In the mini lop vs holland lop question, size is the headline: the Holland Lop has an ARBA maximum of 4 lbs and an ideal of 3 lbs, while the Mini Lop can reach 6.5 lbs and usually sits around 5.5 to 6 lbs. The Holland Lop also has a rounder head, a shorter body and a more compact look.
We raise Holland Lops only, and the question we answer most from new buyers is whether they are looking at a Holland Lop or a Mini Lop. The names make it worse: many people call the Holland Lop a mini Holland Lop, so they assume the Mini Lop is the same rabbit or even smaller. It is the opposite. Here are the two breeds side by side.
| Trait | Holland Lop | Mini Lop |
|---|---|---|
| Adult weight | Ideal 3 lbs, ARBA maximum 4 lbs | Ideal about 5.5 to 6 lbs, ARBA maximum 6.5 lbs |
| ARBA recognition | 1979 | 1980 |
| Body type | Short, wide and deep, compact and heavy for its size | Well rounded and muscular but longer, a medium sized frame |
| Ears | Short, thick, hang close to the cheeks from a high crown | Longer in proportion, broad and well furred, hang behind the eyes |
| Head | Bold and round, set close to the shoulders, very short muzzle | Large and broad, slightly longer face |
| Temperament | Friendly, curious, energetic as a junior | Friendly, often more relaxed and easygoing as an adult |
| Lifespan | About 7 to 12 years | About 7 to 10 years |
| Best for | Apartments, smaller pens, owners who want a lap sized rabbit | Families with young kids who need a sturdier rabbit to hold, larger homes |
Size is the difference you will notice first, and it affects every part of ownership. A 3 lb Holland Lop does well with a 36 by 36 inch pen as a home base plus daily run time. A 6 lb Mini Lop needs more: we would plan for at least 48 by 48 inches, a bigger litter box and roughly twice the hay.
The two breeds look similar as 8 week old kits, which is where most mix ups happen. A Holland Lop kit at 8 weeks usually weighs 1 lb to 1 lb 12 oz. A Mini Lop kit at the same age is often 2 lbs or more, with longer legs and a longer back. If a seller cannot tell you the kit's weight and the parents' adult weights, you cannot be sure which one you are buying. Our Holland Lop size guide has the full growth curve month by month.
Picking up the rabbit tells you a lot. An adult Holland Lop feels dense and short: it fits along a forearm with its hindquarters in your palm. An adult Mini Lop overhangs that same forearm and has noticeably longer hind feet. For a child under 8, the extra weight of a Mini Lop can be harder to support safely, though some parents find the bigger rabbit less fragile. We think either works if an adult does the lifting.
The Holland Lop standard asks for a bold head with a short muzzle set so close to the body that there is barely a neck. The ears hang straight down from a thick, raised crown and sit tight to the cheeks, with the inner side facing the head. The overall effect is a round ball with a fringe.
The Mini Lop head is broad and strong but longer, and the ears are longer in proportion, hanging behind the eyes. From the side, a Mini Lop looks like a scaled down French Lop. A Holland Lop looks more like a lop eared Netherland Dwarf, which makes sense: the Netherland Dwarf is in its ancestry.
The Holland Lop was developed in the Netherlands by Adriaan de Cock from French Lop and Netherland Dwarf crosses beginning around 1949, with English Lop added later to improve ear carriage. It reached the US in the 1970s and ARBA recognized it in 1979.
The Mini Lop has a separate history. It traces back to German Klein Widder rabbits brought to the US in the early 1970s, which were crossed and refined into the breed ARBA accepted in 1980. Both breeds share French Lop blood somewhere back in their lines, which is why they look like relatives. They are not the same breed, and crossing them produces neither.
Most Holland Lops and Mini Lops are friendly, people oriented rabbits, and both breeds are commonly kept as house pets. The differences are tendencies, not rules.
Holland Lop juniors tend to be busy. Between about 3 and 6 months, ours explore everything, binky across the room and test what they are allowed to chew. Once spayed or neutered they usually settle into a calm adult that likes to sit near you rather than on you. Mini Lops are often described as mellow and are more likely to tolerate being held for longer, partly because their heavier frame makes them feel more secure.
What shapes temperament more than breed is the first 8 weeks. Our kits are handled daily from birth and raised around household noise, so they arrive used to hands and sounds. A Mini Lop or Holland Lop raised in a quiet outdoor hutch with little contact will be shyer than either breed's reputation suggests.
Choose a Holland Lop if you have limited floor space, want the smallest lop eared breed, or want a rabbit that stays light enough to carry easily into old age. Choose a Mini Lop if you want a sturdier, slightly bigger rabbit and have room for a larger setup.
One mistake to avoid: buying a "mini" lop because the word sounds smaller. In the US, the Mini Lop is the larger breed. If you search for a mini Holland Lop, you are already describing a Holland Lop, and our mini Holland Lop rabbits page explains why that name stuck. When you are ready to meet one, see our Holland Lop bunnies for sale.
Yes. A Mini Lop usually weighs 5.5 to 6 lbs as an adult, with a 6.5 lb maximum, while a Holland Lop's ideal is 3 lbs with a 4 lb maximum. Picked up, a Mini Lop feels about twice as heavy and noticeably longer through the body.
Both breeds are known as friendly, but in our experience Mini Lops tend to be a little more laid back as adults, partly because of their larger, heavier frame. Holland Lops are often more energetic and curious. Individual temperament and early handling matter more than breed, so meet the kit or ask how it was raised.
No. They are two separate breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association, the Holland Lop in 1979 and the Mini Lop in 1980. Calling a Holland Lop a mini Holland Lop is common, which is why so many people mix them up, but the Mini Lop is the larger of the two.
Holland Lop ears are short relative to the head, thick, and hang close to the cheeks from a well defined crown. Mini Lop ears are proportionally longer and hang from a broader head. Both should hang fully down in an adult. Holland Lop kits sometimes carry one ear up for weeks before it drops.
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