One of the most lovable rabbit breeds is the lop-eared rabbit. It is easier to spot a lop-eared rabbit from a bunch of rabbits because this breed is very recognizable because of their very large and floppy ears. These ears are so large that these hung to the floor when the rabbit sits or when it stands. Many are fond of lop-eared rabbits because of their appearance, but there is more to this breed, not just about its long ears.
To better understand what a lop-eared rabbit is, here are some very interesting and fun facts to help you out.
Do you know that lop-eared rabbits are available in many varieties?
Most of the rabbit breeds included in the list of the ARBA or the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the BRC or the British Rabbit Council have erect years, 15% of the breeds are lop-eared. At present, the following are lop-eared rabbit breeds recognized by the two governing bodies:
- American Fuzzy Lop
- Cashmere Lop
- Canadian Plush Lop
- Dwarf Lop
- English Lop
- French Lop
- German Lop
- Holland Lop (from the US)
- Meissner Lop
- Mini Lop (from the US)
- Miniature Cashmere Lop
- Miniature Lop (from the UK and New Zealand)
- Plush Lop (standard breed and soon to be recognized)
- Teddywidder
- Velveteen Lop
All these rabbit breeds have unique individual characteristics like their sizes, colors, and body size, but the unifying factor is their drooping ears.
Do you know that the large ears of a lop-eared rabbit are very prone to debris?
Some lop-eared rabbits like the large French Lop may have ears that extend to the ground. The original Lop is another breed that seems to sweep the ground using its gigantic dropping ears. And because of this, the ears are very prone to dirt and debris. Sometimes, this dirt can accumulate inside the rabbit’s ears and, when overlooked, can lead to impaction and infection.
Having large ears is the reason for bruises and scratches on the ears too, especially when a lop-eared rabbit stays in a cage or enclosure with other rabbits. This is unavoidable, but you can prevent this from happening by cleaning up and by checking your pet lop-eared ears for any debris.
Which is the largest lop-eared rabbit breeds?
When it comes to size, lop-eared rabbits vary dramatically. There are very large breeds, and there are dwarf breeds, but when size matters, the largest in the French Lop. The French Lop was the result of combining two large breeds of lops and was created in France.
The French Lop can weigh at around 10 pounds and thus are very heavy! If you were to pick up a French Lop, you’d need to place it back on the ground because it’s very heavy. When it comes to ear length, French Lops have ears that usually hang below the rabbit’s jaw and can be as long as a foot. The ears are very noticeable and are usually pointed downwards with the inner portion of the ear is facing the body.
French Lops are large and thus must be housed outdoors inside an enclosure. The enclosure must be large enough to hold more than one rabbit because, just like other breeds, French lops are very social and thus needs a lot of companions.
French Lops also need a large enclosure so it can exercise. The French Lop is the most common domesticated rabbit breeds because of their very patient and social behavior.
Which is the smallest lop-eared rabbit breeds?
The smallest lop-eared rabbit breed is the Mini Lop. This breed should not be confused with other similar breeds like the Dwarf Lop from the United Kingdom. The mini Lop is the smallest lop breeds in the United States and is very popular during shows and can weigh more than 6 pounds.
Because of their size, housing the mini Lop may not be worrisome as a French Lop. It can be kept indoors or outdoors in a smaller cage or enclosure. And feeding and caring for a small lop-eared rabbit breed is similar to a large breed. The Mini Lop Rabbit Club of America recognizes the Mini Lop as easy to care for and are commonly found in most rabbit-loving homes.
Which lop-eared rabbit breeds are the laziest?
It’s hard to move with large and heavy ears, but when it comes to the Lop with the laziest attitude, the Original Lop wins. This breed is known as one of the pre-existing rabbit breeds that were used to create a French Lops. Original Lops can grow up to 11 pounds. Because of their weight, the original lops have become inactive and are commonly affected by obesity.
Obesity causes different health conditions, including hypertension. To manage your pet’s weight, and to prevent obesity, place it in a large cage where it can roam around and exercise. Having a companion also helps your pet to stay fit because it will surely play with its companions inside its cage.
When it comes to the original Lop’s ears, these can stretch around 20-inches in length. This is known as the largest of most rabbit breeds. Another impressive trivia about the Original rabbit breed is that by the time the rabbit is four weeks old, it will have ears that are even longer than its body
Which lop-eared rabbit breeds are the fuzziest?
The lop-eared rabbit may vary in the type of hair or fur that it has. The short but luxurious wool makes the American Fuzzy Lop look better than a Holland Lop. A mature American Fuzzy Lop can weigh up to 4 pounds and have a very compact body. It may look like a Holland Lop, but except for its coat, that is comparable to an Angora.
