As the name suggests, the American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is a fancy breed of rabbit originating in the United States of America. American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is just like the Holland Lop rabbit, but with woolly long fur.
The body, head and overall size of the American Fuzzy Lops are just a bit bigger than the Holland Lops. There are many suggestions as to how this rabbit breed developed.
But one thing is sure that, the American Fuzzy Lop rabbit originated from the Holland lop. One opinion about the development of this breed is that ‘this is a genetic fault in the Holland Lop where occasionally a long haired Holland Lop results’.
Another opinion is that ‘an occasional long haired Holland Lop is a result of much earlier breeding attempts between the Holland Lop and the Angora rabbit which has a very gentle rollback coat’.
So, some Holland Lops could be carrying the necessary gene to produce long hair. Either way, the long haired Holland Lops were bred together for creating the American Fuzzy Lop rabbit.
The breed is recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association, but it’s not recognized by the British Rabbit Council. Today the breed is raised mainly as a show animal and also as pets.
Characteristics of American Fuzzy Lop Rabbit
The American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is a small sized breed. The breed resembles the Holland Lop with the exception of it’s wool. American Fuzzy Lops have a very compact body that appears very muscular. Their ears do not stand erect, rather lop along the side of the face.
They have a short and flat muzzle, similar to that of a cat. Their topline shoulder start behind the head and carry back to a hindquarter of equal depth. The chest is broad, exhibiting width between the front legs when viewed from the front.
American Fuzzy Lop rabbits come in most of the recognized ARBA colors. They are revealed in two categories, derived from their color pattern. They come in a range of colors, such as Agouti which is a combination of any color with white color.
Their body color will have a nose marking, eye circles and tinted ears. The pointed white colored American Fuzzy Lop rabbit has a pure white color body. And they have markings of different colors, such as either black, blue, chocolate or lilac.
And they have these markings on their ears, feet, nose and tail. Average body weight of the American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is between 1.4 and 1.8 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is a fancy rabbit breed. It is known as ‘The Head of the Fancy’. The breed slogan express the reason why the breed was developed. Today they are mainly raised as show rabbit and also very popular as pets. Although the breed has good course wool that is great for making in to yarn.
Special Notes
The American Fuzzy Lop rabbit is very beautiful and has a very lovable appearance. It is an active, playful and social breed of rabbit with lots of personality. The breed is the combination of a French Angora and the Holland lop. As their name indicates, they are very fuzzy and are excellent as pets.
They are very friendly and are of good temperament. They enjoy the attention of their owner, as well as the companionship of other rabbits. As a playful breed, these rabbits also enjoy having some toys, such as a plastic ball, piece of soft wood, pine cone, stuffed sock or an old glove.
They are furry and cute and can be very loving and affectionate. Like many other lop rabbit breeds, they also love to be cuddled. Both does and bucks are sweet and they are considered to be a good first rabbit for beginners. But the does can sometimes be a bit more shy and skittish.
And the does can especially be nervous with loud sound and fast movements. The average lifespan of these rabbits is about 5 to 8 years. But they can live longer in captivity, up to 10 years. Review full breed profile of this rabbit breed in the chart below.
| Breed Name | American Fuzzy Lop |
| Other Name | Fuzzy Lop, AFL |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly kept as a show animal and good as pets. |
| Breed Size | Small |
| Weight | Average body weight is between 1.4 and 1.8kg |
| Suitable for Commercial Production | No |
| Good as Pets | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Color Varieties | All |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | United States |
