Basic Appearance:
Holland lops have a very sturdy look, but they weigh only about four pounds. They have rather flat, baby faces and floppy ears. Hollands come in many solid and broken varieties, with tortoise and broken tortoise being very common. Holland lops have dense, rollback fur.
History, Temperament, and Common Uses:
Hollands are some of the most popular rabbits in the United States and other countries throughout the world, including Canada, Japan, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In many of these countries it is known as the miniature lop.
Holland lops originated in the Netherlands. A breeder by the name of Adrian DeCock started his breeding program around 1950 by crossing a Netherland dwarf buck with a French lop doe. He went on from there to develop one of the most popular breeds we have today! Hollands came to the U.S. around 1975 and were greeted with enthusiasm.
Holland lops are most often used for showing, and also make great pets.
Grooming, Care, and Additional Notes:
Like other rabbits with rollback coats, Hollands need little grooming. Simply going over your rabbit’s fur with a soft bristle brush or damp hands once a week or so will remove dead hairs and keep him looking his best. Holland lops may need more grooming during a molt. Rabbits generally should not be given baths, simply spot-clean any areas of their coat that may need it.
Hollands are posed differently than most other breeds in the compact group. They should be posed with their front paws lightly on the table, with the head high on the shoulders. This will show their deep chest and thick front legs.
When evaluating the ears it is important to let excitable rabbits relax so they can exhibit their natural ear carriage.
Holland Lop At A Glance…
Recognized Varieties:
Hollands are shown in two classifications: broken and solid.
The broken group consists of brokens and tri-colors.
The solid group is made up of all other recognized varieties: chestnut agouti, chocolate agouti, chinchilla, chocolate chinchilla, lynx, opal, squirrel, pointed white (black, blue, chocolate, lilac), black, blue, chocolate, lilac, blue eyed white, red eyed white, sable point, Siamese sable, seal, smoke pearl, tortoise (black, blue, chocolate, lilac), otter (black, blue, chocolate, lilac), steel (black, blue, chocolate, lilac), cream, fawn, frosty, orange, and red.
ARBA Body Type:
Compact
Approximate Size:
4 pounds or less.
Important Things to Look for When Buying Show Stock:
A Holland lop with a short, thick, and massive looking body. A Holland should have a broad, well filled chest, and shoulders that are broad and deep. When properly posed the depth of the shoulders should be carried back to the hindquarters, which should be of equal or slightly greater depth. The width of the shoulders should be nearly equal to, but not greater than, the width of the hindquarters. Look for hindquarters that are broad, well rounded, deep, and full at the base. Overall, Hollands should be well muscled, close-coupled, compact, and have good balance. Does are allowed to have a small dewlap.
The head should be wide, with width starting at the base of the ears, and have good width down between the eyes and to the short, full muzzle. In profile the head should be well rounded from the base of the ears to the eyes, flattened between the eyes and muzzle, and round again from the muzzle to the neck. The eyes should be round and bold. Overall the head should appear massive and be set close to the shoulders.
The ears should hang down vertically, close to the cheeks. The openings should be turned in, toward the head. The ears and crown should resemble a horseshoe shape when viewing the rabbit from the front. Look for ears that are wide, thick, well covered in fur, and round at the tips. Ears should hang down just behind the eye, and be no more than one inch below the line of the jaw. The ears should balance with the head and body.
Hollands should have a strongly defined crown that is positioned properly on the head. It should consist of cartilage and dense fur on the top of the head, adding to the massive look characteristic of the breed. The crown should have proper side to side and front to back width to allow the ears to lop vertically and hang just behind the eye. The crown should start just behind the eyes.
Look for Holland lops with legs that are rather short and thick, that are straight and heavily boned. On broken patterned rabbits, white toenails are preferred, but colored or mismatched nails are not disqualified.
Holland lops have rollback fur (gradually rolls back into position when stroked backwards) that should be dense, glossy, and with a fine texture. It should have a uniform length of about 1 inch.
All varieties should conform to the description in the Lop Color Guide.
Things to Avoid:
Rabbits lacking good depth of body, or long, narrow body. Shoulders that are low, long, or narrow. Hindquarters that are flat, narrow, chopped, pinched, or undercut. Does with large dewlaps.
Pinched muzzle, narrow or long head, narrow between the eyes.
Ears that are pointed instead of rounded, narrow, thin, or folded. Ears with poor placement or carriage, length that does not balance with the rest of the rabbit.
A crown that is not strongly defined, or a crown that is narrow from side to side or front to back. A crown that is not positioned right behind the eyes.
Colored or mismatched toenails on broken patterned Hollands. Long legs or fine bone. White toenails in all solid varieties is a disqualification.
Avoid fur that is thin, too long, harsh, soft, wooly, or very short.
Broken patterned rabbits with unbalanced nose markings, white on one or both ears, eye circles that are not complete, or an uneven pattern. No nose marking, lack of color around one or both eyes or one or both ears is a disqualification.
Solid patterned rabbits with any spot of foreign color is a disqualification.
Any eye color other than called for in the variety standard is a disqualification.