Travellers returning to England from Flanders told stories of the giant rabbits they had seen. Rabbit was a very popular source of meat and the English rabbit breeders decided to import the Flemish Giant to help satisfy the market. A typical English rabbit weighed 7 – 8 lbs, whilst the Flemish Giant weighed in at 14lbs!
These giant rabbits are very strong physically and also have very strong characters. They have a reputation for not being easy to breed, the mothering instinct is not renowned and the mortality rate amongst the babies can be high. They also have enormous appetites! There are 7 distinct colours in the modern Flemish Giant; black, blue, fawn, light grey, steel grey, white and sandy/natural. The female may have a dewlap (a fold of loose skin hanging from the throat) the fur of which she uses for lining her nest and keeping her young warm.