Need HELP!! - identifying my rabbits age.

[Rabbitwarzz]

HI everyone! okay so i have recently purchased a young female Holland lop a few weeks ago and despite it being somewhere around 8 weeks to 10 weeks of age, it seems to look older to me! That's why i need some help identifying her age as i would like to breed her in October and can/will only do that if she is of 6 months. I have uploaded a few pictures to help as what i can notice is her head is a little smaller then her body but her body is very long. All help is appreciated!
Oh and I've named her Holly!

 

[silkiecuddles]

First off,

Holly is GORGEOUS!! She's older than 8 weeks, for sure, but 10 weeks is a likely possibility. I'd guess between 10 or 12.

 

[Rabbitwarzz]

Thank you for the welcome! and the help!

I was thinking around 10-12 weeks too, just when i got her, the other bunny with her was a lot smaller ( i think it was a nether land breed)
and so i was thinking she was 12 weeks when i got her but now I probably was wrong on that.

 

[silkiecuddles]

You could also PM @cityfarmer12. He has lots of animals and is very helpful

 

[Rabbitwarzz]

Okay! i will try that thank you !

 

[silkiecuddles]

You're welcome!

 

[Bunnylady]

Welcome to BYC!

Ummmmmm . . . . . . How do I say this tactfully?

Yes, that is a cute young rabbit, and I doubt she will be old enough to breed in October. But as a breeder of Holland Lops for nearly 30 years, I also have serious doubts about your rabbit's parentage. Who told you that was a Holland Lop? If I had to guess, I'd say she might be a cross between a Holland Lop and a Velveteen Lop, but she isn't a purebred Holland.

This is a Holland Lop:


Not every Holland Lop is of this rabbit's quality (and though he's good, he's not phenomenal), but that short, rounded profile is pretty much characteristic of the breed. Hollands have a maximum showable weight of 4 lbs, with a short body, big, round head, and "spoon" ears (shaped rather like the bowl of a serving spoon).

These are Velveteen Lops
.

The principal characteristic of the Velveteen Lop is the Rex coat (which your rabbit doesn't have; she has a normal coat), but in type, it resembles a scaled-down English Lop, with the much longer ears, face and body type.

 

[Rabbitwarzz]

Okay , well thank you for the info as this is information that is very good to know about my rabbit and its background, But i do have a question.
i was looking online and i saw pictures of Mini lops and in my opinion she kinda resembles the look of them. I'm not saying she isn't a mix as that's most likely true, though doesn't she look similar to this mini lop.


This is a mini lop-
and if she is a mix i would think she is velveteen like you said and half mini lop.

 

[Bunnylady]

Unfortunately, "Mini Lop" seems to have become a sort of catch-all term for any rabbit whose ears don't go up.

Seriously, if I had a dollar for every time someone has told me. "I bought a Mini Lop, and it grew up to weigh 12 pounds" (or some variation of that), I could pay off my mortgage!

If you go to a rabbit show and look at the Mini Lops, they will look like this guy:



The MIni Lop is supposed to weigh 4 1/2 - 6 1/2 lbs, with a massive, solid appearance. His body is compact, wide, deep, and muscular; his head is broad and bold, with a wide, full muzzle, and ears in proportion to the head.

If this

really is a Mini Lop (as opposed to the generic "Mini Lop"), she's not a good example of the breed.

 

[furrybollocks]

Hey there! I was just about to ask the same sort of question. I bought my rabbit from my local feed store, so quality is definitely not what I was going for, but I had labeled him as a Holland Lop because he matched those most closely. Now that I see Rabbitwarzz pictures, I can't help but wonder what kind of rabbit I have and how old he is. I got him four months ago.

Him day one:



Him last week:


The dark patch of fur on his back is gone now; I think it was a result of a light molting.