Description

American Fuzzy Lop for sale

American Fuzzy Lop Breed History/Origin

 

The American Fuzzy Lop has history that’s intertwined with that of the Holland Lop. There was a time when the Holland Lop rabbit was only available in solid colors, and breeders wanted to add a broken pattern to the gene pool. To do that, they bred their Holland Lops with English Spots. While they successfully produced a broken pattern, they failed to keep the Holland’s rollback fur. To remedy that, the breeders then introduced their Holland Lop rabbits to French Angoras, which have famous gentle rollback coats. The result was a wool gene introduced into the Holland Lop gene pool, and eventually, Hollands with long coats were found in litters. These were sold to people who enjoyed the rabbit’s small, lop-eared, woolly coat characteristics.

Patty Greene-Karl and Gary Fellers of the American East Coast and Kim Landry and Margaret Miller of the American West Coast recognized how adorable these fuzzy Hollands were and sprang into action. Patty Greene-Karl is credited with realizing that their “fuzzy” gene was recessive, so mating two Holland Lops carrying this gene resulted in 1 in 4 of their offspring with this kind of wool.

Patty then decided to develop these wooly rabbits as a new breed and so dubbed them the American Fuzzy Lop. After four years of development, she presented her rabbits in 1985 to the ARBA Convention in Houston, Texas.

Overall Description

The American Fuzzy Lop has a short, thick body. They have a broad chest, short shoulders and broad, deep, well-rounded hindquarters with plenty of muscles. Their fuzzy ears flop to the sides of their heads.

The American Fuzzy Lop is sweet, energetic rabbit that is known to be great for show, fur and pet purposes. Their wooly coat is great to be shown off to the world and the American Fuzzy Lop is a favorite in competitions. For practical purposes, this rabbit’s fur can be spun and made into different kinds of clothes.  Their curious, playful attitude makes them great pets for singles, seniors and families alike so long as they are given plenty of love, affection and a place to let their energy run free (a fenced yard would be more than sufficient).

Care Requirements

Rabbits are clean animals when it comes to grooming themselves, and American Fuzzy Lops are no exception. These rabbits do not require daily grooming unless they are going through a molt. When this happens, simply run your fingers through their wool to work out any tangles and debris that may have gotten stuck in their coat.

You may also use a pet-specific brush if you don’t want to use your fingers, but under no circumstances should you fully bathe your rabbit; this causes them far too much stress. If you find a stain on your Fuzzy Lop’s coat, you can “spot clean” it with a damp cloth.

As with all other rabbits, their diet should consist of 70-80 percent hay and grass with the rest of their meal consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables. Make sure your rabbit’s enclosure is dung-free, clean, and always has fresh water at their disposal.

If your rabbit’s enclosure is outdoors, always be wary of the temperatures and weather forecast, as these factors can be a potential danger to your furry animal. Whether your enclosure is indoors or out, it’s best to keep this little guy happy with plenty of free time outside their cage. American Fuzzy Lops are active rabbits who love to run and jump round while basking in the sunlight, so a fenced backyard is recommended. If you live in an area where winters are particularly harsh and your Fuzzy Lop is indoors, they will still benefit from having time outside of their enclosures playing with their toys and cozying up with their favorite human.