Flanders giant rabbit origin
The first specimen of the Flanders giant rabbit probably dates from the 16th century, as it was already reflected in documents from that time. For this reason, it is considered one of the oldest rabbit breeds today. However, the first official standard was not established until the 19th century, specifically in 1890. Despite its long history, this breed did not spread and become popular outside of Belgium, where it originated, until 1980, reaching England first and then the rest of the world in a very short time. Currently, the fan club for this breed is getting bigger and bigger, as its large size has certainly not gone unnoticed.
Physical Characteristics Flemish Giant Rabbit
According to the standard, a Flemish giant rabbit weighs between 6 and 10 kilograms on average, however there have been cases of rabbits that They have weighed up to 18 kilograms, being the size similar to that of a poodle for example. It has a square-shaped body, with an arched back, with muscular and powerful limbs and a round tail. The head is large and wide, presenting a noticeable thick dewlap. While his ears are long and big and his eyes are dark.
The fur of these rabbits is dense and short, it recoils if brushed against the grain. The colors are very varied, accepting a total of 10, among which stand out, for being the most frequent: black, beige, blue, steel gray, white gray and brown
Flanders Giant Rabbit Character
These are some calm rabbits, which many define as pachones or lazy, because they like to spend their days lying down and enjoying the Calm down. This is why they are not suitable for busy and noisy homes. They are very sociable, getting along great with other rabbits, as well as with other pets if they are used to living together. However, they are naturally introverted, which means that some early socializationneeds to be put into a successful socialization.
Flanders Giant Rabbit Care
Apart from the basic care of any rabbit, we must pay special attention to the feeding given to our Flanders giant rabbit. This is because it is easy to fall into the mistake of thinking that due to their size we have to give them huge amounts of food. And, although they consume greater amounts of food daily than smaller breeds, we must not overdo it, or else they could gain a lot of weight in a very short time, which which causes them he alth problems associated with overweight and obesity
Another of the factors that most differs in terms of care with respect to other breeds, is the space that their cage or housing must haveThis space must be large, allowing them to move freely. It is something that we must take into account before adopting one of these rabbits, because, if we live in a small apartment, the lack of space can be a problem.
He alth Flemish Giant Rabbit
One of the main he alth problems faced by these large rabbits is obesity, well, it is normal for them to fall in the mistake of giving them excess food due to their large size. But, we must take into account that they are very sedentary, so they should not make a disproportionate intake. This obesity is dangerous because it has consequences such as a greater probability of fractures, due to the extra weight that their fragile bones have to bear, joint and cardiovascular problems
We also have to visit the vet regularly, because that way we can keep informed of our friend's general he alth status, performing tests and important analysis for it. We can take advantage of these visits to carry out specific care such as cutting the nails, since if we want to cut a rabbit's nails at home it can be somewhat complicated.
It is also recommended to keep our rabbit vaccinated and dewormed both internally and externally, as this will prevent a large number of diseases, such as myxomatosis or viral hemorrhagic disease, both fatal in a very high proportion of cases.
