The History of Mini Lops

Our children just love the Mini Lops because of their sweet disposition and their size. Adults generally do not weigh more than 6 1/2 lbs., so they are great for children and adult alike. Mini Lops are the third smallest of all the lop rabbit breeds and they are the smallest non-dwarfed lop. They are small rabbits with lopped ears. Mini Lops both closely with their family members and do not thrive when they are neglected.

They should have a massive, thick and heavily muscled body. The hips should be well rounded. The size of the head should be balanced with the body. The legs should be straight, short, and thick. The Mini Lops fur should be very thick and dense as well as glossy.

The first Mini Lops were originated from the German Big Lop (about 8 lbs. with large thick ears) and the small Chinchilla. These two breeds were originally the colors: agouti and white.

In 1972, Bob Herschbach discovered the Mini Lop breed at a German National Rabbit Convention in Essen, Germany. He was a Mini Lop promoter and achieved the first procreation of Mini Lops in the United States. The first Mini Lop bunnies were solid colors. Shortly after came a generation with broken colors. Mini Lops began obtaining high standards on quality.

In 1974, Herschbach brought his Mini Lop rabbits to the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA) Convention, held in Ventura, CA. At this convention, it was decided that the breed needed to be a more compact and attractive in size. In order to reach this goal, Herschbach had the assistance of other breeders and let them breed more of his Mini Lops (then called Klein Widders, but later changed to Mini Lops, because it was more appealing to the public).

In 1977, the Mini Lop breed was being sponsored by someone new, a man named Herb Dyke. Dyke and Herschbach created a club for Mini Lops, where Mini Lop breeders could correspond with one another. Within a year, they had over 500 members who contacted ARBA asking to support the Mini Lop rabbits. 1980 was an exciting year for Mini Lops, in Milwaukee, WI, at the National Rabbit Convention, Mini Lops became recognized as an official rabbit breed by ARBA.

Mini Lops are known for their round thick bodies with long loppy ears, their wide head, and thick bone structure. They have short well-rounded loins, a deep chest, and wide shoulders. The Mini Lops ears should sit close against the cheeks with the ear openings turned in. The folds of the ear should be thick. These are traits to look for if you are showing your bunny. If you are not, and this bunny is just a pet, then these things are nothing to worry about. Mini Lops come in a range of colors and patters, solid or broken. Their lifespan is about 7-10 years.

Mini Lops have their own individuality, but, most often are great with children, the elderly, taking them to retirement homes, they are friendly, playful, and intelligent. Many teachers take mini lops to school to teach their students about taking care of an animal and learning responsibility. They can be litter box trained and taught many tricks. They love to be around other rabbits and people. They are very social and dearly loved by our family!