Because of the very thick and fluffy hair, the American Fuzzy Lop may need to be taken to a groomer more than the other breeds. You must make sure that you’re committed to caring for a rabbit more closely than other breeds if you take an American Fuzzy Lop in.
Which lop-eared rabbit breeds is the most playful?
Despite having very long ears, lops are also known to play hard. These rabbits will hop, skip, and jump to anything, even over their playmates. And if there is an award for the most playful, the Angora rabbit is a sure winner.
An Angora is a combination of a Holland lop and an Angora rabbit, and hence, these rabbits are large and have very fuzzy and smooth hair. These are very playful and have a loving and happy personality. This rabbit also enjoys companionship with their cage mates and to other people as well. The wool of an Angora rabbit is harvested to make all kinds of products. When kept as pets, you must sheer your pet to keep its fur clean and well-maintained. When the fur of this rabbit is overlooked, the fur can develop knots and debris that are too hard to remove.
Which lop-eared rabbit breeds are the friendliest?
If there is an award for miss congeniality for a mini lop, the True Dwarf is our best bet. It is known as the ideal house pet because these are very friendly and will never display any aggressive attitude towards other rabbits and to their human companions. This breed does not have fur or hair on their bodies but has wool instead.
The True Dwarf is small and therefore make good house pets. These are popular rabbits for young children because of their small size. And a True Dwarf makes great companions with other rabbits but make sure to
Do you know that most lop-eared rabbits can’t raise its ears in the air?
Most lop-eared rabbits have very long and heavy ears, which are often hard to remain upright. Rabbits use their ears to express their emotions and their inquisitiveness. If your bunny’s ears are up or if these are twitching, then they may be listening to sounds and are alert. If the rabbit is relaxing, then usually the ears are down and are touching.
The lop-eared rabbit with large ears may be unable to do these and may use other adaptive behavior instead.
Do you know that lop-eared rabbits have a bulge on their heads?
Because of the extra cartilage located in the rabbit’s ears, the head of most lops has a small bulge. This part is also called the crown and is very prominent except the English Lop. A rabbit’s ear has blood vessels found near the surface. This is possible even in a climate where its cooler. And the reason why ears droop is that the weight of the ear is not supported by the rest of the structure, and thus, the ears droop. In the case of young lop-eared rabbits, it can take time for juveniles to achieve the full droop that adults have, and usually, this happens until the ear growth is complete.
Which animal resembles the head of a lop-eared rabbit?
One of the most controversial things about a traditional lop-eared rabbit is that the head seems to have a profile similar to a male sheep. This is why the German word for a lop-eared rabbit “Widder,” and this means the Aries horoscope which is the Ram, the French word “Belier” which means Ram and the Italian word “Ariete” which means the Aries.
Do you know that rabbits carry their ears in five different ways?
There are different ways that a rabbit may present their ears: erect, full Lop, half Lop, oar lop, and horn lop. Rabbits with erect ears have both ears upright. Sometimes the ears may be smoothened down when the rabbit is grooming itself.
Full lop-eared rabbit has both their ears down and is often seen brushing the cheeks and the shoulders. These ears may undulate as it hops. The half lop is an uncommon condition, and this is when one ear is carried in full while the other is erect. A rabbit that resembles a unicorn is said to have existed in the 18th century. This rabbit was said to be breeding round the end of the century, and as proof, two healthy specimens were seen and photographed in 1958.
Another uncommon rabbit is the one having oar lop ears where both ears are seen horizontal to the ground. The name comes from the resemblance of the ears to a boat’s oars when the vessel is at rest. When this rabbit is described in modern times, the term helicopter ears may be used.
Horn lop ears are very rare, and this is when both ears are horizontal to the ground and are over the rabbit’s nose. The name of this rabbit was from the similar appearance of the forward-facing sharp horns of bulls or cows.
Which lop-eared rabbit has the longest ears?
Lop-eared rabbits’ ears grow longer and even thicker, and at some point, these will start to droop. In some rabbits that have been created or bred to manifest an exaggerated length, the ears are so long that the rabbits were unable to enjoy their lives. The giant length of the rabbit’s ears may even become detrimental to its health. This has resulted in banning rabbits that have ears that are more than 25.5 inches. In Holland, the ban was for rabbits with 27.5 inches and is as long as these rabbits are permitted to be seen in shows before these were turned down or disqualified.
The longest ears in a rabbit award in The Guinness World Records was for an English Lop in 2003. The rabbit had ears that measured 31.125 inches and was from the United States.
Do you know that it’s better to adopt than to buy a lop-eared rabbit?
Lop-eared rabbits may be purchased from breeders. These breeders create rabbits according to the specifications of their clients. The most common thing that clients want is a lop-eared with longer ears. This service is very expensive and is usually done to make rabbits for show purposes.
