Anyone have french lops?

hi, i'm just wanting some info on french lops as i am thinking about getting one in a couple of weeks. I already have 5 bunnies but they are all small mini lops and lionlops, so this would be my first giant rabbit. Can someone please give me some info on them! Like what illnesses they are prone to, their temperament, ect. Thanks!

I have two

Not sure about the general health of the breed and mine are only 9 months, no problems yet apart from a bout of diarrhoea from sapphire after her spay.

They are SUPER LAZY. They spend most of their day snuggled together. Complete opposite of a small, energetic, uppy eared bun!

You have to be careful picking them up due to their size. Mine don't mind being picked up once they're up but of they realise I am trying to pick them up their kicks are quite powerful!

They make A LOT of poo. I mean a lot. You will need a huge litter tray to accommodate them as well. (I was using the largest size of cat litter tray but it was too small! You might want to go with under bed storage box)

Mine love food and treats and will climb my leg for fenugreek crunchies. They love ear massages more than nose rubs, and they make big THUDS when they Binky!!

I have a frenchie and she is the lazy and greediest bunny I have ever met in my life! She is such a character though, and defo thinks that she is boss since she is so big (6.5kg). She is a house rabbit and its just like having a pet cat. I agree with the fact that they poo a lot, we have 2 supersize litter trays that both get cleaned out every night. Daisy has teeth problems but they are common in all types of rabbits, not just french lops. She also doesn't like being handled much because of her size, but once she is up for nail cutting etc she is fine (easily bribed with crunchies when we have finished!) One thing that we struggle with is finding toys that fit her- a lot of the tunnels/ hideouts etc are too small for her!

Would you be bonding this bunny with the ones you already have or having 2? have you found one from a rescue? what would be the accommodation?

Laura10101 said:

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:shock::shock::shock::shock: That flop!!!

That is Daisy's standard pose! She loves flopping, and if she is not flopped them she is lying down with both feet sticking out at the back. Chilled is an understatement for Daisy.

I have a French Lop who is 17 months old. He is the cuddliest rabbit and he loves to lick.....my hands, the floor, his pen.

He has had a few problems since having him, particularly to do with his legs. I got him from a rescue in Wiltshire (last August) and his brother had already been put to sleep because he had something wrong with his one leg. First I noticed that Finley's head was slightly turned and he began to lose the use of his back legs. I took him to the vets and he had blood tests to confirm but the vet said to go ahead and treat for E-Cuniculi. We began the tretament and he repsonded but the bloods came back and said this was not what he had! We stopped the treatment and he lost the use of his legs again. Therefore he was put back on a 28 day course of Panacur. During this time he went off his food so had to be syringe fed Critical Care. Unfortunately some food managed to end up on his lungs and began to have difficulties breathing. I took him to the vets where he was x-rayed and put on more medication.

After 28 days he was fine for about two weeks. I noticed that he didn't seem to be using his one back leg as well as usual. I took him to the vets who thought that he had an abcess on his hock - caused by him standing in a thorne in his hay. He was put on penicillin to try and help. The vet operated and flushed the abcess and hoped that would work. It didn't! A few weeks later he had another operation where drains were inserted into his hock and he had to wear a buster collar. For just over two weeks we had to flush his drains and try to squeeze the puss out of his leg. He was on alot of other treatment too! After all this the vet took the drains out and hoped Finley would begin to use his leg again. Between operations he did not use his leg and it was very swollen.

We went back to the vets about 2 weeks later for his 'final' check-up where the vet was hoping to give us the all-clear. We knew this would not be the case. Finley had balls of puss appear all over his foot and leg. The only option left was amputation.

Finley was booked in for two days later and he had his left hock and whole leg removed. He made a quick recovery and the vet was very pleased with his healed area BUT his other leg began to get pressure sores where he was holding the weight of his body on one leg. Finley had to continue having penicillin injections, we had to get foam mats and he had to have his remaining hock bandaged for several weeks until it got better. He struggles to walk and run on laminate but apart from that he is a very happy bun - he can even run up and down the stairs!

(My Vet said that sore hocks was quite common in Frenchies)

My other French Lop Emily has also had a few problems ....too much to type.....

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-MAJOR-surgery-U-D-Emily-is-coming-home-today!!!

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?301252-Emily-recovering-well-after-her-major-op...

Emily is currently being treated for an ear infection and the vet is hoping that its not an inner ear problem....so for now we have our fingers crossed!

Although my Frenchies have cost me a fortune in vet bills I would not be without them.

My frenchie, BB, is 7 years old, and, as per the descriptions above, is the laziest, greediest, but loveliest of buns.

Her favourite pose is lying out full stretch in the middle of the lawn, only moving a few inches at a time to reach more grass.

She will do anything for food, and can be quite a thug to get at it. She will instantly relax for fuss as soon as you touch her head, but only after she's searched every pocket or potential hidey for food.

BB is in heart failure, so is even lazier than she used to be.

She has ensured that I will always love Frenchies

ally&poppy

Yes, i thought they'd be lazier!

Ally&Poppy - i am getting him from a breeder. I haven't decided whether i should get one of his sisters or bond him with one of my other neutered females (i have a trio of females).. but would this upset/depress Bonnie (the female) as she would be leaving her mum and sister and have to make a new friend? If someone could help me decide! that would be good We are going to house him outside in a shed, an 8x6 shed with a 6x4 foot run attached, we already have this run, we do not yet have the shed. Is this big enough for him? Thanks for all the info!

I would LOVE to see some pics of everyone's frenchies!

Also, the breeder i am getting him sells her bunnies for £70 but she also gives you a voucher which pays for most of the bunnies neutering, which i thought was good!

I don't know if 6 x 4 is too small for a giant, it's small for my buns and that's only because of Donny is huge, not giant though.

The minimum now is 6 x 8 but for giants I think runs need to be 3t high for ample space. Not sure about overall space though. Someone on here has a giant pair outside but I can't remember who.

Have you looked at rescues? There are so many already neutered and vaccinated for that price, just a little more for a pair.

:wave:

I personally think giants need way more space than that. Mine have my room which is about 10 ft X 8 ft (plus they can go on or under the bed) when I'm not home and I feel bad leaving them there! When I'm home they have the whole of upstairs.

Sorry forgot to say, this space would only be for night time and when i go out, he will have free roam of the side garden which is a 80ft garden(i have 3 gardens,lol.. one for my 3 girls and 1 for my other 2 bunnies, then one for him). Also, the run is 5.5ft high so i can walk into them, all my runs are this high But if these are lazy bunnies why wouldn't this size be enough? But i'm sure i'll be able to add another 4ft onto his run to meet the recommendations!

Also where i live (i live on a small island) there is only 1 shelter, and i have never seen more than 5 bunnies in there at one time for over 2 years. I always foster the old bunnies though, and i am wanting a french lop, when most of the bunnies in the shelter are cross breeds and can't be rehomed with children or other bunnies Thankfully, there is either no bunnies in the shelter or only 1-2 at a time, i volunteer there