About The Breeds

Holland Lops

There is a reason why I specialize in these guys. This breed is known for their calm, friendly and kind personalities. They are not a hyper breed and are known to chase you around and always want to be by your side. Hollands tend to be very cuddly and are popular because of their size, personalities and their ears of course! If I had to recommend one breed for a family with young kids, it would without a doubt be the Holland Lops. They are great with kids and of all the breeds I have ever had are by far the easiest to handle. These guys average around 3-5 pounds and are the smallest of the Lop breeds. They are a thick breed, which I think just ads to their cuteness, (a small but chubby bunny!), and for your information, yes, they are smaller than mini lops!

According to the ARBA Official Guide Book ‘Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies’, “Mr. Adrian DeCock of the Netherlands was the originator of what he calls the Netherland Dwarf Lop, now known by the ARBA as the Holland Lop. Mr. DeCock started in 1949 to develop, what he hoped would be a miniature French Lop. After crossing French Lops and Dwarfs both ways without success, in 1952 he mated a doe from from a Dwarf, French Lop cross mated to an English Lop buck. A buck from this mating bred to a doe from the second or the same mating was a start of succession of mating’s within this family, with a later addition Dwarf cross, culminated in his reaching his goal and his submission of four animals under 4.5 Ibs. For application for a new breed. It was accepted by the Netherlands Governing Rabbit Council in January 1964.”

Netherland Dwarfs

The Netherland Dwarf is one of the cutest breeds out there, also one of the smallest. These guys only grow to be on average between 2 and 2.5 pounds and they have tiny ears and a big head. They are a more energetic breed and take a little bit more time to train. Although, Netherlands are one of the more popular rabbit breeds because of their size and their strong personalities. These guys love to run but also love to cuddle on your lap with you as you watch Netflix.

According to the ARBA Official Guide Book, ‘Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies’, “A commonly accepted version of the Dwarf origin is that it is the result of the accidental crossing of a Polish rabbit (the White Dwarf is still called a “Pol” in Holland) with a small wild rabbit in the Netherlands. The Dwarf had been popular for some years before British fanciers brought them to England about 1948. The breed was accepted, using an adaptation of Britain’s standard, by the ARBA in 1969. They reached an almost instant popularity here and have, as a result, led to the greatest flurry of importations since Belgian Hare Days”.

English Lops

English Lops are the ‘big teddy bear’ type of rabbits. They are a larger sized bunny averaging from 9.5-11.5 Ibs. Although don’t be fooled, just because these guys are bigger doesn’t mean they are meaner, it’s actually quite the opposite. I find these guys are like big cuddly teddy bears, their personalities are almost said to be more like that of a dog instead of a bunny. They’re a very cuddly and playful breed. These guys are popular with people because of their adorable and long ears, dragging them on the ground as they walk. They do need a little more room as they are a bigger breed but are still ideal for litter training and having free roam of an apartment or room.

According to the ARBA Official guide Book, ‘Raising Better Rabbits and Cavies’, “The Lop eared rabbit is another of the oldest breeds known, but its exact origin cannot be determined. They were known to appear first in Algiers, North Africa, and from then spread to France, Belgium and the Netherlands, where many crosses with solid and broken- colored common rabbits took place. Nothing authentic however, has ever been discovered. Delamer, in “Pigeons and Rabbits,” mentions the Lop in the year 1854. England adopted it as an ideal exhibition specimen because of its extraordinary ears. Breeders vied with one another to produce animals with outstanding ear length, and gradually increased the size until ears measuring 23 and 24 inches from top to bottom became quite common. The first Lop to have an ear length of 24 inches appeared in England in 1885, and the current record of 31-3/4 inches is held by Nipper’s Geronimo, bred by Waymon and Margaret Nipper of Bakersfield, CA.”