History: According to Bob D. Whitman’s book “Domestic Rabbits & Their Histories,” the Mini Lop’s story began in Germany in the 1950s with two different breeders. The breed was called Klein Widder, which means ‘little ram.’ Whitman mentions several breeds being used in the development of the Klein Widder, including Chinchilla, French Lop, English Lop, New Zealand, Polish, and Dwarf Lop. It was recognized by the German Standard in 1973. An American breeder brought it to the United States in the early 1970s. The breed’s initial introduction didn’t cause much of a stir. After changing the name to Mini Lop and with the help of other breeders, the Mini Lop gained ARBA recognition in 1980.

Popular Use: Due to their adorable looks, Mini Lops make popular pets, 4H rabbits and show rabbits. They also have a good bone to meat ratio for use as meat rabbits.

Health: Mini Lop rabbits are a hardy breed, but can be subject to the same general health concerns as any other domesticated rabbits (GI stasis, malocclusion, respiratory disease or mites).

Coat: The Mini Lop’s coat is a dense, medium-length coat that is extremely soft to touch. The fur is rollback, which means that when the fur is stroked from the opposite direction, it returns to its original position.

Color: There are many different colors that are recognized by the ARBA for the Mini Lop rabbit. These coat colors are split into seven groups: agouti, broken, pointed white, self, shaded, ticked and wide band.

The most common coat colors are black, blue, white, chinchilla, chesnut, lynx, opal, cream, fawn, orange, red, tortoise, smoke pearl and sable.

Weight: 3 - 6.5 pounds

Lifespan: 7 - 14 years

Temperament: Very calm, friendly and playful

Adaptability: Mini Lops are popular pets and are easy to handle for first-time rabbit owners.

Interesting Fact: Due to the shape of their large ears and ear canal, many adult lop rabbits (Mini Lops included) are hard of hearing. We find this contributes to their laid-back nature!