Breed Belgian Flanders: care and breeding of rabbits

The rabbits are small furry animalsthat are used in practical (obtaining meat and its beautiful fur) or for decorative purposes. There are many different breeds of rabbits, which differ in the content of the meat and length of their fur, their size and other external features.

Today our article is dedicated to the rabbit breed is the Flemish giant.

Flandres, or Belgian Giant is a breed of rabbits that are bred with the aim of obtaining meat and its beautiful fur. Judging by the title, it can be concluded that this animal is distinguished by its very considerable size of the housing. Who are the Flemish giant, the story of their origin, features of breeding, care and a lot of other useful information you can learn by reading our article to the end.

The history of the breed Flandres

Judging by the name of the breed the Belgian giant, we can conclude that the Birthplace of the origin of these animals is Belgium. Flanders is a historic territory, from which were brought the first representatives of this breed. However, this is false information based only on guesses of people.

There are several versions of origin of this breed of rabbits:

• The Flemish giants was the result of long and painstaking work of breeders of Flanders.
• The Belgian giant is a modern representative of the extinct species of rabbits that lived in Argentina. According to this version of rabbit breed is the Flemish giant was brought to Europe by the conquerors of the seas Holland. However, this version of the origin has no historical evidence, so you cannot call it a true fact.
• Happened breed from the mating of representatives of the Flemish and of the Patagonian species. However, many claim that this theory is just another human invention.

Breeders love the Belgian giants for their beautiful furs and tasty dietary meat. These animals have increased resistance to adverse natural phenomena and less prone to diseases.

Very popular in America. Where they love to have as Pets.

Distinctive external features rabbit Belgian giant

This is the largest members of the family Zaitsevs. Are massiveness of the hull and more weight.

Breeders all over the world output of the variety of breeds that differ in appearance from members of the same breed in another continent, however, all animals have similar traits:

• A lot of weight and impressive dimensions. The average weight is 7 kg, but recorded the breed weighing over 20 kg.
  An elongated body with a large strong chest.
• Muscles are well developed.
• Large powerful legs.
• A thick woolen blanket. The fur is dense and soft to the touch.
• Large head with pronounced cheeks.
• Ears large in size, sticking up.
• The coat color should match the color of the claws of the animal.

Of Flemish giant cannot be called the most beautiful of the family Zaitsevs, however, they find a lot of its fans among ordinary citizens. Very common Belgian giant as a tenant of the apartment. People are happy to have a Flemish giant for decorative use.

What is the nature of the Flemish giant

These animals have a very docile and gentle nature. They are calm and peaceful. The Flemish giants are very attached to their owner and love children. Breeders say that this breed resembling the dog, they are just as committed and intelligent as the representatives of four-legged friends.

Rabbits unpretentious and easy to get along with other animals that are kept in the apartment. The Belgian giants have absolutely no aggression. They are typical representatives of soft and furry animals. Even pregnant female rabbits behave calmly and appropriately, while the rest of the species of the family Zaitsevs characterized by the manifestation of anger and aggressive behavior during this period.

Rabbits breeds Flemish giant will easily steal your heart and become favorites for the whole family. Children will love to watch these unique animals and play with their Pets.However, all who wish to get this breed you must first learn the peculiarities of their content and the basic principles of nursing, and only then to buy animals.

Advantages of the breed:

• Females of this breed are characterized by high milk and fertility.
• High viability of young rabbits.
• The simplicity and lack of aggression.
• A quick set of muscle and body fat mass, rapid growth and development.
• Resistant to adverse weather conditions.

Disadvantages:

• Representatives of this breed are overly greedy.
• Because of its large dimensions require a lot of space.

Features of breeding and care of rabbits breeds Flemish giant

Rabbits require greater attention and observance of sanitary conditions. First, you need to purchase a cage for your pet. To choosing a home for a rabbit should be approached with seriousness and responsibility.

How to choose the right cage

• The cage should be big and spacious, to the Flemish giant had a place to roam.
• The bottom of the cage lay a special Mat so the animal does not hurt their delicate paw pads on the hard rods.
• The cage should not be painted.

You can make a cage for a rabbit yourself or buy a suitable option in a specialty store.

Breeding of the Belgian giants

This is a very profitable occupation. Breeders get a lot of meat and valuable skins from this breed of the family Zaitsevs.

However, Flandy quite late reach sexual maturity and ability to reproduce. Must be at least eight months from the date of birth of the animal before being allowed to mate. This is a fairly long period if to compare with other breeds of rabbits.

The allowed mating only healthy and strong individuals., it is therefore necessary to carefully inspect the animal before pairing process.It is not recommended to implement mating in the autumn months, because at this time the animals are most relaxed and receptive to different diseases.

Females of this breed are very prolific and have a high yield. Females during pregnancy requires hard feed only fresh and high quality food and protect against adverse factors. They do not like loud and sudden noises, bright flashes of light. Rabbit carrying their young for about a month. The light can be born from 5 to 15 rabbits. The new mother is very kind and gentle with my babies, so it’s best not to disturb when she’s busy with her own cubs.

Provide a wide and comfortable cage for the young mother, it is very important.

How to properly care for rabbits in the apartment

If you plan to keep rabbit breed Flemish giant in your apartment, you need to know the basic care rules and stick to them regularly.

So, in order to contain the Belgian giant you will need:

1. Provide a spacious cage with all the comforts for the animal (a house, a drinking bottle, toys, feeding bowl, etc.).
2. Properly and regularly feed the animal.
3. Regularly comb out and monitor the condition of the coat.
4. To make timely vaccinated and visit the veterinarian.
5. To observe cleanliness and order in the cage, regularly ventilate the room.

Adhering to the basic principles of care, you can preserve the health and prolong the years of life of your pet.

Attention! Not advisable to keep rabbits of this breed if you have very young children. Rabbits can accidentally bite or hurt your child.

The diet of rabbits, the Belgian giant

To feed the gob, you will need to spend a lot of Finance, so you should be prepared for the excessive gluttony of this breed.

To ensure proper functioning of the digestive system and metabolism, it is necessary to follow a proper and balanced diet:

1. Specialized dry food with optimal composition.
2. Cereals, mixed fodder.
3. Fresh juicy grass.
4. Well washed and peeled vegetables and root vegetables.
5. Vitamin-mineral complexes.
6. Flour from the bones.
7. Fresh and clean water.

You need to feed rabbits 2-3 times a day, adhering to the same time for meals. You can mix different vegetables and root crops, the only required condition is the freshness and quality of products.

Hay is not recommended in a rabbits diet, it is better to prefer fresh and juicy grass.

Biomitsin – required medicine that should feed the animal so as to protect from various infections.

Where to buy and how much it cost

You can buy rabbits Flemish giants in special places:

• The rabbit breeders in your area.
• In Specialized stores.
• With hands on the ads on the sites.

When buying you should pay attention to the following features:

• External features (size, weight, coat, etc.).
• The rabbit should be active and alert.
• Fur is shiny and soft to the touch.
• The eyes and the nose must be clean without zakica, tumors and scratches.
• It is better to buy two months of rabbit.
• The high price of a purebred animal.

It is best to buy the Belgian giants at the breeders because you can be sure that they were kept correctly and adhere to all the principles of proper care. Of these rabbits grow strong and viable individuals.

The price of the animal may vary from a half to a few thousand Russian rubles and depends on several factors:

1. The purity of the breed.
2. Color.
3. Variety of rabbits.
4. Sex (males are more expensive).

Knowing all peculiarities of this breed, you can easily choose a faithful and devoted friend