hi, my baby is about 14weeks old. she was born on january 22,2013. her mother is a holland lop, and her father is a holland dwarf. her ears are straight as ever! i've never seen them down or even close to dropping down. helpp???
why wont my holland lop's ears drop???
- Thread starter rinababy
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Whipple
Well-known member
Hollands are dwarves and lops, not one or the other. If it is a Netherland dwarf cross they may not lop. Even if it pure Holland they may never lop or lop late.
luvabunny
Well-known member
Some hollands never lop. If it is a dwarf cross, there is even less of a chance that they will.
Sometimes it takes several months for them to lop.
You can help them along by petting them down the side of the bunnies face. This helps to relax those ear muscles and may help. May not. If it seems the least bit uncomfortable for the bunny, don't do it.
Sometimes it takes several months for them to lop.
You can help them along by petting them down the side of the bunnies face. This helps to relax those ear muscles and may help. May not. If it seems the least bit uncomfortable for the bunny, don't do it.
Devon's Mom Lauren
Well-known member
lack of a proper crown is why some lop ears don't lop. First generation crosses don't usually have any crown and so the ears remain mostly upright or sometimes like "airplane ears".
Wyldrose
Well-known member
My pure bred male Holland lop didn't lop until he was 1 year old. Do you have any pictures?
Also where both parents lopped?
Also where both parents lopped?
Holland lops do odd things with their ears.
I've had them fully lopped at six weeks, airplane during the growing months, and then drop again once they hit 9-12 months old.
I've had them fully lopped at six weeks and by the time is a year old be upright.
I've had them airplaning at six weeks, be upright (or nearly so) while growing and then lop by the time a year old.
I've also had them be lopped as they wean, grow and mature.
I've also had two fully lopped parents have kits with upright ears.
I say... GO FIGURE.
I find them odd with their ears.
I've had them fully lopped at six weeks, airplane during the growing months, and then drop again once they hit 9-12 months old.
I've had them fully lopped at six weeks and by the time is a year old be upright.
I've had them airplaning at six weeks, be upright (or nearly so) while growing and then lop by the time a year old.
I've also had them be lopped as they wean, grow and mature.
I've also had two fully lopped parents have kits with upright ears.
I say... GO FIGURE.
I find them odd with their ears.
it has a huge things to do with genetics. I noticed the quality I get from one line that came from one of the top Mini Lop
breeders...pretty much throws me a big butt and a perfect crown. They have been line bred properly, so the trait has almost been set it stone for the most part. The buck of course, has a gorgeous, correct head & crown. When bred to a doe with a slightly tighter crown, it corrects itself with the offspring.
When I breed with one of my bucks with a tighter crown, he tends to throw me exactly that, but he throws me wider,thicker babies.
Thus, I'll be correcting those offspring with the other buck.
I tried line breeding my tighter crown buck back to his daughter and it was probably one of the worst litters I ever had. I had intensified the moderately tight crown...they had slipped crowns....airplaine ears..... Never again! A whole litter of culls
With the buck that throws correct crowns, my babies are lopping sometimes as early as day one. The ears will already ever so slightly be flopping forward and finally by 2 weeks, they will be flopping even more so and are usually completely flopped by 3 weeks.
so breeding wise, if you want to improve upon it, find yourself a buck with a loose crown that hangs loosely just behind the eye. I haven't been able to improve my crowns ever unless one parent or the other had the desirable crown and ear.
breeders...pretty much throws me a big butt and a perfect crown. They have been line bred properly, so the trait has almost been set it stone for the most part. The buck of course, has a gorgeous, correct head & crown. When bred to a doe with a slightly tighter crown, it corrects itself with the offspring.
When I breed with one of my bucks with a tighter crown, he tends to throw me exactly that, but he throws me wider,thicker babies.
Thus, I'll be correcting those offspring with the other buck.
I tried line breeding my tighter crown buck back to his daughter and it was probably one of the worst litters I ever had. I had intensified the moderately tight crown...they had slipped crowns....airplaine ears..... Never again! A whole litter of culls
With the buck that throws correct crowns, my babies are lopping sometimes as early as day one. The ears will already ever so slightly be flopping forward and finally by 2 weeks, they will be flopping even more so and are usually completely flopped by 3 weeks.
so breeding wise, if you want to improve upon it, find yourself a buck with a loose crown that hangs loosely just behind the eye. I haven't been able to improve my crowns ever unless one parent or the other had the desirable crown and ear.
Devon's Mom Lauren
Well-known member
Yes, its all about the crown... and thats genetic and like Peach said you pretty much have to linebreed to keep the correct crowns.
