Gaint breed rabbits

ferretcrazy

My daughter has wanted to get a one of the gaint breed rabbits, either a Flimish or Continental, we know a small bit about them but would be gratefull for any information, have tryed the net but not a lot about them, also were to get a book about them, have tryed some petshops they said they dont get them in...

Dusty87

Flemish are nice once you get them young.. One of ours acted like a dog:eek:
I was supposed to pm a woman here numbers for dealers but they have all stopped breeding them for some reason. I have a website you could try them.

Just remember though, they are big, need good space, and they kick like mules!!
Expect to pay 50e to 100 for one. Well worth it if you give them the time
www.animalmagic.ie

Give her a buzz, she may not breed them anymore but may be able to put you in touch with someone. Il check is there any books lying around here for ya

ferretcrazy

Thanks very much, the plan is rabbit will have full use of back garden and house during the day were buying a big hen house and run for night time. need to find out if were doing right thing first.

Dusty87

ferretcrazy wrote: »

Thanks very much, the plan is rabbit will have full use of back garden and house during the day were buying a big hen house and run for night time. need to find out if were doing right thing first.

No problem,
Il ask the OH does she have any info for ya.

Sigma Force

A chicken run wouldn't be suitable I'd say although depends how it's built.
A big bun like that would need a shed at night, they can work out cheaper as well.
Make allowances for winter too, if we get another freeze like last winter the bun would need to come in to the house or have heating provided.

Ensure that no cats or dogs can get in to the garden and obviously ensure there's no way the bun could dig out of it.

Check out the irish rabbit forum they might be able to put you in the right direction, there are some links on my site to various fun sites as well for toys and treats etc.

ferretcrazy

Thanks guineapigrescue, the rabbit forum is a great site, never heard of it before, i think we will get a lot of info from them. thanks again...

morganafay

Sounds like the rabbit will have loads of space

You can get large chicken-coop-style rabbit hutches/runs (check zooplus.ie and there's one pretty big one) that'd be ok for night, but a shed would have more sheltered space, if it was raining or anything. You could attach a run to the shed too.

And be careful of cats, they can still harm rabbits even giant ones. It'd be safer to just let it run around the garden when supervised, but you have to weigh up the risk of cats with the amount of exercise the rabbit needs . . . I'd love to let my rabbits run around the garden but have 6 cats!

Also what age is your daughter? Just make sure you're careful picking up the rabbit, if it doesn't like being picked up they could do a lot of damage with their claws.

ferretcrazy

Thanks morganafay, my daughter is 12 and has a dwarf rabbit already, so has the general about rabbits, have heard lots of storys of them being aggresive, do you have a gaint yourself.

BrigR

Had one as a child and it was the gentlest soul. Female, very affectionate and clean when she was in the house (used the cat's litter box when the need arose)

Dusty87

Like anything giants are gentle when you get them young and handle them. Iv found them friendlier than lops and Lionheads, i think because they are bigger and not as nervous. Get a fully grown one kept in a cage and it will kick when handled. One of ours used to hop over to me when i went outside to be petted. Used to climb onto OH lap for a pet

GALWAYINDOOR

hi done deal have giant breeds always for sale from a breeder :) and there is a link to the web page

morganafay

I don't have them myself (I have lionheads) but I've heard they are very friendly like a dog, and gentle giants. Just that like with any rabbit, if you're holding them and they wriggle they'll scratch you badly, and I can imagine with giant ones they'd scratch you worse. I've never heard of them being aggressive though. My friendliest rabbit is the one that hates being picked up the most, and will nip to be let down, but she's not being aggressive, just cheeky!

My old mixed breed rabbit was very friendly but hated being picked up and I still have the scars! In the end I had to avoid picking her up ever.

I'd definitely like to have a couple of giant rabbits when I have my own place and a big garden for them to run around in (supervised cos of my cats!)

