish are prone to sore hock no matter what they have for flooring. it is very dependant on feeding conditioning, genetic, and general husbandry.
I have had 3 lb mini rex on half solid bottom and wire cages, sore hocks, constantly, why poor furring over the hock, typical problem with some lines of mini rex. if they have poor furring over the hock they do not get bred nor shown and they do not find pet homes, not a trait I wish to pass on.

Babe (18.8 lbs) was in top condition and never ever had an issue with sore feet, another one I had at 15 lbs had sore hock constantly, why, who knows genetics can be involved, if one of the parents had thin fur over the hock it could very easily be passed to the kits. He may have been lacking in certain vitamins minerals etc, he also was on the floor in a 4x4 foot round pen.

Also as mentioned before, resting boards, mats, half wire half wood cages are ideal for rabbits.
Stall matts make great cushioning for their feet also as long as they can not get to the edges nor do they dig and then chew the matts.
some rabbits will some wont you have to know which your rabbit is going to do then act accordingly.

Janell nice set up, 24 x 24 cages are fine for 10 lb and less rabbits, there is nothing wrong with this set up.
preference is the key word here.
the cages I have for lion heads, netherland dwarfs are 12x24 Silver Fox French Lops, New Zealands and Flemish are all in 36 x 36 and the really large Flemish are on the floor. anything over 18 lbs is floor bound only because they are easier for me to pick up.

Everyone has different opinions on how to housee their rabbits. I have mine, Jenell has her and Wendy has hers it all boils down to what we are comfortable with and as long as the rabbits are comfortable, happy and healthy it shouldnt matter how they are housed.

 

[chinbunny]

While I disagree with what they say about the wire, maybe this would help you. This is one of the reasons why I suggested following the advice of a a breeder. Or the person you wanted to purchase the rabbit from. The people giving advice above have very little to no experience with keeping show rabbits.

http://sunnyoaksrabbits.tripod.com/id1.html

http://www.nffgrb.com/Articles/Article-KeithForbush.html

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
Been wondering where you have been.

I agree. And what I also have been trying to say is that a pet rabbit setup may not be ideal for something that is destined for the show table. Because there is so much more into keeping a good show quality rabbit then just caging them. Totally different then keeping one as a pet.

Have tried giving your mini rex straw to sit on instead of a board. I have kept pet mini rex for years. I have yet to have one get sore hocks like that.

I lost the last of my flemish to sore hocks years ago. It did not matter what they were sitting on. or what I treated them with. they still got it. I also kept french lops at one time. Those get just about as big, and never had a problem with the cages bothering them.

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Cathy is one of the top Flemish Breeders in the NY area and a really great Friend. I have shown against Cathy many many times lol ( yeah she rocks).
Her Blues are to die for and those Whites she has , dreamy rabbits ( and huge!)

To the Original Poster dont take one persons word for anything, always talk to breeders and show people, there are many on this forum who are willing to help, give advice, etc.

I have been breeding Silver Fox , French Lops and Flemish for over 20 years and believe it or not some one always has something new to teach ME :>)

 

[gypsy2621]

Quote:
Been wondering where you have been.

I agree. And what I also have been trying to say is that a pet rabbit setup may not be ideal for something that is destined for the show table. Because there is so much more into keeping a good show quality rabbit then just caging them. Totally different then keeping one as a pet.

Have tried giving your mini rex straw to sit on instead of a board. I have kept pet mini rex for years. I have yet to have one get sore hocks like that.

I lost the last of my flemish to sore hocks years ago. It did not matter what they were sitting on. or what I treated them with. they still got it. I also kept french lops at one time. Those get just about as big, and never had a problem with the cages bothering them.

Yeah some mini rex flemish, I have even had french lops get sore hock, generally it has not much to do with how they are housed, a lot of the time its just something that happens.
sometimes its lacking a certain vitamin, sometimes a mineral sometimes even genetics. sometimes I swear its just to make us worry and stress, but again thats my opinion.
I had tried everything with the mini rex, nothing worked, the ones I have now have no hock issues what so ever, they can be on plain wire and no sore hock.
I have noticed though mini rex breeders are more concious of the thin hock fur and are working very hard to correct it.
Rex ( the larger breed,often wrongfully refered to as Standard Rex) can have the same hock issues. its all dependant on the fur base on the hock , if it isnt thick enough it is going to create problems.
As many breeders will tell you hock fur is the sock that covers the foot. if its lacking its going to cause blisters.

