Rabbits are portrayed as adorable furry animals. However, not all rabbit breeds are as cute as you think.
In this article, 7 Most Gentle Lop Rabbit Breeds: Things You Should Know, you will learn which lop-eared rabbits are best for you, your family, and even your children.
1. American Fuzzy Lop
| Breed Name | American Fuzzy Lop |
| Origin | United States |
| Size | Small |
| Weight | Up to 4 lbs. |
| Lifespan | 5 years to 8 years |
| Temperament | Active, Playful |
| Color | Variety |
| Rarity | Common |
| Similar breeds | Holland Lop |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The American Fuzzy rabbit breed looks like a Holland Lop rabbit breed with Angola rabbits’ wool.
Before the American Fuzzy rabbit breed was developed, a couple of breeders tried to manipulate the Holland Lop’s gene pool by breeding it with different breeds.
It took the breeders 4 years and several attempts before they successfully incorporate the French Angora’s wool gene into the Holland Lop rabbits’ DNA.
American Fuzzy Lop Rabbit Characteristics
The American Fuzzy Lop rabbit breed has several colors, but all have similar body types. Like most Lop rabbit breeds, their body is compact and meaty.
But instead of fur coating, this rabbit breed has a long wool coating that comes in some colors, which include:
- White (Agouti)
- White (Pointed)
- Chestnut
- Squirrel Chinchilla
- Lynx
- Opal
You may mistake this breed with other lop rabbit breeds as they almost share the same characteristics.
If there are several Lop rabbits in a row, you can distinguish the American Fuzzy Lop from the others as they have a short and flat nose, and both their nose and ears have distinct markings.
They also make a good pet as they are a social lop rabbit breed. Their active and playful personality makes them a perfect candidate for pets for children, seniors, and new rabbit handlers.
2. Cashmere Miniature Lop
| Breed Name | Cashmere Miniature Lop |
| Origin | Wales, United Kingdom |
| Size | Small |
| Weight | 4 lbs. to 5 lbs. |
| Lifespan | 8 years to 12 years |
| Temperament | Friendly, social |
| Color | Variety |
| Rarity | Common |
| Similar breeds | Mini Lop |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The Cashmere Miniature Lop is one of the newest breeds added to the Lop rabbit breeds. This rabbit breed that loves to dwell in plains, forests, and fields was first discovered in the 1980s.
Around 1986, the Cashmere Miniature Lop rabbit breed gained fame as it started to appear in rabbit shows. Breeders then work to make the Cashmere Miniature Lop get standardized.
By the 1990s, the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association finally recognized the Cashmere Miniature Lop as a new breed with various colors.
Cashmere Miniature Lop Characteristics
The Cashmere Miniature Lop shares the same characteristics with other Lop rabbit breeds. Their body is compact and muscly, and unlike other Lop rabbits, the Cashmere Miniature Lop’s head and chest are well developed.
The Cashmere Miniature Lop shares the same characteristics with the other Lop rabbit breeds when it comes to their ears. Their ears are fluffy and floppy at the same time. The Cashmere Miniature Lop’s long rounded ears drop freely from its head to its cheek.
However, the Cashmere Miniature Lop has fur instead of wool like the American Fuzzy Lop Rabbit breed. Their coat, which is thick and silky, can extend up to 2 inches in length.
Unfortunately, this type of lop rabbit breed needs extra care and attention as its fur can quickly get matted, and both their topcoat and undercoat need some coat care. Thus, you might need to save some money for regular grooming, especially when they reach five months old.
3. Dwarf Lop
| Breed Name | Dwarf Lop |
| Origin | Netherlands |
| Size | small |
| Weight | 5.5 lbs. maximum |
| Lifespan | 9 years to 10 years |
| Temperament | Friendly, Docile |
| Color | variety |
| Rarity | common |
| Similar breeds | Mini Lops, Holland Lops |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
Dwarf Lops was developed when Adriann de Cock, a dutch pet rabbit show judge, bred the French Lop rabbit breed with the Netherland Dwarf in the 1950s.
