The Holland Lop....

Back Ground

The Holland Lop is the smallest of the lop breeds, at less than 4 pounds. Traits that make Holland's instantly popular are their friendliness and gentle disposition. The Holland Lop is one of the most recent fancy breeds, accepted in 1979 by the ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association, yet it has enjoyed great success in a very short period of time.

The "Dwarf Lop" as it is known in Europe, was developed by Adrian DeCock of Titborg in the Netherlands. His first mating was a Netherland Dwarf buck to a French Lop doe. Offspring from this mating were later bred to English Lops, which helped bring the ear carriage down. The broken pattern was introduced by breeding English Spots and Angoras. The first American convention in which Holland Lops were shown was held in Milwaukee in 1979. There were a total of 27 rabbits shown. Today, national shows attract more than 600 Hollands.

The Standards...

Holland Lops are shown in two groups, solids and broken. Accept colors are: Agouti, Broken, Pointed White, Self, Shaded, Steele and Wide Band (such as Orange).

Holland Lops are a four-class breed, meaning they are shown as Juniors and Seniors in their color group of solid (all colors) or Broken. Juniors must be less than six months of age and both Juniors and Seniors must weight less than 4 puonds.

The general appearance of Holland Lops should be massive, with heavy bone and round features. Head and body features are given the most consideration. The outline of the ears and crown should resemble a horseshoe shape, with thick, well-rounded ears turned with the openings toward the head. The Holland body should be well-rounded with equal depth in the shoulders and hindquarters. Good Holland posture requires that most of the weight be on the hind feet with the front feet lightly on a sureface. The fur of the Holland should be very dense with a gentle roll back.

Common problem areas of Holands are malocclusions, thin, folded ears; narrow, long heads; poorly develop or narrow crowns; weak shoulders; pinched hindquarters; and thin bone.

Care And Breeding...

Holland Lops can be housed comfortably in a cage with dimension of 18"x24"x14" high. Mothers with babies need a cage size of 24"x24" or 24"x30". If your Holland is housed outdoors, make sure it has a leakproof roof on it, and it has at least one solid side on it.

Rabbits have a fur coat so cold is not a concern. In case of extreme cold weather, a nestbox, as board or a thick pile of hay may be added for your Holland to sit in or on.

Heat can be very deadly for a Holland, so make sure the cage is in shady spot with good airflow. Also make sure that the sun never hits inside the cage in the afternoon. When it is really hot in the summer, you can give your Holland something to lie against (or on) to stay cool. You can give a frozen 2-liter bottle of water or a wet towel or wet stepping-stone. You can also install a mister system very easily on the roof of your barn or cages, which will keep your Hollands more comfortable during those very hot Texas summer months.

Holland Lops mature at six months and can be bred shortly after that time. Litter size is usually three to six babies, with some litters of up to nine. Litters should be weaned at about 8 weeks. This is also a good time to rebred the doe if you desire.

Hollands carry a "dwarf" gene which produces smaller-type shoe rabbits. "Peanuts" or "lethals" which die in a few days result when both parents are carrying the dwarf gene.

Buy good breeding stock from successful breeders. Try to purchase the best herd buck that you can afford. Cull severely for major faults as described in the ARBA Standards Book and you will soon be producing winners at the shows.

FEEDING... Clean, fresh water should be provided daily to your Hollands. You should feed you Holland as much fresh rabbit pellets as it wants until it reaches about 3 months old. After that, the standard rule is 1 ounce of feed per pound of the Holland. Most Holland's do well on a 1/2 measured cup of rabbit pellets per day. That should keep them at a happy and healthy maintained weight. An extra busy or nursing Holland will require more food. If you let your Holland get too fat, it can cause serious health problems and even death. Holland's require low protein, high fiber. You should feed your Holland rabbit pellets that are between 15 and 16 percent protein, and at least 20 or 21 percent fiber. You should make sure that the rabbit pellets you feed are hard, green, and dust free. Make sure if the rabbit pellets you are currently feeding does not look the same as it usually does, or it is dusty, that you inform your feed dealer of the change. They can notify the feed mill. If your Holland ever refuses to eat feed...remove all feed and have the feed checked. If you get a new Holland, make sure you get "change over feed" from the previous owner, so you may change the Holland over to your feed slowly. Any changes in feed should be done over about a weeks time. This also applies if you are changing the brand of feed you are currently feeding, to something different. Any uneaten pellets shopuld be thrown out and replaced with fresh pellets everyday.

