Mini Lop
Britain's most popular pet rabbit: a compact lop-eared breed with a deservedly gentle…
Holland Lop
The smallest lop-eared rabbit, 1.3-1.8kg, with a compact body and a dense short coat. Friendly and manageable, and carrying both the dwarf gene and the lop ear, which between them account for most of its health problems.
Lifespan7-12 years
Typical priceSee guide
Weight1.3-1.8 kg
Height20-25 cm
Breed groupLop
Kennel Club recognisedNo
Also calledHolland, Mini Lop (in American naming)
We do not have enough Holland Lop adverts yet to publish a price range from our own data. The figures in the price section below are an editorial estimate.
Pros
- Small enough for a well-planned indoor setup
- Generally placid and easy to handle
- Short coat needs very little grooming
- Long-lived - ten years is achievable
Cons
- Dwarf skull plus lop ear means dental disease is common
- Lop ears trap wax and get infected
- Naming confusion: the UK and US use Holland Lop and Mini Lop differently
- Still needs a bonded companion and a great deal more space than a hutch
Holland Lop characteristics
Scores are editorial, and describe the breed in general. Individual animals vary, and how a dog is bred and raised matters more than its breed.
Health tests to ask for
Ask to see the certificates, with the parents' registered names on them. "Parents health tested" in an advert means nothing on its own.
- Dental check - incisor and molar alignment
- Ear examination for wax and infection
- RHDV1, RHDV2 and myxomatosis vaccination record
- Parents seen, and seen handled
- Bottom checked for soiling and flystrike risk
What is a Holland Lop?
A small lop-eared rabbit weighing 1.3-1.8kg, with a short cobby body, a broad flat-topped head with a pronounced crown at the base of the ears, and ears that hang either side of the face.
The naming is genuinely confusing. What Americans call a Holland Lop, the British Rabbit Council calls a Miniature Lop. What Americans call a Mini Lop is larger. If you are buying from an advert, ask for the adult weight rather than relying on the name.
History and origins
Developed in the Netherlands by Adriaan de Cock, who spent the 1950s crossing French Lops with Netherland Dwarfs to produce a lop at dwarf size. The first were recognised in the Netherlands in 1964 and they reached Britain in the 1970s.
The breed therefore carries the dwarfing gene from one parent and the lop ear from the other, and both of those are the source of its health profile.
Appearance and size
1.3-1.8kg. Short, thickset and muscular, with heavy bone for the size. The crown - a ridge of cartilage at the base of the ears - is what makes the ears lop, and it should be well defined.
Short, dense, glossy coat in a wide range of colours.
Temperament and personality
Generally calm and sociable, more placid than an upright-eared dwarf and easier to handle. They are curious, enjoy company and settle quickly once they trust you.
Bear in mind that a lop cannot signal with its ears, so you lose one of the clearest indications that a rabbit is frightened. Read the body position and the thumping instead.
Intelligence and trainability
Litter-train readily and learn routines and their name. Clicker training works. They are food motivated and patient, which makes them one of the easier rabbits for a family to interact with.
Children and other pets
Reasonable with supervised older children - big enough to be held safely, small enough to be manageable. Handling must be at floor level, sitting down.
Keep in a neutered pair. A solitary rabbit is a welfare problem rather than a preference, and bonding two strangers later is harder than buying a bonded pair. Never house a rabbit with a guinea pig.
Health problems
Dental disease. The dwarf gene shortens the skull and crowds the teeth. Malocclusion of the incisors is visible; molar spurs are not, and need a vet with an otoscope. Overgrown teeth cause drooling, weight loss, wet chin and eventually an inability to eat.
Ear infections, because folded ear canals do not drain. Head shaking, scratching, a head tilt or a smell all need a vet.
Gut stasis - a rabbit that stops eating and passing droppings is an emergency within hours.
Myxomatosis and RHDV1/RHDV2 - all usually fatal, all vaccine-preventable, and indoor rabbits are still at risk because myxomatosis is carried by fleas and midges.
Flystrike from May to October. E. cuniculi.
Daily care routine
Unlimited hay topped up, water checked twice, litter tray cleaned, and a hands-on check of the back end - twice daily in warm weather. Ears checked monthly, nails every six to eight weeks, vaccination annually.
Grooming and coat care
Minimal. A weekly brush, more during a moult. Never bathe a rabbit; they panic and go into shock.
Exercise needs
At least 3m x 2m x 1m of permanently accessible space, per the Rabbit Welfare Association's minimum, plus daily time in a larger area. A hutch is a bed, not a home. They need to run, binky and stand fully upright without touching the roof.
Feeding and diet
85% hay, unlimited, always - it wears the teeth and drives the gut. A daily handful of leafy greens and a measured eggcup of single-component pellets. No muesli mixes: selective feeding out of a muesli directly causes the dental and gut disease this breed is already prone to.
Price
£40-£90 commonly, more from a breeder with pedigree and health records. Rescues rehome neutered, vaccinated, bonded pairs for around £50-£80 the pair, which is the better deal by a distance.
Setup £300-£600 for an enclosure that meets the minimum. Running costs £600-£1,000 a year for a pair. Neutering £80-£150 each; vaccination £50-£70 a year each.
Buying advice
See the mother and watch the breeder handle her. Check the kit's front teeth yourself - the top incisors should sit just in front of the bottom ones, and any crossing or gapping is a hard no.
Ask to look inside the ears.
Do not buy under eight weeks. Ask for the vaccination record, and buy a bonded pair if you can.
Holland Lops available now
No Holland Lops are advertised at the moment. Save this search and an email goes out when one is listed.
Breeds like the Holland Lop
All rabbit breedsA shortlist rarely has one name on it. These sit closest to the Holland Lop on size, coat and temperament, and each one has a full guide.
Worth reading before you buy
All adviceGoing to see a Holland Lop? Take the rabbit checklist with you. It is the questions worth asking while you are stood in somebody's kitchen, rather than on the drive home.
