Plush Lop!

[krittrs]

Hi, Caitlin, and thank you so much for sharing my website and photos! I found another breeder in the US, in the DC area, but I could not find a website for them. The ad is here:

http://www.hoobly.com/0/0/1500629.html

I also told you that I wasn't sure about the difference between Plush Lop and Mini Plush Lop - but I haven't done any research in a while, and it turns out they have been developed as two different breeds, like the Standard Rex and Mini Rex. Sorry for the mis-information, I'm still very far from an expert! LOL

As Caitlin mentioned, I'm not into showing, and do not have "correct" or "quality" Plush Lops, and I'm only breeding for the challenge and for the pet industry - in fact, mine are so close to the beginning stages of breeding, that I'm reluctant to call them true Plush Lops at this point; they've got the rex coats and the lopped ears, but not a body style or head that resembles a Holland Lop. I've been breeding these guys for 4 years, and I'm on my 5th or 6th generation, with lots of experiments thrown in (for example, I used a Velveteen Lop just to see what his grandchildren would look like). They are still cute, but anyone interested in developing them as a breed would need to do a lot more work on my bunnies to get them anywhere near the standard. I've only got 20-30 rabbits, I don't cull, and I plan to reduce my numbers down to 10-15 within the next year, so it's slow going, but so much fun!!

BluBunny, the adorable Blue guy Caitlin shared a picture of, is a 3rd generation, with Mini Lop on his Dad's side and Holland Lop on his mom's side. He's on the bigger side and quite course (in the photo shown, he is only 12 weeks), so I bred him back to a small Holland Lop, and I'm excited to see what those babies, and especially the babies of those babies, will turn out like! I'm still definitely in the experimental stage, and I'm trying several different approaches, keeping back babies that are the closest to my vision of a Plush Lop.

For anyone interested, most of my rabbits have picture pedigrees posted on my website - feel free to check them out to help you decide what might work and what doesn't work in trying to develop that perfect look.

Kim
www.krittrs.com

 

[5dognightfarm]

Ah! Hi Kim, glad to see you on here! Yes, sorry, I bragged for you

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

Velveteen Lops haven't passed at all yet. They still have development problems and that is with similar head shapes, unlike a Holland/mini rex head which are very very different from each other! ARBA won't be issuing any more CODS on rex coated breeds at all or our lifetime anyways..

As for selling for pets... yes some will buy one for pet purposes only but what about those who feel they have some sort of "rare" breed and breed themselves? I would hate to mislead people in this way when in truth of fact there is no 'official" cod or working standard! Having a "standard" to breed to means one MUST be showing before an expert in order to determine where one is in their progress. Giving them a name and just not simply saying they are a mix of a lop and a Mini Rex is misleading. Sorry but this has already been an issue in the dog world for years putting two breeds together and giving it a cutesy name. I know people who actually believe they are actual breeds and call them purebred. This is exactly the same. Nothing against breeding for pet people BUT be honest about what it is you are selling! If you are really serious about it then start a club with official rules and standards and hold your own shows. There is nothing wrong with showing it gives a purpose and a social network to the breeders

 

[Jack]

Like I said, to me they look wrong, it's the fur on the head (cross it with a lion head, maned head, lop ears and rex fur.... NOW that is a pet market special.. :mbounce: )

Not saying they are bad, just to me, the fur and head just don't look right, can't put a finger on it, but I think it's the crown/ears area.

 

[eco2pia]

As for selling for pets... yes some will buy one for pet purposes only but what about those who feel they have some sort of "rare" breed and breed themselves? I would hate to mislead people in this way when in truth of fact there is no 'official" cod or working standard!...<snip>... Sorry but this has already been an issue in the dog world for years putting two breeds together and giving it a cutesy name. I know people who actually believe they are actual breeds and call them purebred.

First, while I totally agree with Lauren that complete honesty is the bes policy at all times, I have to say I know quite a few proud owners of the rare Labradoodle/Peekapoo/whatever dogs.

Yes, they are pet owners. Yes, they think their dog is rare and valuable. Yes, they refuse to have said dog fixed, because they are "valuable as a breeding animal". NO, they were NOT lied to--they are just stupid. Don't get me wrong, they are nice people, but you can't argue with stupid...it just is what it is. :shrug:

All the burden can't be only on the breeder, it is the buyer's job to think, too.

 

[5dognightfarm]

No one's withholding information, when I contacted her she was very, very clear about that they were crosses and she was working on developing them as a breed. She's been extremely responsible about it, and I appreciate that. Any breed starts out as a crossbreed anyways.

I still like them and I like the concept.
They don't look like any Velveteen I've ever owned or seen. And what's an American Fuzzy Lop except a Holland with wool? Same idea, just a different fur type.

 

[Pickles]

I love them! Sooooooo Adorable!

 

[Shara]

I may be in the vast minority here, But I think they are perfct as is. I don't know of any breeds with airplane ears...I think it's adorable! Love the rex on them!

I once had a mini rex doe as a kid. We bred her to a big red buck a freind bought from a pet store and then released. We causght and claimed him. The doe was a pretty blue, pet quality. We were breeding for meat, and for local pets. Some of those kits had the strangest colors. One I remember had red AND blue fur, not in patches...it was evenly distrubited (sp). They made some neat looking babies, and I would LOVE to repeat the cross if I could!

But yeah, I don't see what is wrong with airplane ears....I mean, if you were making your own breed, I think they are cuter than lops....but I don't think lops are cute. Not straight lops. The flat faces are ugly to me.

