Velveteen Lops

[Alexah]

I'm looking for any and all information anyone has on velveteen lops.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TinysMom]

As of a couple of years ago (when breeders I knew were getting into them) - they were still quite inbred and having health issues. They are such a "new" breed that they don't have a lot of bloodlines to pull from and be healthy....at least that was what I was told by some who tried breeding them. I heard they were nice animals but that the potential for health issues was there....a lot.

Once again - that is "dated" information but with all of the rabbits I have (and you have) - I'd honestly stay away from them for a couple more years at least to let them get more bloodlines and develop the breed a bit more and find out more about health issues, etc.

 

[Alexah]

The information I requested wasn't for me, but for a close friend. She wants to get "into" breeding velveteen lops and since I didn't know much about them, I couldn't try to sway her not to breed. But with the information you just gave me, Peg, I have a lot more to work with.

In all honesty, after looking at pictures and reading up about them I'm not impressed at all. I'm going to be talking to my friend tonight - let's hope she heeds these warnings because I see this as being one huge disaster.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

There's a lady that I knowwho is very dedicated to developing this breed. I took this picture on July 1/08.

http://www.canadianplushlops.com/index.htm


Edit: Opps ...sorry, I thought Velveteen Lops were Plush Lops (Mini Rex X Holland Lops)

 

[LadyBug]

oOoOoOo, i'm liking this idea! loppy and fuzzy, all together! fuzzy........loppy.......me want!

ok, in all seriousness, they sound really cool:biggrin2:

 

[pla725]

Velveteen Lops look like an English Lop crossed with a mini-rex.

 

[BlueGiants]

I saw my first Velveteen Lop last February at the Pennsylvania State Convention in Lebanon. What a lovely, beautiful rabbit. But I did hear the same issues that Peg mentioned. They had health concerns and they didn't breed true. (Sometime you got lops, sometimes you got rex, sometimes you got something unrecognizable!)

If they ever get them to breed consistantly and true, they would be interesting. But mention to your friend that in developing any breed, it takes a LOT of work to get one or two that have the qualities you are looking for. And a LOT of rabbits are produced that don't have the qualities you want. What do you do with all those rabbits? Not all will be pet material, none will be show quality...

Besides the fact that to really work on a new breed or variety, you had better have 50-100 cages that you can dedicate to the effort. You need breeding cages and extra cages to grow out babies to see how they mature, you have to feed a lot of rabbits, you have to take care of and maintain a lot of rabbits. And you had better know a lot about genetics to understand WHY you get certain traits/colors/fur types/etc.

This isn't something someone can or should do witha couple of bunnies in the back yard.......

 

[gentle giants]

I agree with Blue Giants. While I love the look of the Velveteen Lop, ( and I am dying over those Plush Lops PetBunny posted!) this is definatly not a project that someone without manyyears of breeding experience has any business taking on. I know I wouldn't even consider it myself, even if I did have the space and money for it.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

gentle giants wrote:

While I love the look of the Velveteen Lop, ( and I am dying over those Plush Lops PetBunny posted!) this is definatly not a project that someone without manyyears of breeding experience has any business taking on.

That is right, this lady has been doing this for years. I took this picture of her Plush Lops in February/06. That was over 2 years ago. You can see how they progressed.