Holland Lop: 10 Amazing Facts About This Beautiful Bunny

The Holland Lop is a very adorable breed of rabbit characterized by its lopped ears and small size. The breed is amazingly popular among rabbit lovers and not only because of their cute appearance! They’re also desired for their feisty, intelligent, and fun personalities.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at this rabbit breed by going over 10 interesting facts about them. I can guarantee that at least one of them will surprise you. Before we begin, let’s start off with a quick fact sheet containing the most important info about the Holland Lop at a glance

Name	Holland Lop
Scientific name	Oryctolagus cuniculus
Size	Small, 2-4 pounds
Originates from	Europe
Diet	Hay, pellets, vegetables
Lifespan	7 to 10 years
Experience required	Beginner
Price	$20-$400 depending on line and breeder

1. The Holland Lop is the smallest of all the lop-eared breeds

Weighing only 2 to 4 pounds, this rabbit is the smallest of all the lop-eared breeds. In addition, when fully stretched, they’re only 24 inches wide, and 24 inches tall. But don’t let their small size deceive you; they have a muscular body with broad shoulders and deep hindquarters, as well as thick, short, and heavily boned legs.

I guess it’s true what they say, good things come in small packages!

2. They’re a descendant of the French Lop and the Netherland Dwarf

The parents of the Holland Lop are the French Lop and the Netherland Dwarf. Rabbit breeder Adrian de Cock bred these two rabbit breeds together because he realized that the French Lops were oversized and the Netherland Dwarf was undersized. He believed that by breeding them together, their offspring would have the optimal size. He started out by breeding a male French Lop with a female Netherland Dwarf

This breeding experiment did not go well at all the first time. The rabbits were way too big and unfortunately died. Then, Adrian decided to reverse the breeding process by breeding a male Netherland Dwarf with a female French Lop. This breeding process was much more successful and the baby rabbits lived!

However, these babies did not have lopped ears. In order to achieve the desired lop-eared trait, the descendant of the French Lop and Netherland Dwarf was bred with an English Lop, which finally resulted in what we know today as the Holland Lop!

3. The Holland Lop is an intelligent animal

Holland Lops are very intelligent little critters. Sometimes they use this intelligence to try to escape from whatever enclosure you keep them in, but this trait can also be used for fun!

They can be taught tricks like jumping through hoops, sitting up, giving kisses, pushing a ball, picking stuff up, or even high-fiving! The key to teaching your rabbit these tricks is to reward them with a snack if they’ve done a good job. Positive reinforcement is a great motivator for learning.

In addition, they can also learn their name, and can even run towards you when you call them.

Because they’re intelligent animals, they need a lot of interactivity. If you do not have enough time to spend with them, it’s recommended to get them in pairs to avoid boredom.

4. They are great for first-time rabbit owners

The Holland Lop is generally a friendly, cheerful, and playful rabbit breed. According to Stacy Hyatt at the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club: “The Holland Lop Rabbit is an easygoing and easy-to-handle rabbit”, making them an excellent choice for first-time rabbit owners that do not yet have a lot of experience under their belt.

Especially males, also known as bucks, are fun as pets. They’re very outgoing and active. Females, also known as does, are a little bit shyer, especially when you first get them but are still great pets!

Furthermore, this breed can be trained to use a litter tray, making it possible for them to live as house rabbits.

5. Holland Lops have a long lifespan

The Holland Lop has a lifespan that’s much longer than that of some other rabbit breeds. This is excellent news for people who want to spend as long a time as possible with their pet rabbit. On average, this breed will live between 7 and 10 years.

Part of the reason why they live so long is that they’re a small breed. According to TheSprucePets: “Just like dogs, miniature or dwarf breeds of rabbits tend to live longer than giant breeds. Dwarf rabbits, mini lops, and other little bunnies will typically live to be in double digits, while large breeds, like French lops and Flemish giants, won’t.”

The other reason why these rabbits generally live quite long is that they’re a healthy breed that does not suffer from any hereditary diseases.

6. They need a lot of exercise!

In the wild, rabbits run around three miles a day. Because of that, it’s important that you give your Holland Lop enough time and space to exercise. If you do not, their sweet and docile temperament can quickly sour because they have too much pent-up energy. Of course, they also need to get enough exercise to make sure that they stay in good health!

A good way to ensure that your lop gets enough exercise is to make sure that they have a least three hours of free-range time.

Also, these bunnies do not only need physical exercise. They are an intelligent breed and need mental exercise as well in order to stay mentally stimulated. It’s a good idea to get some toys for your rabbit and to spend some time every day playing with them or teaching them tricks. This will prevent them from getting bored.

7. Holland Lops are highly affectionate

If you’re looking for a rabbit breed that’s loving, the Holland Lop is right up your alley. They love spending time with their owners, whether that’s playing with them, or sitting on the couch together watching TV.

They are sometimes described as having a puppy-like temperament. Do not be surprised if you notice your bunny following you around the house, begging for your attention!

8. They come in a variety of different colors

The Holland Lop comes in many colors. The most common is a light orange color that’s often referred to as “fawn”. They can also be many shades of gray or blue. Other colors that these rabbits can have are dark brown, black, or white. White rabbits are in very high demand, so if you’re after a white Holland Lop you can expect to pay a little extra.

9. Holland Lops have different feet types

Did you know that Holland Lops can have different types of feet? It’s true! There are 6 different types of feet that these bunnies can have:

Type	Description
Ideal	Feet parallel, at least 2″ apart, short and wide. The rabbit will have heavy bone, compact type, and mass.
Narrow Hindquarters	Feet are parallel but close together. These rabbits are less wide but will have heavy bones and be compact.
Pinched Hindquarters	The feet are wideset but the heels aim toward each other in a “V” shape. The feet may jut out from under the body when the rabbit is posed.
Thin Bone	The feet are relatively short but thin. The rabbit may lack some mass but will still be compact.
Thin, long bone	Feet are longer than they are thick. These rabbits will be long rather than compact with usually thinner bone structures. Ears may also be longer and thinner.
Pinched and Narrow Hindquarters	The rabbit will have a very hollow hindquarter.

For a visual representation of what the different feet types look like, take a look at this image:

10. The Holland Lop is prone to malloclusion

While Holland Lops are generally a healthy breed they are more prone than some other breeds to something called malocclusion. Malocclusion is a misalignment of the teeth meaning that their teeth do not grind together when they eat. This is a problem because the teeth of rabbits never stop growing! If their teeth do not grind together they will become very long and this can cause pain and discomfort.

Holland Lops and other small rabbit breeds are more prone to this problem because they have smaller heads. It’s very important to keep an eye out for any of these problems if you own one of these little rabbits.

Luckily, good breeders have lines that do not suffer from these problems.

Final words

There you have it, the top 10 facts about the Holland Lop! Now you can call yourself a true expert on the subject! Did you know all of them, or did you learn something new today? If you know of any facts about this cute bunny that are not included, feel free to tell us about it!

If you’d to learn more about rabbits, check out this breed profile of the American Blue Rabbit.