Holland Lops and Mini Lops are the two most popular varieties of lop rabbits, rabbits with ears that hang down.
Both of these breeds are well-known for their floppy ears and adorable looks, but there are differences that set them apart
Mini Lop is Larger than Holland Lop (but Shorter)
The first way you can tell the difference between a Holland Lop and a Mini Lop is their size.
An adult Holland Lop rabbit weighs between 2 and 4 pounds. That’s 900 to 1800 grams. That fully grown Holland Lop will stand 5 fo 6 inches (125 to 150 mm) tall.
An adult Mini Lop is a bigger bunny. It will weigh 3 to 6-1/2 pounds (1360 to 2950 grams). However, at 4-5 inches tall, the Mini Lop may be a little shorter than a Holland Lop.
| Attribute | Holland Lop | Mini Lop |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 2-4 Pounds (900-1800 gms) | 3 to 6-1/2 Pounds (1360-2950 grams) |
| Height | 5-6 Inches (125-150 mm) | 4-5 inches (100-125 mm) |
This size difference may impact the space you need to accommodate your new furry friend, as well as the type of carrier or hutch required.
Also read: French Lop vs. Holland Lop Rabbit
Holland Lops and Mini Lops Have Different Body Types
Holland Lops looks a lot like most other rabbits. They have a compact body shape, broad and short.
Holland Lops have longer ears than other lop rabbits. Their ears are broader at the base than other lop rabbits, too. They have a crown of fur at the base of their heads.
Mini Lops are often described as basketball-shaped. The contour of their body looks like a basketball with ping pong ball stuck on it.
Most of their body is round and muscular. Their heads are proportionally smaller than the heads of other rabbits.
Mini Lops are almost mid-sized rabbits. Holland Lops are almost dwarf rabbits, but not as small as some other breeds, such as the Netherlands Dwarf.
Holland Lop and Mini Lop Colors
You can find Holland Lops in a variety of colors.
Holland Lops can have cream, frosted (also known as frosty), chestnut, chinchilla, opal, orange, sable point, black tortoise shell (also known as black tort), blue tortoise shell (also known as blue tort), chocolate tortoise shell (also known as chocolate tort), harlequin, lilac, blue, black, chocolate, ruby-eyed white (REW), blue-eyed white (BEW), magpie, tri-color, black otter, blue otter, and Vienna mark coat color patterns.
Rabbit breeders are constantly breeding Holland Lops for more colors and patterns.
Mini Lops have short, dense coats that come in an even greater variety of colors.
- Agouti (alternate bands of dark and light color)
- Blue
- Black
- Chocolate
- Lilac
- Smoke pearl
- Sable
- Chestnut
- Opal
- Lynx
- Broken (single color with patches or markings of another color)
- tri-color
- Broken
- Pointed White
- White with blue points
- White with black points
- White with lilac points
- White with chocolate points
- Shaded Colors
- Frosted pearl
- Sable point
- Sable
- Seal
- Tortoise
- Smoke Pearl
- Ticked (white fur flecked with different colors)
- Steel
- Silver
- Steel Fox
- Wideband (bands of color)
- Cream
- Fawn
- Red
- Orange
- Solid Colors
- Blue
- Black
- Lilac
- Chocolate
- White
Also read: Are French Lop Rabbits Good Pets?
Holland Lops and Mini Lops Have Similar Personalities
Both Holland Lops and Mini Lops were bred to be pets.
Similarity in Personality
Both breeds are easy to train. They learn to use their litter box quickly. They can be trained to come when they are called, stand on their hind legs if you support them with your hand, and hop into your lap for snuggle time.
These rabbits are more cuddly if you get down in the floor with them rather than expecting them to hop up to you in your chair or on the couch.
You can let both Holland Lops and Mini Lops explore your home.
If you give them lots of hay and chew toys, they won’t gnaw on your furniture or baseboards. If spayed or neutered, they will not mark your possessions as their own (with urine).
Both breeds are highly social, with children and small dogs and cats. However, you should supervise any joint playtime between your rabbits and other pets.
Difference in Personality
So, how are Holland Lops and Mini Lops different?
