Flemish Giant needs more space and enrichment

A vet flagging lethargy and weight in a Flemish Giant is a serious prompt to act — these rabbits are already under-served by most commercial housing, and when they're not moving enough, the health spiral can accelerate quickly. Most hutches sold in pet shops are far too small for any rabbit, but for a Flemish Giant it's almost absurd — they need space for at least three full hops, room to stand completely upright (which for a Flemish means well over 60cm clearance), and distinct areas for sleeping and toileting. Before I point you toward what will actually help, can you tell me: is your rabbit kept indoors or outdoors, and roughly how much floor space do you have available to work with?

The vet is right — even a large dog crate is restrictive for a Flemish Giant, especially one already carrying extra weight. At 6kg Bruno is on the heavier side and sluggishness at that size often comes down to two things: not enough space to self-motivate movement, and not enough mental stimulation to make moving feel worthwhile. The good news is you have a spare room, which means you can genuinely fix this. A few quick questions: does Bruno have any tunnels, digging boxes, or foraging toys at the moment, or is the crate fairly bare? And is he neutered?

Right, so Bruno has no real reason to move around — there's nothing to investigate or interact with. That's a very common setup and it's a big part of why larger rabbits become sedentary and gain weight. With a whole room available, the single most impactful thing you can do is give him a tunnel and run system he can explore on his own terms. I'd recommend the Omlet Zippi Rabbit Tunnel System. It's a modular plastic tunnel network you can configure to fill space, add hides and pop-up pods to, and rearrange periodically so the environment stays novel. Flemish Giants fit through it comfortably, and the fact that you can keep changing the layout is key — novelty is what drives a rabbit to get up and explore. Pair it with scattered forage (dried herbs, hay stuffed into cardboard rolls) and Bruno will start moving simply because he's curious. The tunnels alone won't fix the weight, but they address the root cause the vet identified: too little space and too little reason to use it.

No tools needed at all — it clips together by hand, which is genuinely useful because you'll want to change it regularly. Rearranging it every week or two keeps it interesting for Bruno; a tunnel he's mapped completely stops being stimulating. You can also buy extension packs to add more length or junction pieces as you go, so you're not locked into one configuration. Set it up so some sections are tucked behind furniture or under a table — rabbits feel safer moving through spaces that feel enclosed, and that will encourage Bruno to actually use it rather than sit at the entrance. While you're getting it sorted, start scattering his daily pellet ration inside the tunnels rather than in a bowl. It sounds small but making him forage for food is one of the most effective ways to increase daily movement without any effort on your part.

If Bruno has free access to the room for most of the day, that is genuinely enough space — a 3x4 metre room is far better than any hutch or pen you could buy. The thing to manage is overnight and any times you can't supervise. Rabbits chew cables and skirting boards reliably, so you'll need the room properly bunny-proofed before leaving him unsupervised. For those periods, a large pen like the Zippi Rabbit Run enclosure can serve as a safe base rather than a permanent confinement — something open and spacious he retreats to rather than is locked in. But honestly, a well-enriched room with the tunnel system and forage work is a better intervention than any bigger hutch. Keep up with the vet weigh-ins and you should see Bruno moving more within a few weeks once the environment gives him reasons to.