Mini Lop Temperament and Personality

Steady is the word

Mini Lops are less reactive than a Netherland Dwarf and a little less busy than a Holland Lop. They sit. They let you groom them. They are the breed our families most often describe as laid back, and the one most likely to fall asleep on somebody watching television.

That does not mean dull. They are curious, they will follow you round a room, and a Mini Lop that has decided it likes you will shove its head under your hand to be stroked. It just means they are not easily startled, which is an underrated quality in a house rabbit.

With children

Good, with the same rule as always: the child sits on the floor and the rabbit comes to them. A Mini Lop is heavy enough that a small child cannot comfortably carry it, which is a safety feature rather than a drawback. The most common injury to a pet rabbit is a broken back from being dropped, and a rabbit that is too heavy to pick up casually is a rabbit that does not get dropped.

The thing to watch, and it is not temperament

A Mini Lop will eat past what it needs. That is a personality trait as much as a dietary one, and it causes the breed's main welfare problem: an overweight Mini Lop cannot reach its own back end to groom, which leads to matting, soiled hindquarters and, in warm weather, flystrike.

Measure the pellet ration rather than topping up the bowl. Hay unlimited. Hands on the rabbit monthly: ribs under a light covering, not something you have to press for. A Mini Lop that is the right weight is a Mini Lop that stays easy.

Do they bite?

Less often than the smaller breeds in our experience. A nip from a Mini Lop is usually an unspayed doe defending her pen or a rabbit that has learned hands arrive from above and grab. Spaying fixes the first. Approaching at floor level, every time, fixes the second.

Who they suit

• A family that wants to handle the rabbit. This is the breed for that.
• Somebody slightly nervous of rabbits. Steady and predictable is a good first rabbit.
• A household home for a good part of the day. As with any rabbit.

Who they do not suit: anyone hoping for a small rabbit. Mini Lops are routinely sold as Holland Lops by people who do not know the difference, and they grow into roughly twice the animal. Ask for the adult weight of both parents.

Common questions

Are Mini Lops friendly?

Consistently so, and the calmest of the four we raise.

Are Mini Lops good pets for beginners?

Yes, provided the weight is managed. That is the one thing a new owner tends to get wrong.

Do Mini Lops like to be held?

Tolerate rather than love, like most rabbits. They are very happy to be stroked at floor level.

Are they noisy?

No. The loudest thing a Mini Lop does is thump a back foot when annoyed.