The Mini Lop Rabbit

The Mini lop is the smallest breed of the lop rabbit. Outside of the UK the breed is sometimes known as the dwarf lop. In America it is referred to as the Holland lop.

There is a lot of confusion with this and if purchasing you should check what the breeder/seller is referring to when they say Mini lop/Holland lop/Dwarf lop etc.

These rabbits are a very popular choice for house rabbits.

Fully grown weight: 3.0 to 4.0 lbs (1.4 to 1.8 kilos)

Along with the American Fuzzy Lop, they are the smallest breed.

The life span of a mini lop is 5 to 10 years. Some live longer to maybe 12 years with the average age being 6 or 7 years, but the age of any rabbit is dependent on care and, just as importantly, diet.

This rabbit has an excellent temperament, with non aggressive behaviour.

They make very good house rabbits and companions and are easy to house train.

These pet rabbits should not be kept outside.

They have short hair which means easy to maintain and they have a certain puppy look, with an appealing round face and loopy ears.

The fact that the ears are loopy or drooped to each side of the head does not mean their hearing is impaired in any way.

This breed of rabbit loves attention, being picked up, cuddled and handled.

They appeal to and are very popular with pet owners and breeders alike, simply because of it aesthetic and visual appeal.

Colours: There are over 20 colours with the most common colours being tortoise shell, broken tortoise shell, broken black, black, brown, broken orange, grey/blue.

History: Recognized as a new breed in the mid 1960s.Breeder Adrian de Cock bred a French lop doe with Netherland dwarf buck.

The resulting doe from these was bred with an English lop and then interbred from resulting litters, resulting in the Holland Lop.

Although weighing between 5.5lbs to 6.6lbs (2.5 to 3 kilos )they were subsequently bred to a smaller weight of less than 4.4lbs (2 kilos).

In 1964 the mini lop was recognized by the Netherlands Governing Rabbit Council as a new breed.

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