Graces7

morganafay wrote: »

I don't have them myself (I have lionheads) but I've heard they are very friendly like a dog, and gentle giants. Just that like with any rabbit, if you're holding them and they wriggle they'll scratch you badly, and I can imagine with giant ones they'd scratch you worse. I've never heard of them being aggressive though. My friendliest rabbit is the one that hates being picked up the most, and will nip to be let down, but she's not being aggressive, just cheeky!

My old mixed breed rabbit was very friendly but hated being picked up and I still have the scars! In the end I had to avoid picking her up ever.

I'd definitely like to have a couple of giant rabbits when I have my own place and a big garden for them to run around in (supervised cos of my cats!)

How big are they? Any self-respecting cat would be terrified!!!

are they tasty?

morganafay

I think they can get up to 20 something pounds, I think for continental giant rabbits? Flemish are maybe about 15lbs. Much bigger than my 3.5lb rabbits

I've seen them referred to as cat proof in donedeal ads, etc. but I think a cat could kill them if they were determined! Mine killed a huge hare once . . . And if the cat scratched it it could easily get an infection from the cat's claws and die. Lots of people let their cats play with their rabbits though.

I'd be more worried about the cats being hurt though, to be honest Or stray cats that might be better hunters than mine, mine only catch the odd mouse or shrew.

I think some people mix them with other large breeds for meat rabbits, no idea how they taste though!

Graces7

morganafay wrote: »

I think they can get up to 20 something pounds, I think for continental giant rabbits? Flemish are maybe about 15lbs. Much bigger than my 3.5lb rabbits

I've seen them referred to as cat proof in donedeal ads, etc. but I think a cat could kill them if they were determined! Mine killed a huge hare once . . . And if the cat scratched it it could easily get an infection from the cat's claws and die. Lots of people let their cats play with their rabbits though.

I'd be more worried about the cats being hurt though, to be honest Or stray cats that might be better hunters than mine, mine only catch the odd mouse or shrew.

I think some people mix them with other large breeds for meat rabbits, no idea how they taste though!

One of my cats once had designs on a young cockerel... But the cockerel had a friend and they started stalking the cat, one one either side... Cat was terrified..Cats are wise..

Sigma Force

Wouldn't buy from an ad that states a rabbit is cat proof no matter how big the bun.

When I had two regular sized rabbits they needed a lot of space, 6 by 8 house with a 5 by 5 foot run and that was just about big enough for them to keep them happy other times they had a bunny proof room that they could roam about in most of the day.

One big downside I found with a lot of rabbit runs is that they are a nuisance to clean, you have to stoop down in the rain and break your back trying to clean it out. They were fine for sunny days but once you get a bit of rain it's a miserable task.
With a bunny shed you can stay dry as while you are cleaning it out, all the rabbits stuff can be stored in there as well out of reach of the rabbit plus you can add heating etc.

I used the cilldare.ie runs but they are pricey but last a lifetime. We also built our own which worked out cheaper than buying from a regular shop.

morganafay

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Wouldn't buy from an ad that states a rabbit is cat proof no matter how big the bun.

One big downside I found with a lot of rabbit runs is that they are a nuisance to clean, you have to stoop down in the rain and break your back trying to clean it out. They were fine for sunny days but once you get a bit of rain it's a miserable task.
With a bunny shed you can stay dry as while you are cleaning it out, all the rabbits stuff can be stored in there as well out of reach of the rabbit plus you can add heating etc.

Exactly, no rabbit is cat proof. Some cats could kill a large rabbit, or just scratch them leading to a fatal infection.

I love my bunny shed, everything stays so dry and clean and I can sit in there with the rabbits and let them hop over to see me, so it's a lot easier to interact with them than if they were in hutches/runs. The rabbits have runs too, but if it's raining I can shut them in the shed, so they stay dry but still have enough space, otherwise they'll just sit out in the rain, and some of them have very long hair and it'd get ruined, and I'd be worried about them getting sick too.