Holland Lops are great rabbits for older children aged eight and up. They are large enough not to be at particular risk for injury from kids playing too hard.
Like all smaller rabbits, Holland Lops are very active bunnies.
In nature, small rabbits must constantly be on the move to stay safe. Holland Lops uses this instinctive energy to play for hours on end. Unlike some other small rabbits, Holland Lops are endlessly social. They get depressed if you don’t play with them for several hours daily.
If you don’t have a lot of time for your rabbit, a Mini Lop may be a better choice.
Mini Lops love being cuddled and fussed over.
The more attention you give your Mini Lop, the happier it will be.
You can take advantage of your Mini Lop’s intelligence by teaching it to come when you call its name. You can train your Mini Lop to spin, jump, and fetch.
A Mini Lop can even learn to run an agility course.
Mini Lops love learning new ways to play, but they are happiest in a quiet, well-organized home.
Building trust with your lop rabbit is essential for a successful bond between you and your pet. Both breeds can be relatively easy to earn trust, but they will need time and patience, along with positive reinforcement and consistent handling.
Also read: When Do Holland Lop’s Ears Drop?
Health and Lifespan
When it comes to health and lifespan, both Holland Lops and Mini Lops can live a relatively long life if properly cared for.
On average, Holland Lops have a lifespan of 7-12 years, while Mini Lops can live 8-10 years. However, there are some health issues you should be aware of to ensure your bunny stays healthy and happy.
One common health issue in both breeds is overgrown teeth. Since their teeth never stop growing, it’s essential to provide them with chew toys and a proper diet to help wear down their teeth. Overgrown teeth can cause discomfort and even lead to infection if not addressed.
Ear infections are another health concern for these floppy-eared bunnies. To prevent ear infections, it’s important to check and clean their ears regularly, ensuring they are free of debris and inflammation. Additionally, keeping their living area clean and dry can help reduce the risk of ear infections.
Both Holland Lops and Mini Lops can be prone to gastrointestinal issues. A balanced diet, rich in hay and limited in sugary treats, can help maintain their digestive health. Keep an eye on their eating and bathroom habits; any change in these routine patterns may indicate a problem.
Lastly, obesity can also be a problem for both breeds, especially if they don’t get enough exercise or are overfed. Make sure your bunny has enough space to move around and hop freely, and provide a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight.
By monitoring their health and maintaining a proper living environment, you can keep your Holland Lop or Mini Lop in great shape and enjoy their company for many years to come.
Taking Care of Holland Lops and Mini Lops
There are a lot of similarities between taking care of Holland Lops and taking care of Mini Lops.
Food and Hydration
Both Holland Lops and Mini Lops need a diet of mostly hay. They also need unlimited access to fresh water.
Rabbits in nature mostly eat grass. Hay is dried grass.
Hay is important to rabbits because it is a high-fiber food.
Fiber
Fiber is important to rabbits in more ways than it is important to humans.
Fiber helps rabbits stay regular. They need the fiber from hay to avoid gastrointestinal stasis, a serious condition that occurs when hair accumulates in bezoars, or hairballs, at the pit of their stomachs.
Fiber also prevents intestinal blockages.
Unlike humans, when rabbits get an intestinal blockage, they display diarrhea. That is because liquid contents of the gut slide around the blockage.
Fiber, surprisingly, also prevents diarrhea.
Rabbits also need to chew fiber for dental health.
Rabbit teeth are open-rooted. That’s why they never stop growing. Rabbits need to chew, chew, chew to keep their teeth from growing so long they pierce the rabbit’s teeth.
Fiber has one more function in rabbits and, surprisingly, in humans.
Probiotic bacteria in the colon can transform fiber into fatty acids. With the help of these bacteria, grass becomes a source of fat for steady energy in rabbits (and people).
The best kind of hay for rabbits is dried timothy grass. It is the preferred food source of fiber and carbohydrates for rabbits because it does not contain as much calcium and protein as alfalfa hay. Too much calcium and protein in adult rabbits can cause kidney stones.
Water
Rabbits will die if they don’t get water for even one day.