It is also highly recommended that you feed your Holland as much fresh coastal hay as it wants to eat everyday. If not everyday, at least 3 times a week. Remember that Hollands require high fiber, and coastal hay has lots of fiber. Make sure the coastal hay you feed is fresh, mold free, dust free, and preferably green.

As a treat, you can give your Holland Cheerios and shredded Wheat (unfrosted) cereals. They are a very tasty and high in fiber snack.

And of course, make sure your Holland has as much fresh water as it wants at all times.

DO NOT...

feed your Holland lettuce. It can be very deadly. This also includes grass. It is recommended that you do not feed your Holland any vegetables until it reaches at least 6 months of age.

Some safe things to feed your Holland when it becomes of age are: raisins, carrots, apples, oranges, spinach, collard greens (most dark leafy greens) and sweet potatoes. If you decide to feed any of these, check with a Holland breeder on suggestions and amounts.

Care And Grooming...

Holland's do not always require brushing, but they do like it and it is very healthy for their skin and hair. Rabbits molt usually twice a year with the change of seasons. They are getting rid of their old coat and putting on a new one. If your Holland is molting, you will need to brush it to help remove the hair before they ingest it. If you don't , your Holland can develop a deadly fur ball from licking the fur out themselves. When brushing, check for furmites. If your rabbit has furmites, you will see what looks like dandruff (usually behind the head). To treat for furmites, we recommend that you give Ivomec orally. Check with an established breeder for dosage.

COLOR GROUPS....

Lop rabbits, are showable in two varietis, SOLID and BROKEN. Within these varirties there are several reconginzes color groups. The first group: Chinchilla: basic colors of Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Sable, and Smoke Pearl: eyes are either: Blue-Gray or Brown. Chestnut Agouti: basic ticking colors of Black or Chocolate: eyes are Brown. Opal: eyes Blue-Gray Lynx: eyes Blue-Gray

The Self Group: Black: eyes Brown Blue: eyes Blue-Gray Chocolate: eyes Brown Lilac: eyes Blue-Gray White: eyes can be Pink, Blue, or Brown

The Shaded Group: Frosted Pearl: shaded color Black, Blue, Chocolate, or Lilac: eyes: Brown or Blue-Gray Sable: eyes Brown Sable Point: eyes Brown Seal: eyes Brown Smoke Pearl: eyes Blue-Gray Tortoise (also called Tort or Madagascar): Black, Blue, Chocolate, or Lilac shading, eyes in Black or Chocolates are Brown, eyes in Blue and Lilac are to be Blue-Gray.

The Wide Band Group: Cream: eyes Blue-Gray Fawn: eyes Brown Orange: eyes Brown Red: eyes Brown

The Ticked Group: Silver/Silver Fox: Black, Blue, Brown, or Fawn basic color, eyes are Brown. Steel: Gold or Silver tipping with Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Sable, or Smoke Pearl basic color, eyes are Brown.

The Pointed White Group: White with points to be Black, Blue, Chocolate, or Lilac, eyes are Pink.

The Broken Group: Any recognized color in combination with White, must show head markings and body markings, eye color to be that of the solid color.

The Tri Color Group: ALL must carry White Dense Black/Golden Orange: eyes Brown Lavendar Blue/Golden Fawn: eyes Blue-Gray Dark Chocolate/Golden Orange: eyes Brown Dove Gray/Golden Fawn: eyes Blue-Gray