Fun Flemish Giant Rabbit Facts For Kids

The Flemish giant rabbit, also known as Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus, is one of the largest breeds of rabbits. This docile species was domesticated in the early 16th century and has been bred ever since. It was first bred in Ghent, a city in Belgium, and although the records are a little hazy, the first written account put it on the map in 1860. Flemish giants were historically bred for their meat and fur.

The standards of breeding the Flemish giant rabbit were set in 1893. It was exported to England in the mid 19th century. It was then exported from Belgium and England to America to increase its size in the early 1890s. Flemish giant rabbit meat was quite popular back then. This mandolin-shaped rabbit has a strong body full of dense and glossy fur. The Flemish Giant rabbit weighs around 15 lb (6.8 kg) and has been known to reach up to 22 lb (10 kg). In the United States, it is seen in seven colors.

Included in this article are giant Flemish rabbit facts and information such as Flemish giant rabbit diet, Flemish giant rabbit cost, Flemish giant rabbit care, Flemish giant rabbit size, Flemish giant rabbit price, Flemish giant rabbit colors, black Flemish giant rabbit, white Flemish giant rabbit, and sandy Flemish giant rabbit facts, female Flemish rabbit coat particulars, and so on.

You may also check out brown hare facts and snowshoe hare facts from Kidadl.
 

What type of animal is a Flemish Giant rabbit?

The name sheds a lot of light on its physical appearance. It was bred specifically to reach humongous sizes. These densely furred rabbits are found in seven colors officially, as per the American Rabbit Breed Association (ARBA). These coat colors are black, blue, fawn, light gray, sandy, steel gray, and white.

What class of animal does a Flemish Giant rabbit belong to?

They belong to the Animalia kingdom, and class Mammalia.

How many Flemish Giant rabbits are there in the world?

As per the IUCN Red List, the Giant Flemish Rabbits are considered Near Threatened. Even though they are a domesticated species, their numbers have been declining since the mid 20th century. Their falling number is attributed to pests, disease, ecosystem change, hunting for meat, and habitat loss.

Where does a Flemish Giant rabbit live?

With their rather extensive domestication, the Flemish giant rabbit is found in almost all continents in the world except Asia and Antarctica. It was first found in Flanders, a northern town in Belgium. They were bred as early as the 16th century for their meat and fur. The most authentic record of their breeding was found in 1860. After their breeding standards were defined in 1893, the Flemish giants were Exported from England and Belgium to the United States. After this, they were extensively bred, domesticated, and moved to various countries across the world.

What is a Flemish Giant rabbit's habitat?

The Flemish giant rabbits are found in and are comfortable living in temperate regions. Usually, they enjoy dune lands, limestone hills with outcropping rocks, dry stony riverbeds, and sunny coastal slopes. These Flemish giants do not enjoy cold, wet climates and avoid alpine lands, unbroken scrub, and heavily built-up areas. Their habitat also needs to receive less than 39.4 in (1 m) rainfall annually with sunny weather, soft soil that allows easy burrowing. They also need a cover available close to where they feed.

Who do Flemish Giant rabbits live with?

They are known to be gentle and calm. It is this quality of theirs that has made them a well-loved and adored pet. Its gentleness is also extended towards other pets present in their homes. These Flemish giants are also known to be well-behaved with small children.

How long does a Flemish Giant rabbit live?

Their lifespan is around 8-10 years.

How do they reproduce?

The American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA) has raised a suggestion regarding the breeding of female rabbits. The suggestion asks breeders to delay the breeding until they reach the senior weight range. This weight range is 14.1 lb (6.4 kg). For a Flemish giant rabbit, this time period comes around the age of nine months. To ensure that this is followed, the males and females of the species are kept in different cages. This is done from three months as they reach sexual maturity, at around four months of age. The gestation period for a female of this species is around 28–31 days. The size of their litter is around 5-12 per litter.

What is their conservation status?

The IUCN Red List classifies these Flemish giants as Near Threatened.

What do Flemish Giant rabbits look like?

