We all know that Holland Lops are one of the dwarf breeds. And being dwarfs, they were initially bred to have rounded skull. Just like the Netherland Dwarf, rounded skull poses a problem - Malocclusion. Which is the misalignment of the teeth. The classic example of this genetic problem is the bottom incisors outgrows over the top incisors. Breeders cull hard on this genetic trait. Sometimes this trait develops as the rabbit gets older. Malocclusion may start when the rabbit get old as well. Rabbits with Malocclusion could be extremely high in maintenance because they need regular trimming of the teeth by the vets and they must not be bred. The good news is, over the years "bigger" Holland Lops has been bred to spot the massiveness desired and their skulls are not too round anymore. This has lower the chances of getting Malocclusion greatly.
The history of Holland Lop tells us that they initially started off with solid colors and the broken was introduce by breeding them to the English Spots. While getting the broken patterns, breeders were unable to retain the rollback fur and therefore the French Angoras were used. That is the reason behind the occasional Fuzzy Holland Lops. The Fuzzy Holland Lops can be shown as American Fuzzy Lops but they can not be registered due to the reason that their pedigree will not show 3 generations of AFLs. And due to the reason that they cannot be registered with ARBA, although they can be shown as AFLs, they cannot be granded. To grand a rabbit, it has got to get 3 GC legs as we know and is registered with ARBA. This is another trait that breeders cull hard on as well.
I strongly believe that the Holland Lop is a breed that has many hidden recessive genes that certain combination of breedings may bring forth both desirable and undesirable traits. This is one of the reasons why they are a challenging breed to work with. They seemed to be like Pandora boxes opening up a whole new world with entirely new experiences for us.
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