Around 1964, the rabbit breeders successfully produced Dwarf Lops in various colors.
After many attempts and careful selection of the breeds they used to produce the Dwarf Lops, the breeders finally developed a smaller rabbit breed with droopy ears.
The Dwarf Lop became an official breed in 1977 under the British Rabbit Council and stayed as one of the most preferred rabbit breeds for shows and in-house pets.
Dwarf Lop Characteristics
Though it carries ‘dwarf,’ the Dwarf Lop’s size ranges from small to medium. But despite their size, the Dwarf Lop’s body is muscle-filled and holds four short but strong legs.
Their head is fully developed, and their ears droop like any Lop rabbit breed.
The Dwarf Lops coats are dense and may grow up to a medium length when it comes to the coat. Their coat comes with several colors, including the following:
- White
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
- Agouti
- Chinchilla
- Opal
- Siamese Sable
- Siamese Smoke
- Sealpoint
- Sooty Fawn
- Fox
- Sable Marten
- Fawn
- Orange
- Steel
- Butterfly
The Dwarf Lops’ playful and friendly attitude is also a plus to people who wants to get a rabbit for companionship. Their temperament makes them an ideal pet for children and first-time rabbit handlers.
4. Meissner Lop
| Breed Name | Meissner Lop |
| Origin | Germany |
| Size | Medium to Large |
| Weight | 7.5 to 10 lbs. maximum |
| Lifespan | 9 years to 10 years |
| Temperament | Friendly, Gentle |
| Color | variety |
| Rarity | Rare / Endangered |
| Similar breeds | French Lop, German Lop |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The Meissner Lop’s origin is unknown. However, the lop rabbit breed was registered and recognized in Germany in the 1900s after a rabbit breeder from Meissner, Germany, decided to breed a giant Silver rabbit with other breeds.
But according to some reports, the Meissner Lop is a product of the French Lops rabbit breed and Mini Silver rabbits.
Rabbit breeders, particularly in Europe, do their best to preserve the Meissner Lop rabbit breed’s gene, which is considered an endangered breed today.
Meissner Lop Characteristics
The Meissner Lop shares the same characteristic with other Lop rabbit breeds. Its body is compact and muscly. However, it is a bit arched compared to other lop rabbit breeds. They look fluffy with their rounded back and dense, soft fur.
But what sets the Meissner Lop different from other Lop rabbit breeds is the silver dusting that can be seen in their guard hair which grows up to 3 centimeters long. Their fur is easy to maintain.
However, just like other rabbit breeds, you need to give them extra care during the molten season. Helping them shed their fur by brushing them often lessens the possibility of the Meissner Lop rabbit breed having a digestive issue due to their fur clogging inside their stomach.
The Meissner Lop rabbit breed has several colors. But out of many colors, only 4 Meissner Lop rabbit breed colors are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association.
These colors include the most common color of Meissner Lop rabbits which are black and blue. The other colors, which are Havana and yellow, are rarely seen. Unfortunately, the latter colors, Havana and yellow Meissner Lop rabbit breeds, are now endangered.
5. Mini Lop
| Breed Name | Mini Lop or Miniature Lop |
| Origin | Germany |
| Size | Medium |
| Weight | 4.5 lbs. to 6 lbs. |
| Lifespan | 5 years to 10 years |
| Temperament | Friendly, Playful |
| Color | variety |
| Rarity | Common |
| Similar breeds | German Lop, American Chinchilla Rabbits |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The most desirable fluffy lop rabbit breed that almost everyone wants to have is none other than the Mini Lop (U.S) or Miniature Lop (United Kingdom), which originated in Germany.
The Miniature Lop rabbit, also known as Klein Widder, was developed when the German Lop rabbit breed was bred with the Chinchilla rabbit. The result yielded a fluffy Chinchilla rabbit with the German Lop features and genes.
But how did the Miniature Lop end as Mini Lop?
When a U.S-based rabbit breeder named Bob Herschbach attended a rabbit pet show in Essen, Germany, he was mesmerized by the features of the Miniature Lop. After the show, the breeder bought three (3) Miniature Lop and brought them to the United States.