Water helps rabbits regulate their body temperature. It also keeps digested food moving through their digestive tract, mixing fiber with the probiotic bacteria that release healthy fatty acids.
Everything Else
Holland Lops and Mini Lops should get about 70% of their diet from hay. The other 30% can be:
- Dark, green, leafy vegetables. You can give your lops tender spinach leaves, the leaves from radishes and celery that you don’t eat, the outer leaves of cabbage, and chopped vegetables like kale.
- Hay pellets. Timothy hay pellets are preferable to alfalfa hay pellets.
- Sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are almost the only seed that rabbits can safely eat, and it is better if you hull them first. Don’t give rabbits salted or roasted sunflower seeds or sunflower seeds with chili powder or spices.
- Treats!
Holland Lops and Mini Lops are affectionate pets. It is only natural to want to feed them carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber slices, and berries by hand.
Small amounts of these foods, up to about a tablespoon (15 grams) a day, is fine for both Holland Lops and Mini Lops. But if you want to feed your rabbit more treats by hand, give them leafy vegetables.
Housing and Play Spaces
Rabbits thrive in hutches. These are two-story enclosures elevated over a litter box and a feeding area.
There are hutches that you can use indoors, or you can place a rabbit hutch in an enclosed part of your backyard that is not exposed to extreme heat or cold.
Each rabbit needs enough space to turn around inside its hutch. These Lop rabbits need about 10 inches (25 cm) of space between hutch floors to keep from bumping their heads when they hop around.
And because both Holland Lops and Mini Lops have delicate toes, the floors of any hutch, kennel, or cage for these rabbits must be wood or plastic, not wire mesh.
Rabbits can break their toes when they hop on metal.
Never crowd Holland Lops or Mini Lops. Give each rabbit a 2-foot by 3-foot space (about half a square meet) for their enclosure time and 100 square feet (about 10 square meters) of play space.
The play space should be protected from aggressive dogs and cats, birds of prey, raccoons, and other wild animals that may attack rabbits.
Toys
Both Holland Lops and Mini Lops are intelligent animals that love toys. Here are some toys you can give your rabbits.
- Rabbit tunnel. Rabbits love to race through enclosed spaces. They will start using their tunnel more quickly if it has mesh windows they can see through.
- Hiding houses. Rabbits love hiding houses. They love edible hiding houses even more. You can find a tremendous variety of straw houses rabbits can eat online and in pet supply stores.
- Chew sticks. Willow chew sticks can keep a Lop rabbit occupied for hours, so they will not be tempted to chew on your baseboards or furniture.
- Push toys. A rabbit will play with the cardboard cylinder from inside a roll of toilet paper or paper towels by pushing it with its nose. Eventually, it will eat it. You can also find push toys to fill with hay.
- Digging platform. Give your Lop a safe place to dig to its heart’s content.
- Flip boards. Rabbits press down on fip boards with their paws or noses to make plastic parts, or food, come out.
- Stacking cups. Let your rabbits use their snouts to make stacks of colorful cups come apart so they can push them around on the floor.
Also read: English Lop Rabbit (Size, Color, Behavior, Temperament)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a significant size difference between the two breeds?
Yes, there is a noticeable size difference between the two breeds.
Mini Lops are about twice the size of Holland Lops. Holland Lops usually weigh 3 to 5 pounds, while Mini Lops can weigh up to 7 pounds.
Are there differences in their care and grooming requirements?
Both Holland Lops and Mini Lops have similar care and grooming requirements.
They need a proper diet consisting of hay, pellets, vegetables, and fresh water. Regular brushing is essential to prevent matting and reduce shedding.
They both need a spacious and clean living environment with exercise and mental stimulation opportunities. However, Mini Lops may require a larger enclosure due to their bigger size.
Do Mini Lops and Holland Lops have different lifespan expectations?
Holland Lops and Mini Lops have similar lifespan expectations, ranging from 7 to 14 years, with proper care and a healthy lifestyle.
Factors such as genetics, diet, environment, and overall health contribute to their lifespan.
Regular veterinary check-ups can help prevent and address health issues, ensuring your rabbit’s happy and healthy life.
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