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Lop rabbits have ears that hang down on the side of their head instead of pointing upright, and there are about 19 breeds that have them. We’re going to discuss the differences between two lop rabbits, the French Lop and the Holland Lop, so you can determine if one of these breeds is right for your home.

Keep reading while we discuss lifespan, grooming requirements, trainability, and more to help you make an educated decision.

Visual Differences

At a Glance

French Lop

• Average height (adult): 2–3 feet
• Average weight (adult): 10–15 pounds
• Lifespan: 5–7 years
• Exercise: 3 hours per day
• Grooming needs: Minimal
• Family-friendly: Yes
• Other pet-friendly: Often
• Trainability: Intelligent can learn to come when called and use a litter box

Holland Lop

• Average height (adult): 2–4 inches
• Average weight (adult): 3–4 pounds
• Lifespan: 7–12 years
• Exercise: 2+ hours a day
• Grooming needs: Minimal
• Family-friendly: Yes
• Other pet-friendly: Sometimes
• Trainability: Intelligent and can learn to use the litter box

French Lop Overview

The French Lop is the only giant lop-eared rabbit. It can grow to nearly 3 feet tall and can weigh up to 15 pounds. It’s not as popular as many other breeds due to its large size.

Personality / Character

While this large rabbit can look intimidating, it has a pleasant temperament and is friendly towards children and other animals. It’s calm, relaxed, and will quickly bond with family members. It enjoys being around family members and will allow you to pick it up and carry it around. It doesn’t like to be left alone and could begin to chew things if left alone too long.

Health & Care

Your French Lop is very easy to maintain and only requires an occasional brushing. Once every week or so should be fine when they are not shedding, and once every 2 or 3 days when they are shedding will be enough to keep their fur in good shape. You should not need to bathe them, but you will need to trim their nails on occasion.

Because of their large size, they will need a bigger cage. Most experts recommend a 30-inch by 36-inch cage for a rabbit this size. To allow them to get the exercise they need, we recommend letting them out of the cage for at least 3 hours a day.

Suitable for:

French Lop Rabbits are extremely friendly, but their large size makes them better suited to owners that have had some experience with rabbits before. Their large size and strong legs can cause injury to small children, and they can also injure the rabbit trying to pick it up if it’s too heavy for them. They also eat a lot and will require plenty of timothy hay, which may be surprising to an inexperienced owner.

Holland Lop Overview

The Holland Lop is the opposite of the French Lop in terms of size, and this dwarf rabbit will rarely exceed 4 inches tall. It has a small, stocky body with a large head.

Personality / Character

Holland Lop rabbits are extremely friendly and often described as being more docile than other popular breeds. It’s small enough to be handled by children without struggling, and they enjoy the attention and like when you carry them around. It’s incredibly vocal and will entertain the family with continuous noises, grunts, and snorts to let you know its current mood.

Health & Care

Holland Lop Rabbits are extremely low maintenance. Their small bodies will only require occasional brushing about once a week, twice a week when they are shedding like the French Lop, but their little bodies make brushing a breeze. They rarely need bathing, and you want to avoid it because bathing can scare them, but you will need to clip the nails every few weeks. Holland Lop rabbits will need at least two hours a day outside the cage to get the exercise they need to stay healthy.

Suitable for:

Your Holland Lop is a perfect rabbit for the whole family. It’s small enough that small children can carry it with ease, and it enjoys the attention. Its tendency to vocalize will keep the entire family’s interest and prevents it from getting lost. It doesn’t eat much, requires very little maintenance, and lives a long time, especially if kept indoors. The only downside to the Holland Lop is that its small size will make it dangerous to have around some pets like cats that might try to attack it.

Which Breed Is Right for You?

We recommend the Holland Lop for everyone, especially inexperienced rabbit owners. Its small size provides you with a low cost, low maintenance pet that’s friendlier than many other breeds. It only needs a small cage and doesn’t require as much free roaming because it can get the activity it needs in a smaller area.

Once you have gained some experience, the French Lop makes a wonderful family pet. Its huge size will be the talk of all your neighbors, and it’s friendly and relaxed attitude will make it a hit among family members. It will need a large cage, plenty of food, and lots of time to explore your home, but it doesn’t get into mischief very often and prefers to remain around family members. The only problem is its powerful hind legs can hurt if it jumps off you unexpectedly.

Final Thoughts

We hope you have enjoyed reading and have learned some new and interesting facts about these two unique rabbit breeds. If we have helped you choose one for your home, please share this comparison of the French Lop and Holland Lop rabbits on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured Image Credit: Top – slowmotiongli, Shutterstock | Bottom – Katie E Boyd, Shutterstock