The mini lop is a popular rabbit breed that is renowned for its pudgy and cute appearance with long ears that flop to the side.
They come in a variety of colors, both solid and broken, and make great family pets. Affectionate, playful, and friendly all rolled into one, mini lops really are proof that ‘good things do indeed come in small packages’.
You may now be wondering how small exactly that package is?
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Size And Growth Rate of the Mini Lop
It is worth noting before we get into the size and growth rate of the mini lop that both may vary slightly from rabbit to rabbit.
The following is only intended to be a guideline and should not be taken as exact.
An adult mini lop should reach its adult weight by the time it is nine to ten months old. The weight should be from 3 to 3.5 lbs (48 – 56 oz / 1.4 – 1.6kg) with most mini lops reaching the top end.
Growth in the first few months should be faster than in the last with birth weight varying the most.
Growth Rate
Age (Months) Weight (Ounces)
Birth Varies
1 9 – 17
2 17 – 25
3 25 – 33
4 32 – 40
5 37 – 45
6 41 – 49
7 44 – 52
8 46 – 54
9 48 – 56
10 48 – 56
How To Ensure Correct Growth Rate for Your Mini Lop
Your mini lop is only going to grow at a healthy rate and be healthy if you provide the correct care. This includes giving them a nutritious diet, plenty of exercise, and maintaining good health.
Mini Lop Diet
The diet of a mini lop does not differ from that of any other rabbit breed. They require at least 70% of their food intake to be good quality hay with a little alfalfa grass thrown in if you wish.
The rest of the diet should be made up of a good balance of leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, and pellet. There are plenty of pellets available on the market, just ensure the one you choose is full of protein.
You should be careful what kinds of fruit, leafy greens, and vegetables you are feeding your mini lop from your home as some are safe and some are not.
In fact, most leafy greens are not suitable to be fed to your rabbit as they can cause digestive issues. Avoid high in sugar fruits too.
Whilst there is no ideal amount to be feeding your mini lop, approximately 2 ounces of pellets a day as an adult should suffice.
As a baby, you can free feed them but should keep an eye out that they are not gaining too little or too much weight.
Mini Lop Exercise
Mini lops, in fact, all rabbits, should be out of their enclosures playing and exercising as often as possible. Be sure, however, to provide them with a safe space to run such as a fenced-in area or specially made rabbit run.
We like this outdoor enclosure on Amazon. It’s inexpensive and a good size for all smaller pets like rabbits and guinea pigs.
Enclosures are also important as your mini lop will spend plenty of time in one.
They should be spacious enough for your rabbit to eat, sleep, and move around in with also enough room to stretch their legs out and get comfortable.
Mini Lop Health
Though the mini lop is not susceptible to any particular diseases in its own right, there are a few health concerns with rabbits in general.
All of these can affect a rabbit’s ability to eat and put weight on making them an enemy to healthy growth.
This is not to mention the overall health effects that these illnesses can also have.
Flystrike – This is a horrific condition in which flies lay eggs on a rabbit’s soiled fur, usually around the rear.
When the eggs hatch their main source of nutrition is the rabbit itself, with them often making their way inside the body.
Once there they then eat the rabbit from the inside out. As well as causing seizures, skin irritations, and loss of movement your rabbit will lose its appetite and hence weight.
Hairballs – All rabbits, including mini lops, are avid groomers that ingest a fair amount of their own fur. A bit like cats this can lead to furballs building up in the intestines.
Unlike cats, however, rabbits cannot vomit and the furballs inside them can become stuck and cause a blockage. Symptoms of this are your mini lop rarely pooping, being lethargic, and losing their appetite.
Teeth – Rabbit’s teeth grow continuously throughout their lives but are usually worn down by all hay that they chew on.
However, it is not a rare occurrence for their teeth to become overgrown leading to the piercing of jaws and face.
This, as you can imagine, will cause your mini lop lots and lots of pain and limits its ability to eat.
Please note all the above illnesses can be life-threatening. Should you suspect your mini lop is suffering from any of them take them straight to your vet.
Conclusion: How Big Do Mini Lop Rabbits Grow?
Whilst the ideal weight for a mini lop will be between 3 and 3.5 lbs that does not mean that all of them will fall within this weight range.
Some may be slightly bigger and, yes you guessed it, some may even be smaller.
The truth is that so long as you are meeting your mini lops needs fully. there are not many problems they will face.
A good diet, good living conditions, and good care should lead to great growth, great weight, and great health.