I have been watching this thread but refraining to jump in. As mentioned everyone has a lot of different opinions on how rabbits are housed.
For pet rabbits its perfectly fine to keep them the way one chooses, Show Rabbits should be kept in show rabbit condition and in a way that works best for the breeder.

Cassi shows the dwarfs, she has one inside as a pet who also shows and consistantly brings home BOB< BOSB etc.
She is kept in the same condition as my barn bunnies.


One thing I will stress here is:
no matter what you decide for housing for your rabbit, it has to be confortable for you the owner and for the rabbit.
The ONLY wrong way to house a rabbit is the one that is detrimental to its health and well being.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
Been wondering where you have been.

I agree. And what I also have been trying to say is that a pet rabbit setup may not be ideal for something that is destined for the show table. Because there is so much more into keeping a good show quality rabbit then just caging them. Totally different then keeping one as a pet.

Have tried giving your mini rex straw to sit on instead of a board. I have kept pet mini rex for years. I have yet to have one get sore hocks like that.

I lost the last of my flemish to sore hocks years ago. It did not matter what they were sitting on. or what I treated them with. they still got it. I also kept french lops at one time. Those get just about as big, and never had a problem with the cages bothering them.

Yeah some mini rex flemish, I have even had french lops get sore hock, generally it has not much to do with how they are housed, a lot of the time its just something that happens.
sometimes its lacking a certain vitamin, sometimes a mineral sometimes even genetics. sometimes I swear its just to make us worry and stress, but again thats my opinion.
I had tried everything with the mini rex, nothing worked, the ones I have now have no hock issues what so ever, they can be on plain wire and no sore hock.
I have noticed though mini rex breeders are more concious of the thin hock fur and are working very hard to correct it.
Rex ( the larger breed,often wrongfully refered to as Standard Rex) can have the same hock issues. its all dependant on the fur base on the hock , if it isnt thick enough it is going to create problems.
As many breeders will tell you hock fur is the sock that covers the foot. if its lacking its going to cause blisters.

I have been watching this thread but refraining to jump in. As mentioned everyone has a lot of different opinions on how rabbits are housed.
For pet rabbits its perfectly fine to keep them the way one chooses, Show Rabbits should be kept in show rabbit condition and in a way that works best for the breeder.

Cassi shows the dwarfs, she has one inside as a pet who also shows and consistantly brings home BOB< BOSB etc.
She is kept in the same condition as my barn bunnies.


One thing I will stress here is:
no matter what you decide for housing for your rabbit, it has to be confortable for you the owner and for the rabbit.
The ONLY wrong way to house a rabbit is the one that is detrimental to its health and well being.

Yes that was the point that I was trying to make is use what works for you as a breeder. Pet owner setups don't always work, and you never know how they will work if the owner has never shown them. Sometimes some of the breeder setups don't always work either. Thats why its best to learn from and listen to others that do have some good experiences with it. Instead of just blowing them off.

BTW thanks about the cages. It just bugs me when I am trying to help someone and they say they are too small. Yeah they would be too small for a flemish. But not a seven pound rabbit. The one large cage I showed actually does the meet the minimum standard for a large breed. You want something that keeps them nice and clean and healthy, and doesn't bother their health. They do get plenty of excercise in cages like that.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
yup..hes young in the pic..
as for his color...who cares if hes dark? I mean really?? really? is that all you have?

I bought a pet quality flemish with a good temperment...thats all i wanted..
I'm not into showing and all that crap...i'm much to lazy to get involved with all that stuff. All i care about is a happy bunny.

Thanks

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Thanks Gypsy!

How ya doing? I know youre a good bun mommy.. I always respect and listen to what you have to say.

 

[chinbunny]

Quote:
yup..hes young in the pic..
as for his color...who cares if hes dark? I mean really?? really? is that all you have?

I bought a pet quality flemish with a good temperment...thats all i wanted..
I'm not into showing and all that crap...i'm much to lazy to get involved with all that stuff. All i care about is a happy bunny.

Thanks

Thats why i said it was probably the camera.

Show rabbits are happy bunnies too. Just cared for differently. Its good that your rabbit is happy, but so are mine.