Rabbit Breed Profiles: The Mini Lop

Perhaps one of the most common mistakes committed in the bunny world, is confusing the Mini Lop rabbit with the smaller pet lop, known as the Holland Lop. While the Mini Lop is smaller than his cousins, the French Lop and English Lop rabbits, Mini Lops commonly weigh in around 6 pounds. In fact, anything over 6 1/2 pounds is considered to be a disqualification, according to the ARBA's (American Rabbit Breeders Association) Standard of Perfection.

Perhaps the best way to classify the Mini Lop rabbit and put him into perspective, is to say that he is the smallest non-dwarf breed of lop-eared rabbit.

The Mini Lop rabbit breed originated in Germany, where he was first known as the Klein Widder and was the result of crossing a small chinchilla-colored rabbit with the large native German lops. While they possessed the massive round heads and well-lopped ears that are still desired in the modern-day Mini Lops, the Klein Widder had a long and narrow body, and commonly weighed in at more than 8 1/2 pounds! While there were only about 20 in existence, these "miniature lop rabbits" would still catch the eye of breeder, Bob Herschbach. In 1972, he would gather his foundation stock to begin his own breeding program in the United States. His goal was to selectively breed the Klein Widder and produce a greater variety of colors of these small lop rabbits.

Importing a trio of miniature lops, consisting of an agouti (wild rabbit color) buck, an agouti doe and a white doe, Herschbach would then begin crossing the Klein Widder trio with a broken (spotted) French Lop and a Standard Chinchilla, in an attempt to widen the variety of colors that the small lop came in. Today, Mini Lops can be found in more than 50 varieties; solids, broken, agouti, shaded and ticked, often with exotic sounding names like lynx, smoke pearl, lilac and opal.

When the first American-bred Klein Widder were shown at the 1974 ARBA Convention, Bob Herschbach discovered that they weren't as popular as expected - perhaps due to their large size (when compared to other breeds of rabbit) and their unusual name. This would result in the Klein Widder's name change to the "Mini Lop" and the selective breeding that would eventually result in the Mini Lop's more compacted, basketball-styled body type. In 1980, the Mini Lop would finally be recognized and accepted as an official breed of rabbit in the United States. Today, he is one of the most easily recognizable and popular breeds of rabbit in the world.

Mini Lop rabbits are most easily recognized by their round ball-like body and massive round heads. Topped with a well-defined crown, the ears should hang just behind the eyes, in a relaxed manner. Special attention should be paid to the ears of the Mini Lop, ensuring they are not too short and thick (resembling that of the dwarfed Holland Lop), nor should they be long and thin like the English Lop. Of all the other lop breeds, the Mini Lop is said to more closely resemble a miniature version of the French Lop in overall style. He remains, however, his own unique breed.

When seeking to purchase a Mini Lop rabbit, one should resist the temptation of buying a bunny from the pet store and, instead, find a reputable breeder to do business with. While Mini Lop rabbits can make excellent pets, some individuals may be more aggressive than others, and a degree of aggression can be passed from parents to offspring. Before purchasing any Mini Lop bunnies, it's always highly advisable that you ask to see both the Sire and Dam of the litter and be sure to discuss the breed, at length, to ensure your breeder is knowledgeable prior to making your decision. If you take your time and choose wisely, a Mini Lop can make a wonderful pet that is sure to warm your heart for many years to come!

Sources

http://www.arba.net/
http://www.furrycritter.com/resources/rabbits/Mini_Lop.htm