Weight: 3 pounds
Colors: All or most colors
Bred for: Show and Pet
The Holland Lop was first bred by a man named Adriann de Cock, who lived in Tilburg, Holland. He was originally a Tan breeder, though he admired the French Lop and the Netherland Dwarf. He attempted to make a French-Lop like rabbit around the size of a Netherland Dwarf. In his first litter, produced some time in the '50s, he bred a French Lop doe with a Netherland Dwarf buck. All the kits had erect ears. In his second litter, he succeeded in producing one fully-lopped doe (having bred the offspring from the first litter to English lops,) but she was too aggressive to be mated. However, other does in this litter (who ended up with half-lopped ears) were bred to bucks in the first litter. He was successful in creating a small lop-eared rabbit. He later inbred future litters, so that he could emphasize the French Lop characteristics that he had desired in the first place. He had the first Holland Lop in 1955, and later (in 1964) he introduced four individuals for acceptance.
Holland Lops are generally very curious and adore attention. They are favorites for shows because of their disposition towards crowds - were some rabbits would have a heart attack from nervousness, a Holland Lop would be walking around, checking out the scene and socializing. While they are agreeable and seem to love everybody, they also have a tendency to be hyperactive - content with just running around in circles for no real reason.
The Holland Lop was recognized by the ARBA in the 1970s.