 

[5dognightfarm]

I may be in the vast minority here, But I think they are perfct as is. I don't know of any breeds with airplane ears...I think it's adorable! Love the rex on them!
quote]

I actually totally agree with you, but I don't know what ARBA, or any judge for that matter, would do if I slapped an airplane eared rabbit on the table.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

I was speaking hypothetically of the future, not about this person specifically, I got that from both your posts that was the case.I apologize for that. However much like that game "telephone" things get changed the further down the line you go!(people-wise not this thread! lol)
As for people believing their crossbreed dogs are rare and refuse to spay them and then breed because they believe they are valuable, maybe they are stupid but this would be one situation I would blame on the breeder..they sell for a high price and claim they are rare instead of being truthful about them being crossbreds. Do these breeders attract the stupid ones, YES!! That was my whole point here about this. So you can continue to breed them as crossbred pets or go the official route and establish an actual standard which means that yes you must get into the show angle with this, either through ARBA or your own club.Otherwise how can you say when an individual animal is a "great" example? It needs to be judged against others like it according to a standard by a qualified person. Fuzzys' have a standard in ARBA and are vastly different from a Holland! Just like a fuzzy ND it is NOT a Jersey Wooly by any stretch. I think that the fuzzy dwarf has the same problem that the plush lops will have they are too close to another breed to be distinct enough.

 

[5dognightfarm]

I may be in the vast minority here, But I think they are perfct as is. I don't know of any breeds with airplane ears...I think it's adorable! Love the rex on them!

I once had a mini rex doe as a kid. We bred her to a big red buck a freind bought from a pet store and then released. We causght and claimed him. The doe was a pretty blue, pet quality. We were breeding for meat, and for local pets. Some of those kits had the strangest colors. One I remember had red AND blue fur, not in patches...it was evenly distrubited (sp). They made some neat looking babies, and I would LOVE to repeat the cross if I could!

But yeah, I don't see what is wrong with airplane ears....I mean, if you were making your own breed, I think they are cuter than lops....but I don't think lops are cute. Not straight lops. The flat faces are ugly to me.

So, friend and I have decided that we're going to play on this lol. Airplane ears would definately make them unique from any other breed! I think we'd be diverting too much from a Plush Lop to call it that, so we haven't got a clue what we'd name it. This is exciting :mbounce:


This is silly lol.<br /><br />__________ Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:22 pm __________<br /><br />I think I'm getting too off track lol. I'm sticking with the loppy things.

 

[Runnin]

ok for starters the am. fuzzy lop and holland lop are the same as each other just depends on if they have or dont have wool. that would be the reason for the holland breeders getting fuzzy's out of there hollands and why fuzzy breeders use hollands to cross on there fuzzy does. which i totaly dissagree with its wrong and you are jepardizing each breed.

Cait this could be one heck of a breed and they could totaly become the next hot thing in arba or the next big petshop bunny. Either way its worth going for. the hellicopter ears are a good idea to thing about the picture of the harley marked one would be something i would go to breed too. you know me well enough that i am a meat style person unless it looks like and oreo and i dont use the word "cute" for animals but that is cute and honestly the cute factor is a big trend now so i think we could be able to really work it to be the next holland or mini rex where you have to stand at the show table all day cuz theres so many. the thing that differs from every new breed you try to get into arba is people tho the lionheads the velveteens both have so many people wanting so many different things and not agreeing that you wont ever get em passed you. have to be smart choose who you allow to buy your stock for breeding purposes only sell good examples of what you want and use the word cull on the rest and i know alot of people cant stand the thought of that but when push comes to shove rabbits are on this planet for the same rason every other animal is to do a job a rabbits job is to either produce wool or be eaten thats what it all boils down to.

 

[Shara]

I like the airplane ears. I wish I had enough space to develope a breed. I would have so much fun!

 

[ladysown]

i half think I should email those plush lop people and see how they are working on creating the breed. afterall...why recreate the broom? to me that are adorable.

I've seen wrinkly/wiry hair lops and think they are uglier than anything. But these rex coated loppies just intrigue me.

I do wonder if they have more the mini rex personality or the lop personality though....

 

[rittert3]

I love my mini lops but I was currious... I would like to see the plush go more that direction than hollands. I got a MR doe free to good home the other night and going to try and play with the genes and see what I can do. I don't really have room for her and not sure if she will beable to handle my 5.75lb buck so this may or may not happen. I would like to see a COD down the line but right now it's just me testing my genetic skills and selling pets.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Yes, I get a little breed obsessive. Oh well.

Look at this guy! He's adorable! Are there any breeders (other than the one I found) of Plush Lop breeders in the US? I guess I could make them myself...don't really feel like it though if I can just buy them.

hm... from the pic it looks like the rabbit has a rex coat...

 

[trinityoaks]

:zombiebun: Wow, this is a thread from a year and a half ago!

But that plush lop in the OP. . . . drool. . .

 

[LindseysWoolies]

Has anyone seen Canadian plush lops? They have been worked on for years and breed true. They have Holland type and astrex fur.

 

[skysthelimit]

To raise a dead thread...

I'd consider it a project, but I'm having a hard enough time getting the hollands to breed to each other... and I think my holland buck is bigger than my mini rex doe.

 

[LauraNJ]

The airplane ears are adorable! Love it!

Goodluck with your breeding experiment, will be interesting to see what you get.