Flemish rabbit living with pigs, tortise, and dogs?

[000]

Hi! I want to get a Flemish rabbit to live with my 2 pigs. They are miniature potbellies and super nice. My 2 dogs (catahula and a wheaten terrier) play with the pigs on a daily basis. and the tortoise is a giant sulcata desert tortoise. There have been no aggression problems at all (which says something because catahulas are pig hunting dogs). The odd group play and nap together every day and none of them mind new people but I have never added new pets. Would a Flemish rabbit do fine roaming in the 1/4 aecer field with 5 of them under supervision? At night the dogs come in the house, the pigs go in their stall, the tortoise into it's burrow, and the rabbit would go into a hutch. It would not go out when I am not home until I am comfortable with it not escaping or fighting, it would stay in it's hutch. I just feel that having a rabbit confined to a hutch full time is cruel. I plan to get it at a few months of age so it can be raised with the weird friends. Thank you for your advice!

 

[Bunnylady]

As rabbits go, Flemish Giants have a reputation for being pretty laid-back, but they are, after all, still rabbits. Rabbits are small herbivores, and when you are a small herbivore, it seems like everything tries to eat you. There are certain instinctive behaviors that you will always need to be aware of; things like digging and a need for cover. Whether a rabbit would deal well with this arrangement may largely depend on that particular rabbit. Some rabbits dig constantly, others hardly at all. You may find that, when you let the rabbit out to "play," it spends the entire time hunkered down under a shed (or whatever other shelter it can find). Rabbits are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk), so you may find that at the time you want it to go into its hutch, it wants to tear around and be impossible to catch. You will need to constantly monitor your perimeter; there have been an awful lot of "yard bunny" owners that never saw their rabbit digging, yet suddenly learned that the rabbit has tunneled under the fence in a hidden corner and is now nowhere to be found. Also, the bones of even a large rabbit are pretty fragile; even a "play bite" from a Catahoula could break a rabbit.

 

[jak2002003]

Be aware that the rabbit may decide to use the tortoise as a chewing toy.. being slow it would not be able to get away.

 

[000]

As rabbits go, Flemish Giants have a reputation for being pretty laid-back, but they are, after all, still rabbits. Rabbits are small herbivores, and when you are a small herbivore, it seems like everything tries to eat you. There are certain instinctive behaviors that you will always need to be aware of; things like digging and a need for cover. Whether a rabbit would deal well with this arrangement may largely depend on that particular rabbit. Some rabbits dig constantly, others hardly at all. You may find that, when you let the rabbit out to "play," it spends the entire time hunkered down under a shed (or whatever other shelter it can find). Rabbits are crepuscular (most active at dawn and dusk), so you may find that at the time you want it to go into its hutch, it wants to tear around and be impossible to catch. You will need to constantly monitor your perimeter; there have been an awful lot of "yard bunny" owners that never saw their rabbit digging, yet suddenly learned that the rabbit has tunneled under the fence in a hidden corner and is now nowhere to be found. Also, the bones of even a large rabbit are pretty fragile; even a "play bite" from a Catahoula could break a rabbit.

Thank you! I have read that Flemish are fine with dogs and are usually comfortable with them. The catahula has been trained extensively and so I am not worried about him. He is wimpy about things that he is unfamiliar with and will probably hide in the coroner. But, I understand your concern and I will pay close attention and monitor the play closely. It will have a collar on for IF it gets out but once again I will see to it that it does not. What kind of shelter should I have available for it to hide in?

Be aware that the rabbit may decide to use the tortoise as a chewing toy.. being slow it would not be able to get away.

It is over 50 pounds and will grow to 150 pounds or more. Also it is a "spurred tortoise", meaning that it has thick, hard scales on it's legs. It's shell would not be easily damaged and it can get around as fast as a person would walk slowly. Thank you for your concern, but I am not worried about him getting hurt.
Here he is:

(Thick shell and scales)

Thanks!