As the name suggests, they look like giant bunnies. These rabbits are semi-arch type rabbits, and their back arch stands behind their shoulders and goes all the way to their tails. They have hairy and erect ears, which are around 2 in (5 cm) in length. They have a powerful body and some muscular and broad hindquarters. They have dense and glossy fur, and there exist seven different coat types of this species. These are black, blue, fawn, sandy, light gray, steel gray, and white. The average weight of these Flemish giant rabbits is around 15 lb (6.8 kg), and they grow to be about 29 in (73.66 cm) in length. Their fur rolls back to its original position when it is stroked from its hindquarters to its head.

How cute are they?

Flemish giant rabbits are adorable to look at. They are known to be quite docile and calm around humans as they share a strong bond with humans. Since their domestication, they have also lived amongst other human pets and are seldom violent. The dense and glossy fur from its head to its hindquarters adds to its cute and fluffy appearance. The fact they are so big also makes them extremely huggable. A blue Flemish giant rabbit is one of the most beautiful-looking rabbits in the world. In fact, their colors are of a wide variety which includes black, blue, fawn, light gray, steel gray, sandy, and white.

How do they communicate?

This might seem strange to us, but they communicate with each other via body language. These silent cues are often missed by humans, but rabbits understand these perfectly well. There are times when they communicate with their voice, although quite rare and of a very low sound which they pick up with their sensitive ears.

How big is a Flemish Giant rabbit?

A Flemish giant rabbit rightly has the word giant in its name. Weighing around 15 lb (6.8 kg) and 29 in (73.66 cm) in length, it is almost seven times as big as an average European rabbit.

How fast can a Flemish Giant rabbit run?

The powerful and broad hind quarter gives them quite a speed boost. The average speed of a Flemish giant rabbit is measured at around 45 mph (72.4 kph). This speed is measured if they run in a straight line which is seldom the case. They take a zigzag motion to avoid predators and usually attain speeds of up to 30-35 mph (48.3-56.3 kph).

How much do they weigh?

These Flemish Giants were exported to America from Belgium and England to help them attain enormous sizes. One can say that this effort was realized as a Flemish giant rabbit today weighs around 15 lb (6.8 kg). The biggest Flemish giant rabbit was recorded to be around 48.5 lb (22 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

As with all the rabbit species, the males are called bucks and have a bigger and broader head. While the females are called does. You can identify a female of this species by a dewlap, or the folds of skin, under their chins which is absent in males.

What would you call a baby Flemish Giant rabbit?

The baby of a Flemish giant rabbit or any rabbit, in particular, is called a kitten.

What do they eat?

Their diet is the same as any other rabbit and the same for a male and a female. Their portion size, however, is increased as per their size. They require a high protein diet of 16% for a healthy bone density during its growth and muscular strength after it becomes an adult. They can also be fed small amounts of apples (without the core), cabbage, or broccoli as treats. It needs to be fed two cups of chopped leafy vegetables and two tablespoons of fruit or carrot per 6 lb (2.7 kg) daily.

Are they friendly?

They are known to have friendly and docile personalities. Because of their domesticated nature for more than a century, they have adopted the lifestyle of living with humans. This is why they are calm and friendly even with various human pets.

Would they make a good pet?

These Flemish Giants are excellent as pet rabbits. They are docile, friendly, and often calm. These rabbits jump and climb on top of various things in the house and often jump on the owner's lap. As they are pliable, they can easily be trained, but they need more space to live. The care required isn't much and can be handled with little attention.

Did you know...

Their grooming is easier than other species of rabbit. The fur of these animals is made of short hair and thus only needs to be brushed once a week. Even during the process of molting you only need to groom them twice a week at the maximum.

Do they bite?

Even though these rabbits have a docile personality, they do bite or scratch occasionally. This usually happens if the animal is roughly handled or not given their appropriate space, making them nervous.

Having your own Flemish Giant rabbit

These beautiful and majestic animals are available to buy across various pet stores in the world. They cost somewhere between $20-$30; however, the prized breeds cost more than $300.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Himalayan rabbit facts and hare facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Flemish giant rabbit coloring pages.