Miniature Lion Lop

by Lisa Selvaggio

Published: March 19th, 2017

About Miniature Lion Lop

Size

Small

Weight

3-4 lb

Lifespan

Up to 17 years

Body Shape

Compact

Best Suited For

Rabbit owners of all experience levels

Temperament

Friendly, social, even-tempered, lively, active

Comparable Breeds

Lionhead Rabbit, Mini Lop

Miniature Lion Lop Breed History/Origin

The Miniature Lion Lop, also known as the Mini Lion Lop, is a new breed of small pet rabbit that was developed in the United Kingdom during the early 2000s. A breeder named Jane Bramley combined the Lionhead Rabbit with a Mini Lop Rabbit to produce this uniquely beautiful breed.

Jane’s breeding technique worked because the mutation that’s responsible for giving the Lionhead Rabbit its lovely mane and bib is caused by a dominant gene. In other words, when you breed a purebred Lionhead Rabbit with another breed, the offspring will feature that mane and bib. Therefore, the Mini Lion Lop can be produced by crossing the Lionhead Rabbit with a Mini Lop, with a Lionhead/Mini Lop hybrid, and with Dwarf Lops, which would result in the Dwarf Lion Lop Rabbit.

In 2006, this breed was accepted by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). It has been championed in the UK by Jane Bramley, who has worked on achieving recognition for these adorable pets. The breed is not yet recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA).

The Miniature Lion Lop is a new breed from the UK.

Overall Description

Overall, the Miniature Lion Lop is similar to the Mini Lop, but there are some distinctive characteristics that make it stand out, one of which is the Lionhead Rabbit mane, as well as the area of the chest that features more fur. This is why it can also be considered a mini version of the Lionhead Rabbit.

This small rabbit’s body can be described as strong, firm, well muscled, thickset, broad, and short. The back legs are described as stocky, short, powerful, and carried parallel with the rest of the body. The haunches are well rounded and the rump is short. The front legs should be straight and short.

The chest should be deep and broad, and there should be curved sides where the chest meets the rabbit’s shoulders, which are strong and broad as well. The tail should be well furred and straight, and there can also be a small dewlap in adult females.

The head should be wide and have a curvy profile, and there should be a noticeable width in between the animal’s eyes. You will also notice a broad muzzle, full cheeks, and eyes that are large, bright, and bold. The neck is not entirely visible.

The wide ears should hang down on the sides of the head, and they should be carried close to the cheeks. Also, the basal ridge of the rabbit’s ears will be prominent across the top of the head. The ears should be well furred, thick, rounded at the ends, and broad. And the insides of the ears shouldn’t be visible when looking at the animal from any angle.

Coat

The coat of a Miniature Lion Lop will be medium in length, as well as soft and dense with roll back and a lot of guard hairs.

There will also be a longer mane that is around 2-3” long, and it should circle the head. Also, the mane should create the shape of a “V” behind the rabbit’s neck, while falling over the head between the animal’s ears. Some rabbits can even be double-maned.

The pads and legs of the Mini Lion Lop should also be well furred, and there could be a bit of extended fur surrounding the flanks.

Colors

There are many colors that this beautiful little rabbit can feature, even though it was originally bred to only showcase a few specific colors.

The main colors for the Miniature Lion Lop include steel, opal, iron gray, blue, beige, chocolate, seal point, blue point, smoke, sable (including light, medium, and dark Siamese sable), Siamese smoke, black fox, black otter, butterfly, orange, fawn, sooty fawn, white with red or blue eyes, agouti, and black.

Mini Lion Lops enjoy exploring, being social, and playing.

Care Requirements

Your Mini Lion Lop should have the opportunity to spend some time exploring the great outdoors, whether you decide to let him live indoors or outside. When housing a Mini Lion Lop outside, make sure the hutch is large enough for your pet to hop around, stand up on his hind legs, and turn around comfortably. The enclosure should be kept out of direct wind and sun, and it should be totally waterproof and weatherproof, as well as protected from predators. When housed indoors, you can train your pet to use a litter tray, and you should also provide him with a safe and quiet place where he can relax and be alone if he wants to, such as a dog crate. Rabbit-proof your home to ensure your belongings, including wires and cables, will not be chewed on, and give your rabbit room to run around and play safely.

Whether your Miniature Lion Lop lives indoors or in your garden, you will need to give him access to a big exercise area, particularly in the early morning and late evening, when his energy will be highest.

In terms of diet, you can provide your pet with high quality hays, rabbit pellets, and plenty of fibrous veggies and leafy greens. Always provide clean water too.

Health

As would be the case with any other rabbit breed, you will need to check your pet’s teeth regularly to ensure he is not developing any dental issues like overgrown teeth. Providing your Mini Lion Lop with a fibrous diet and gnaw toys will help prevent problems.

Feed your pet the appropriate diet to also help your rabbit maintain a healthy weight, as overweight animals find it difficult to groom themselves thoroughly. In addition to the fur becoming soiled, overweight rabbits could become vulnerable to flystrike.

Talk to your vet about having your pet vaccinated, as well as treated for worms, ticks, and fleas. You can also have your rabbit spayed or neutered.

Miniature Lion Lops are considered friendly and even-tempered.

Temperament/Behavior

In terms of their personality, Miniature Lion Lops are considered friendly and even-tempered. They can also be active and lively, and they enjoy being around their human family, getting plenty of attention and having fun by playing. However, the breed is still being developed, so the temperaments of these rabbits can vary.

You should let your rabbit explore, and you should provide him with a variety of toys, such as noisy cat toys and boxes. And if you have the room for more than one Mini Lion Lop, these rabbits enjoy being social with one another, so you will find them playing with each other and grooming each other.

