Holland Lop Breed
Get to know the breed before you buy
~Body structure and Coat structure~ Holland lops are a small compact breed weighing between 2-4 pounds normally but can be larger. A Holland Lop consists of a short sticky built body, a broad head with a well built crown (the crown is a puff of fur/ cartilage on the back of the head) and lastly the Holland Lops lopped ears. (Lopped eats hang rather than standing upright) Hollands fur is dense, soft and shiny when in golf coat condition.
~Temperament~ Holland Lops are most commonly know for having a sweet temperament. A common favorite pet breed is the Holland Lop due to being sweet and great with children! Holland’s are very affectionate rabbits that love attention.
~Lifespan of a Holland~ A Holland Lop can typically live anywhere from 5-14 years. Depending on whether you spay/ neuter your rabbit can also take part in rabbits lifespan. Having a Holland Lop is a commitment when adopting
~How to care for a Holland~ Holland Lops are generally an easy breed to care for. When caring for one it is good to brush daily or every other day to decrease on shedding and keep their coat in a good condition. Nail trims are also needed, trimming once a month typically keeps them maintained.
~Housing a Holland~ Although Holland Lops are a smaller breed, you make think they can be in a smaller cage. That is not the case, they should be in an minimum of 18”x24”. When buying rabbit cages, bigger is always better! Rabbits should also have an adequate amount of time out of their cage to roam and play. A rabbits cage can be wire and it will not affect them. Although it is good to give an area they can lay on that is not wire, such as a piece of wood to lay on. If you decide to litter train your rabbit, you can do it one of two ways. You can either observe where your rabbit is going to the bathroom, they generally choose a corner. Once they have chosen a corner you can then place the litter box their with there hay either in it or hanging next to it so they can eat while in the box. The second option is placing the litter box in a corner with the hay either in it or hanging next to it. Therefore you selected the corner they go to the bathroom in, no guarantees this will work. Rabbits should also have a variety of toys to place with, these toys can either be homemade or store bought. When selecting a toy make sure there are no small pieces such as balls that they could potentially choke on. Different toys can include toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, plastic cat balls (when supervised), wooden kabobs, wooden chews, etc.
~Holland Lops Diet~ A Holland Lops diet consists of a few things. 2 major things are hay and water. Your rabbit(s) should have both unlimited hay and water. It is your preference in hay, as there are many different kinds. The most common hay is Timothy Hay which works amazing! Then for water you will see many different things, as a baby they can have a water bottle. Once they begin to get older (10-12 weeks) it is best to switch to a bowl. Water bottles can cause rabbits to get dehydrated as it is not as easy to get water out as a bowl is. Next in the diet is pellets, when choosing pellets it is up to you and your preference. When choosing pellets look at the ingredients and make sure there is no corn, fried fruits, things appealing to the human eye. You can find rabbit feeds that look like a dried up fruit salad with pellets. DO NOT PURCHASE!! That feed is very unhealthy for your rabbit as well as it provides no nutrients and can cause your rabbit to go downhill very quickly. Your rabbit only needs about 1/4 cup of pellets a day. While pellets are not necessary, many do use them. If you choose to not use pellets in your diet you will need to increase the amount of vegetables your rabbit gets daily, as vegetables should also be a source of nutrition in your rabbits diet.
I hope all of this information helped you!