abnormally large holland lop?

[Sam_]

brownie looks very big for a holland lop, but I can feel his ribs and his hips without pushing down at all. he also does not have a lot of floof. compared to his normal sized brother, he is very big.
he seems to run around a normal amount. I was wondering why a purebred holland lop rabbit would be so big.

 

[helena]

What is his weight? If he is 4 pounds or under, he is okay.

 

[Sam_]

I'm pretty sure that he is 4 1/2 pounds

 

[helena]

I know there is a dwarfing gene – two copies of the gene makes the animal unviable, one copy is the correct form and gives you a bun in the correct weight range, and zero copies of the gene gives a “false dwarf” which is typically 4-5lbs. So you can have a 5lb Holland that would be almost as big as a mini-lop. That probably your Holland Lop. I wouldn't worry .

 

[Sam_]

ah ok thank you brownie is the one in my profile pic

 

[Happy Hollands]

Although Holland Lop is a dwarf breed, not every Holland Lop carries the dwarf gene! Bunnies that have one copy of the dwarf gene are considered true dwarfs, and will most likely weigh 2.5 - 3.5 lbs. fully grown. False dwarf Holland Lops typically weigh 4 - 5.5 lbs. fully grown in my experience! Rabbits that carry a double dwarf gene are known as peanuts and unfortunately never survive.

That being said, Brownie is most likely a false dwarf. Hopefully this makes more sense and clears up any confusion!!