Rabbit Breed Profile: American Fuzzy Lop

The American Fuzzy Lop is a good choice for those who like a practical pet but don't have a great deal of room. This is a personable small breed that can provide home grown fiber.

Using the Holland Lops that came out fuzzy from a recessive wool gene the American Fuzzy Lop is a somewhat recent addition to the ARBA bred roster, first completing in 1989. They have grown in popularity steadily since
 then due to dedicated breeders and increasing the quality of the breed.

The American Fuzzy Lop today is a short bodied animal with good depth. A wide head with good set to the ears and of course those ears should flop down rather than being erect. The hind feet, head and ears have regular hair with a dense body wool that is at least 2 inches long in order to show. Body type is very important, with 75 points of the standard coming on type.

This is a four class rabbit with show classes for junior and senior bucks and does. For registration the American Fuzzy Lop should be under four pounds with an ideal size of 3 pounds for bucks and 3 pounds for does. They are shown by age more so than other breeds, with juniors showing as juniors until fully six months old.

The American Fuzzy Lop can be blue, broken, chestnut, chinchilla, lynx, opal, squirrel, pointed white, blue eyed white, ruby eyed white, lilac, sable point, Siamese sable, Siamese smoke pearl, tortoise shell, fawn and black and orange in color varieties for show. This gives a range of color.

The small size of the American Fuzzy Lop makes them ideal as pets and for those who enjoy working with fiber this is a chance to grow your own fiber. Like the angora breeds, the wool of the American Fuzzy Lop means they need regular grooming to keep the coat from being matted, although the wool is not as soft or silky as angora wool, making it easier to care for.

This is a curious breed that doesn't take a lot of room and enjoys company. The coat does take some effort to keep it free of debris and tangles. The smaller body size means less feed needed as well as less cage space needed and smaller nest boxes needed.