A few morphological traits of Holland lop and American fuzzy lop rabbit, like fur length, differ. However, most of their physical features are similar up to a great extent. Holland lop rabbits have short or thick hair. In contrast, fuzzy lops have long, silky, and wooly hair. This feature resembles their ancestors, Angora rabbits. The eyes and ears of American fuzzy lop rabbits are present on their head sides.
American fuzzy lop rabbits are small and stumpy rabbits. They are produced by crossing Holland lop rabbits with French Angora rabbits. They have broad head and shoulders and a small neck. They have droopy, well-furred, and thick ears. The body weight of this breed is 1.8 to 4.5 pounds. Their height is 6.3 at minimum and 7.8 inches at maximum. The pregnancy period of this lop breed is 29 to 32 days. They produce 3 to 6 kits in one litter. It is an inexpensive bunny with a cost of $65 to $97.
American fuzzy lop rabbits make strong bonds with their owners and feel happy to play with them. They are active bunnies who love to play. The females of this breed can produce more than four litters within a year. They are crepuscular and take most of their meals in the evening when they are highly active, but sometimes, they also get active in the morning.
Content
Characteristics of American fuzzy lop rabbits
What is the origin of the American fuzzy lop rabbits?
What do the American fuzzy lop rabbits look like?
How heavy are American fuzzy lop rabbits?
What is the lifespan of American fuzzy lop rabbits?
What is the cost of American fuzzy lop rabbits?
How long do American fuzzy lop rabbits remain pregnant?
Characteristics American fuzzy lop Rabbits
| Characteristics | American fuzzy lop Rabbits |
| Common names | Fuzzy lops |
| Body color | White and chestnut, Opal, Squirrel |
| Food | Fiber-based diets |
| Body length | 6.3 to 7.8 inches |
| Weight | 1.8 to 4.5 pounds |
| Litter size | 3 to 6 kits |
| Habitat | Domestic |
| Duration of Gestation | 29 to 32 days |
| Use | Pets and show animals |
| Personality | Friendly, Playful, Curious |
| Cost | $65 to $97 |
| Origin | America, United States |
| Life expectancy | 6 to 9 years |
What is the origin of the American fuzzy lop rabbits?
American fuzzy lop rabbit was created to bring broken or scattered color patterns in the coat of Holland lops. This breed had solid color patterns. The lineage of fuzzy lops traces back to Holland lops.
To achieve the targeted characteristic, the Holland lops were crossed with those with a broken color pattern. So, the selected breed for the second parent was English spot rabbits with a rollback and spotted color pattern.
As a result of this cross, the new breed got a spotted color pattern, but the silky, fly-back characteristic of fur was lost. The breeders aimed at restoring this character in the next cross or breed after losing the rollback trait of Holland lops.
For the next cross, they decided to breed these Holland lops with French Angora rabbits. Angora rabbits have luxurious, silky, long, soft, shiny, and wooly furs.
After breeding, the offspring also got long hair and soft or wooly coat with rollback characteristics. Finally, the breeders were able to have Holland lop rabbits with fancy and adorable furs similar to Angora rabbits.
After getting the news of newly bred small wooly fur bunnies, the breeders decided to make an extra attempt. Further research and breeding programs exposed that the wool gene is actually a recessive trait.
After crossing wooly Holland lop rabbits, Patty Greene-Karl was able to get the desired traits from one candidate.
This breed was named the American fuzzy lop rabbit due to the breeding program conducted on the East Coast of America and a few physical traits.
What does the American fuzzy lop rabbit look like?
American fuzzy lop rabbit fall under the category of dwarf bunnies. They have muscular body and broader heads and chests. They have short necks; that’s why their head appears closer to the shoulders.
In addition, they are available in a range of colors in combination with white. This breed’s body color is mostly white, but a small proportion of brown, golden, grey, squirrel, opal, and chestnut are also seen.
In the same way, their furs are wooly, just like Angora rabbits, but are shorter in length. The length of furs varies from 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. Additionally, the ears are well-colored and appear black, brown, golden, and grey.
The ears of this breed are droopy, just like those of Holland lops rabbits. Additionally, their ears are long and covered with long fur, and they are present on the sides of their faces. The fur around the eyes is tinted, looking like eye circles.
They can also have blue or ruby-red eyes. Furthermore, they cannot see well at close range. The most distinguishing feature of this breed is that it has flat and short muzzles, just like a cat. They have colored markings on the nose and around the mouth.
How heavy are American fuzzy lop rabbits?
American fuzzy lop rabbits are small or stumpy, similar to Holland lop rabbits’ bodies. However, slight differences in these physical features exist.
The weight of younger ones of this breed is about 1.8 to 3.5 pounds, which is equivalent to 0.8 to 1.6kg. On the other hand, their weight reaches up to 4.5 pounds (2kg) in the adulthood. The adult does are slightly heavier than the male bucks.
They are almost equal in size to dwarf breeds, but slight difference exists. In addition, the height of this breed is about 6.3 to 7.8 inches (16 to 19.8 cm). Their female does are longer than males.
What is the lifespan of American fuzzy lop rabbits?
American fuzzy lops rabbits can survive longer in the domestic environment. When kept in captivity, they can live for 6 to 9 years and are suitable for keeping in the indoor environment.
It is good to keep them in captivity and provide companionship for better survival. They lack adaptation to live in the wild and alone. Also, good diet and proper care increase their life span. They can live a maximum lifespan of 12 years in ideal environment.
Moreover, they require proper maintenance due to long and thick hair. Regular grooming and care can save them from various health issues because long and dirty hair attract parasites and microbes.
They can die before the completion of their lifespan when you do not remove worms or parasites from their hair and leave them struggling with these parasitic organisms. When you protect them from worms, they can live a prolonged lifespan due to low risk of disease.
What is the cost of American fuzzy lop rabbit?
American fuzzy lop rabbits are low-cost bunnies because of their short body and fur length. Depending on the gender and age, you can get this dwarf breed for $65 to $97.
Being the small breed, it is not suitable for meat production. Also, this breed is not raised on commercial scale or for commercial purposes because their furs are shorter than Angora rabbits; that’s why they are not high in demand by commercial breeders.
However, they are commonly used as pets for their cute appearance and manageable size. Also, they are showed in exhibitions due to their adorable features. The quality of furs can be improved by further breeding.
This cost does not include monthly expenses that involve cage maintenance, food, and other related expenses. If you want them as pet, spend a few more dollars in addition to buying cost.
Furthermore, their monthly expenses can be almost $40, but increase up to $50. So, you should expect to spend an overall cost of almost $105 to $147 for the first month.
How long do American fuzzy lop rabbits remain pregnant?
The pregnancy period of rabbits cannot be the same as every breed has different nature. They have different physical features and care level. American fuzzy lops rabbit generally have a pregnancy duration of 29 to 32 days.
A good diet and ideal conditions can reduce this time duration to 29 days. Similarly, lack of care can lead to an extension of duration to 33 or 34 days.
As far as the litter size of this breed is concerned, one litter has about 3 to 6 kits, but it can reach up to 7. This breed is included in small varieties, so it matures earlier than other giant ones. It is ready to reproduce within 4 to 5 months of birth.