Another way to find lop-eared rabbits is through pet stores and from country fairs. These rabbits are guaranteed to be healthy and with good genes.
Finally, adopting a rabbit from a shelter or a rescue is one way to give homeless pets a fresh start. Pet rabbits coming from rescues and shelters may not be as healthy as those from breeders and pet stores, but many say that it’s still worth checking out.
Also, buying a new rabbit is very expensive. But taking one from a shelter is for free. You just have to sign some papers before you can take one home.
How to care for a lop-eared rabbit?
Lop-eared rabbits are cared for just like regular rabbits. Here are the most important things about caring for this breed of the rabbit:
Ear care of a lop-eared rabbit
Since the ears of the Lop are the most prominent, we are going to start here. Regular inspection and cleaning is the key. Check the inside part and the outside part of the ear. Your pet must be comfortable with you doing this to him; otherwise, this will be difficult. Perform regular checks and careful handling so your pet won’t be too fussy.
Use a cotton applicator to clean the ear, but be careful. Use an LED lamp to check for debris and to guide the path of the applicator. If there is too much debris, use a saline solution to flush the dirt away. Some rabbits may not be too happy with this, so it’s best to let professionals handle ear cleaning.
Fur care of a lop-eared rabbit
Fur care depends on the type of fur and the length of the fur of the Lop. For short-haired lops, care is simply brushing its coat with a stiff brush. Brush all the way from the neck to the body, from the back to the tail. You will see that the brush will remove some fur, and along with this are debris and dirt in the fur. Do this at least once a week.
For longer-haired lop-eared like angoras, use a specialized stiff and strong brush to groom its coat. You may ask a groomer to do this because this is a very tedious job to do. Angoras may need to be trimmed at least a few times a year. You can use the fur to make all kinds of items like bags, sweaters, and other handmade, knitted items.
Teeth care of a lop-eared rabbit
Do you know that a rabbit’s teeth never stop growing? Compared to humans with juvenile and permanent teeth, a rabbit’s teeth will never stop growing, and because of this, you need to take your pet to the dentist regularly. If you overlook teeth care, this may grow and pierce the mouth and gums. This can affect the way your pet eats and chews and is going to be very painful.
To prevent this, have fresh hay inside the rabbit’s enclosure for your pet to chew on. Chewing hay, wood, and other safe materials will keep the rabbit’s teeth short and healthy. It’s a must to keep the teeth healthy, free from cavities and gum inflammation; otherwise, your pet won’t be able to eat properly. This can affect their overall health.
Lop-eared diet
Lops need commercial rabbit food and fresh food. Your vet can prescribe the ideal commercial rabbit food, which contains complete vitamins and minerals to keep your pet healthy. Fresh fruits and veggies will help your pet get natural nutrients. But don’t give too much calcium or food with too much calcium because this can cause calcium stones and urine stasis. For rabbits with special diets or medical conditions, talk to a pet dietician to get the ideal diet for your pet.
Training of lop-eared rabbits
Rabbits need training as well. Lops are considered to be easy to train because these are often very eager to please their owners. You can start holding your pet and let it feel secure in your arms. Let it come to you when it is called. You may also add other rabbit companions. Rabbits are social animals. These need constant companionship and will develop good healthy relationships as well.
Lop-eared rabbit enclosures
The size of your rabbit’s hutch depends on its size. Smaller Dwarf Lops need smaller cages while larger French lops require a larger enclosure. But consider housing your pets in larger cages to encourage exercise and socialization.
Rabbits use their hutches for different things. This is where they eat, hide, sleep, and poop/pee. There must be room to run, play, dig, and jump. The minimum recommended size of rabbit living space is 12 square feet with an additional larger area, such as 32 square feet.
Your rabbit’s space must have an enclosed sleeping space where there is a litter tray as well as feeding bowls and water bowls. There must be room to move and play with a few toys. Your pet must be able to stretch in all directions. A space that’s too small can affect its health, causing muscle wastage, obesity, and spine problems.
Since lops are available in different sizes and height, you must consider these when making or buying a hutch for your pet. Naturally, rabbits stand on their hind legs to check their environment. Therefore, it must be tall enough for your pet to do this.
You must combine your pet’s living and exercise space. The living and exercise space should be one or two areas. Consider that rabbits are most active in the mornings and during the late evenings. It may also be active during the late evenings and may become frustrated if it is housed in a small area.
Your pet lop-eared rabbit must be big enough to lie down, stretch, and stand up. It must be long so it can move around, drink, and feed. Your pet must have access to a run, an activity where it can jump and run. The run should be in a large area to allow your pet to stretch up, taking its full height, and run at full speeds and not just hop or walk.