Photo credit: Zashion Stud/Wikimedia; Life on White/Bigstock

Lisa Selvaggio

Lisa Selvaggio is a freelance writer and editor, and our resident cats-pert, with certifications in pet nutrition and pet first aid. She enjoys producing content that helps people understand animals better so they can give their pets a safe and happy home.

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Are Bengal Cats Really That Wild? Here's What Science Has to Say.

Bengal cats are a truly stunning feline breed, in many ways. According to the International Cat Association (TICA), they hold the title of being the most popular cat breed globally, and it doesn’t really come as a surprise. Their unique and exotic appearance, their unavoidable charm, and their slender physique are certainly the reason for this prestigious title. But even though they are popular, Bengal cats are a relatively new breed in the field of domesticated cats. While most ordinary domestic cat breeds have been around for thousands of years, Bengal cats have been around for less than a century, which comes as a stark contrast. They are a hybrid breed as well, having been created in the 1960s. They came about from the crossing of the domestic cat (Felis Catus), and the Asian Leopard cats (Prionailurus Bengalensis), which are a small, spotted, wild cat species living in Asia. What makes the combination unique is the fact that these two cat species had a common ancestor about 6 million years ago, which means that the genetic differences between them are incredible. The differences are even greater than between humans and chimpanzees!The resulting breed is the Bengal cat, and it is adored for its exotic appearance. It has special spots, just like ocelots or leopards. But most folks ascribe the unique coloration and patterns of these felines to the DNA they received from their wild and distantly related ancestors. And that’s why scientific folks paid special attention to the ancestry of Bengal cats. Greg Barsh, MD, Ph.D., Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Professor of Genetics at Stanford University,  himself an expert in the genetics of feline coat coloration and patterning is a key figure in the research process of Bengal ancestry. Together with his team, which is led by Chris Kaelin, Ph.D., and Kelly McGowan, MD, Ph.D., Mr. Barsh is working hard towards unraveling Bengal ancestry through the genetics of popular color traits."Cats are wonderful companions," he explains for  Phys.org, "but our interests go beyond their beautiful and exotic appearance. Like the amazing variation among different dog breeds, artificial selection can be a very powerful engine to create morphologic diversity. What's different about Bengal cats from dogs is the raw genetic material–dogs trace their heritage to wolves from tens of thousands of years ago.""In contrast, Bengal cats trace their heritage to completely different species from millions of years ago. Understanding how these distantly related genomes interact is a general question that applies to any situation when different species exchange genes, from crops to aquaculture to humans and Neandertals."And even though this is a relatively new breed, started about 60 years ago by a few cat enthusiasts, it has grown incredibly during this time. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of registered Bengal cats, which are produced by about 2,000 breeders. Chris Kaelin, the leader of the Bengal cat DNA study, said “Cat fanciers and breeders are very interested in the research, in part because they want to know more about the science behind artificial selection, and in part, because they want to know if our results can help them produce cats with rosettes, stripes, or other exotic markings.” He also added "This is a great example of citizen science–our work has been enabled by the willingness of breeders to participate, and we share our results with the community."One of the surprising discoveries that was produced from the study is that Asian Leopard DNA contributes no more than a few percent to the overall Bengal Cat DNA. In fact, it is revealed that there isn’t one or even a few Asian leopard genes that are causing the unique spotted Bengal appearance. "One of the original motivations for bringing together DNA from the two species was to select for Asian leopard DNA that would recapitulate the appearance of an exotic wild cat in a companion animal," said Kaelin. "It turns out that some of the most striking examples of selection in the breed are for traits that were already present, but very rare, in domestic cats."So, the study reveals that the Bengals are in many ways totally unique. Mixing the two very unique breeds resulted in a cat that is exotic, elegant, charming, and above all loveable. And now, the results published are providing valuable information to all the enthusiasts in love with the Bengal breed. 

FDA Approves New Treatment for Anxiety and Fear in Cats

It’s no secret that most cats get really stressed out when they have to leave the house, especially for a trip to the veterinarian. And the anxiety and fear that your pet experiences can certainly affect you as a pet parent as well, making you feel awful about having to put your cat through such a scary experience.The good news is there are things you can try to help reduce the stress your kitty feels, and one of the latest solutions is a new treatment recently approved by the FDA.Bonqat for CatsIn November 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pregabalin, also known as Bonqat, for cats.The oral solution is not a sedative; instead, it affects the neurotransmitters that are involved in acute anxiety and fear. Therefore, it can be used to reduce the stress experienced by cats who are being transported for any reason, and it can be helpful for those who get frightened when they go to the vet.To determine if this medicine would be effective, cats were given either a placebo or Bonqat before being transported by car and examined by a veterinarian (the cats had a history of being fearful and/or anxious under those circumstances). The results? While roughly one-third of the kitties who got the placebo had a positive response, just over half of those given the medicine did better while being transported and examined. Also, over the course of two examinations, 77% of the kitties who took Bonqat had less fear and anxiety, while 46% of those given the placebo exhibited an improvement in their fear and anxiety levels.Discuss Bonqat with Your VeterinarianYou can only get Bonqat with a prescription from your veterinarian, so discuss its pros and cons to determine if this medicine would be right for your cat based on factors like age and medical conditions. And bear in mind that side effects, such as ataxia, vomiting, and lethargy, might occur with Bonqat.To reap the benefits of Bonqat, you simply give it to your cat about 1.5 hours prior to transporting them or taking them to the vet. This medicine is a liquid, and it can be given to your pet with a bit of food.Also, there are some precautions that need to be taken while administering this medicine to your cat. For example, it shouldn’t make contact with your eyes, mucous membranes, or skin. So, in addition to talking to your vet about how to use it correctly to ensure your cat gets the best results, you also want to be well-informed about how to handle this medicine safely.For more information about Bonqat and how it works, click here.Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

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