English Lop Rabbit 101: Part 1
The English lop is known as a fancy rabbit breed that was developed in the UK during the 19th century using selective breeding techniques.
Coat and Colors.
The coat of the English lop should be smooth, soft, and warm to the touch. The ears, in particular, should be covered with soft fur. Their coat has a flyback feature and is smooth and short plus easy to maintain.
English lops come in solid colors and broken colors, broken colors are broken by whites. This breed can come in several colors, such as black, orange/fawn, chinchilla, blue, agouti/opal, Red Eyed White, and blue and black torts. The ARBA or the American Rabbit Breeder’s Association permits recognized colors to be in solid or broken than pointed whites.
History of the Breed.
The English Lop is the first lop to breed. It was developed in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for the show as a fancy breed. At that time, fancy animal breeds are the most popular in trade shows and exhibitions. The English lop was the most popular pet during the Victorian era. This also marked the departure of the role of rabbits as meat, wool, and fur source. The English lop was later bred with other breeds in Europe, and this started other popular lop breeds like the French lop and the Holland lop. The French lop was a cross of the English lop and the Flemish Giant while the Holland lop was a mix of the French lop and a Netherland Dwarf.
A dark history of how the English lop breed started is a less known story. It is said that the very first English lop was from Africa, and a variety of this breed came to the market in the mid-1800 in England and then soon to the US by trade ships. It was also said that breeders during this time used cruel ways to enhance the length and the quality of the lop’s ears. Some would apply wax on the ears while some stretched it to make them longer.
Reproduction.
The English lop mates and reproduces just like other rabbit breeds. This rabbit breed may start to breed as early as a few months and are able to reproduce any time of the year. When breeding English lops, you must first prepare your breeding area since newborn bunnies are born helpless, blind, and deaf. You need an extra cage or enclosure to secure them.
Rabbits like the English lop are very easy to breed. First, keep the male in a separate cage. Introduce the female to the male’s cage after a week. Doing this will increase the chances of successful breeding. Expect rabbit mating behaviors to begin very shortly.
First, the male will chase after the female. The doe will jump, run, and sometimes stay still while the male will chase after her and then sniff her back. She will respond by running and jumping again if she resists the male or she may lie on her side and allow the male to sniff further. If the female reciprocates, the male will mount her and thrusts in her as well.
The mating act is swift, and when it’s successful, the male may thump his hind legs and will simply let the doe alone. This may happen again after a short while, but you can tell that it’s successful each time if the male leaves the female alone after the act. You may separate the two after a day or two. Place the female inside a separate cage where she can make her nest.
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