Our Rabbits

Why the Mini Lop is a great pet:

• They require minimal brushing
• They do not need a extremely large hutch
• They do not eat as much as the large breeds, cutting down costs
• They have a great playful personality
• They are easily litter trained
• You can walk them on a harness
• They are easy to handle
• Easy to care for

The Mini Lop is one of the smallest breeds of rabbit and the smallest in the Lop family. They can often be called the German Lop or Holland Lop.
The history of the Mini Lop is not overly clear. Some associations believe that they were developed by crossing the French and Holland Lop, however others say that they were around before the Holland lop, while others say they are actually the same as the Holland lop. The Mini Lop Rabbit Club in America believe that they were created in Germany as the result of crossing the German Lop and Chinchilla rabbit in 1972. They state that the original German name was ‘Kein Widder’. Once imported to the United States their name changed to Mini Lop and was officially recognized as a breed by the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association in 1980 and then became a show breed in 1982.
The Mini Lop has only been available in Australia since 1998.The average weight is around 1.5kg with the doe often weighing more than the buck. They have a very compact body with a wide head and medium length floppy ear. When born their ears stick up and usually flop between 3 and 6 weeks of age. Their coat is thick, short and soft, requiring minimal brushing. They come in a large variety of colours. If you include the broken and tri colour patterns then it is over 50, however not all are available in Australia. Some common colours include, sooty fawn, seal point, red eyed white, blue, orange and black. The mini lop makes an excellent pet, either in a hutch in the garden or a cage indoors. They are small and therefore they do not require an extremely large hutch like the giant rabbits do. As a guide, the minimum size a hutch should be is 100cm long x 40cm wide x 50cm high. But the bigger the better, your rabbit will appreciate it!
Mini Lops are a very friendly and playful breed. They love to have company, either another rabbit or a human.. With their ability to be toilet trained they are becoming more popular as an indoor pet. Their gentle temperament and small size makes them a great rabbit for children. They are very intelligent animals and can learn to walk on a harness, play games and even learn their names. However if they are not given enough attention they may become destructive or aggressive out of boredom and loneliness. All rabbits need at least one hour per day out of their hutch to play and exercise.

Why the Cashmere Standard Lop is a great pet:

• Less common breed
• Stunning looking rabbit, guaranteed to impress
• They do not need a extremely large hutch
• They do not eat as much as the large breeds, cutting down costs
• Nice and docile
• Very friendly
• Love cuddles
• They are easily litter trained

The Cashmere Lop rabbit is also called the American Fuzzy Lop. They originated from the Holland Lop. Once again it is debated how this breed began. Some believe that it was a genetic fault in the Holland lop where occasionally a long haired rabbit resulted. Others believe that earlier attempts at breeding the Holland Lop and the Angora rabbit created the necessary gene to produce long hair. These were then bred together to create the longhaired cashmere lop. The Cashmere didn’t become a recognized breed until 1988.
The Cashmere Lop are small rabbits with the average weight being 2.5kg, the doe often weighing more than the buck. They are a small, compact ball of fluff with a wide face and medium length floppy ears which generally drop at around 3 – 6 weeks of age. Their hair reaching about 2 inches in length does require grooming especially when moulting. This can be enjoyable for both owner and rabbit as it is time spent together. They come in many colours however only 19 are registered show colours. Some include sooty fawn, seal point, blue and smoked pearl. Although slightly larger than the Mini Lop, they still make excellent house pets.
If you are looking for a more placid rabbit then the Cashmere Lop is for you. All though they still love to play, they are also happy to just sit and cuddle. They are not as highly strung as the mini lop making them a fantastic first pet for young children. Whilst they can be walked on a lead, a quick brush is required afterwards to get out the knots the harness may create. When only a kit they do require grooming every week but once they have their adult coat once a month may be fine, more when moulting.. They are a beautiful rabbit to look at and being so fluffy are lovely to cuddle up to. Be aware that people allergic to cats maybe allergic to long haired rabbits. The minimum time allowed out of the hutch each day should be an hour, the more the better. If your rabbit is left without interaction for a long period of time it may become scared and a bit aggressive towards you.