Herschbach introduced the Miniature Lop breed to the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association as Klein Widder in 1974. In the same year, the rabbit’s name was changed. Instead of Miniature Lop or Klein Widder, the new rabbit breed was called Mini Lop.
But it was only in the 1980s, that the Miniature Lop was officially accepted and recognized as America’s new lop rabbit breed.
Mini Lop Characteristics
The perfect Mini Lop shares the same characteristics with other Lop rabbit breeds. They have a round muscly body full of soft furs and weigh up to 6 lbs. only.
Their neck is short but still visible, and their fluffy ears hang from their head. Additionally, the Mini Lop rabbit breed’s luxurious-looking yet low-maintenance fur only requires brushing once a week.
6. German Lop
| Breed Name | German Lop |
| Origin | Germany |
| Size | Medium to Large |
| Weight | 6 lbs. to 8 lbs. |
| Lifespan | 9 years to 12 years |
| Temperament | Calm, Docile |
| Color | variety |
| Rarity | Common |
| Similar breeds | Netherland Dwarf Rabbit, French Lop |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The German Lop is another lop rabbit breed that originated in Germany. The breed was developed in the 1960s, making it one of the newest lop rabbit breeds.
Due to the breeders’ dream to develop a German rabbit with floppy ears and attributes that would give tribute to the other rabbit breeds like the Dwarf, English, and French variations, they started breeding different rabbit breeds to develop the German Lop.
The German Lop rabbit breeders attained their success in 1970 after the German rabbit breeder’s Association recognized the German Lop rabbit with a very distinctive nose.
Initially, the German Lop was named Deutsch Klein Widder, but it was later changed to the German Lop rabbit after being made in Holland and Britain and recognized in 1976 and 1990.
German Lop Characteristics
The German Lop Rabbit Breed is a massive type of rabbit, but their two front legs are shorter than medium to large-sized rabbits. While their shoulder and hindquarters are broad.
Aside from its long Roman nose, the German Lop rabbits’ distinct characteristics are the width between their eyes, hind legs that are not extending out, and their back being arched. You can quickly tell a German Lop if you see their ears hanging right behind their eyes.
The German Lop’s coat and undercoat are healthy, thick, and soft and come in various colors and patterns, which are all accepted by the rabbit breeders’ Association, except for the German Lop rabbits that have broken patterns.
7. French Lop
| Breed Name | French Lop |
| Origin | France |
| Size | Giant |
| Weight | 10 lbs. to 15 lbs. |
| Lifespan | 5 years to 7 years |
| Temperament | Gentle, Docile, Playful |
| Color | Variety |
| Rarity | Common |
| Similar breeds | Flemish Giant Rabbit, English Lop |
| Best suited for | Children, first-time rabbit owners, and seniors |
The French Lop was initially developed and raised for their meat. French breeders’ success in creating the French Lop breed started in 1850 when rabbit enthusiasts effectively bred the English Lop and Giant Papillon.
However, it took almost a century before they rose to fame and got exported worldwide. By the early 70s, the French Lop rabbits were introduced to the United States.
French Lop Characteristics
French Lop rabbits are heavy rabbits with semi-arched bodies and medium-sized ears. They are meaty rabbits whose furs are short.
However, if you want to own a French Lop and plan to have it registered for rabbit competitions, you must look for the most important things that the judges look into when judging the French Lop.
A French Lop is considered of the best quality if they meet all the rabbit breeders’ association requirements.
The ideal French Lop must look like a perfect basketball when it comes to its appearance. It must look round with front legs that are as thick as cigars. While their think and round-end droopy ears must hang without crease from their head.
Their well-developed head must also hold a good space between their eyes and a well-filled nose.
Their hind legs must also be straight and strong, while their fur must be glossy regardless of their color and pattern.
Summary
Lop rabbit breeds share the same characteristics and temperament. Their floppy ears, lustrous coat, and gentle and playful personality make them perfect not just for rabbit enthusiasts but also for inexperienced rabbit handlers and children.
