Our Rabbitry (French Lops)
Hey, I’m Leah, herd mom and rabbitry owner…
You know when something gets in your blood and you just can’t stop? Well, that is the rabbits for me. After getting my first rabbit at five years old, then my first herd of Jersey Wooly rabbits at the age of ten. Well, let’s just say my parent’s chance at having a well-groomed backyard was over.
But hey they had all the garden fertilizer they could want.🤷🏽♀️ I still send feed bags full to my mom every so often.
Nowadays I keep 12-15 adults at any given time. That might sound like a lot to some but in the show world that is quite small. This forces me to be very choosy when it comes to the rabbits who will be a part of the bloodlines here in the rabbitry.
Where In The World Are We?
We are located 1 hr south of Columbus Ohio and 1 hr north of Cincinnati Ohio.
There are two main goals I have for the rabbits.
#1 Conformation
Pretty colors are, well… pretty. But that doesn’t cut it on the show table and is a disservice to the breed itself. Making sure my animals are as good as they can possibly be, comes before anything else.
#2 Good Temperament
French lops are a massive and strong breed. The occasional “leave me alone” bad day is ok but a consistent bad temperament is not cool and won’t stay long.
New To French Lops?
The breed is very laid back and always ready for head rubs. They are the Saint Bernard of the rabbit world. A gentle giant buuuut sometimes opinionated.
The French Lop needs a strong confidant handler who is unafraid to make rules clear and won’t put up with shenanigans. You give in once and you will have behavior issues.
They are a very lazy breed once they mature around 12 – 14 months. They are VERY laid back and because of the size not much scares them so they rarely get stressed out. But they, like any other rabbit, prefer a calm environment. Rabbits are not a fan of screaming or rowdy households.
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French Lops Size
Side Note: The ARBA Standard of Perfection only gives a minimum weight for this breed but no max. Which is why you can see varying sizes. On average my rabbits will weigh 12-14lbs.
(Image Below: Evelyn is 14lbs for reference laying across the middle of an 8-foot table. She is laying out at about 36 inches.)
Common misconceptions about rabbits.
You don’t have to keep your rabbit indoors – Gasp! Put a muzzle on me and call me a rabbit hater. Rabbits are most sensitive to the heat (especially french lops) not the cold. The ideal temperature for a rabbit is 50 degrees fahrenheit. If you have a shaded area you can out your hutch under they will be completely fine.
This breed has extremely thick fur and isn’t shall we say…. slender. If they are lying stretched out then you know they are fine and are not quite to the point of needing help to stay warm.
Heat is more harmful to them then cold. Read this post to learn more about keeping them cool outdoors.
Rabbits don’t need a buddy. – I can not tell you how many times I have seen in Facebook groups people on the verge of a breakdown that their “sweet little bunnies” are fighting. Think of it this way rabbits don’t come together in the wild except to mate.
Rabbits are not the same as dogs. They don’t live in packs in the wild so we can’t expect them to here either.
While yes it is true that there are some rabbits who have bonded. Who do you want your rabbit to bond with? You or another rabbit? When you give them a reason to withdraw from you they are going to do it.
Current French Lops
(not for sale)
Even though I have the colors of rabbits shown below does not mean I can promise a baby in the same color. Keep that in mind when you are looking to buy a french lop.
Our French Lop Bucks
Our French Lop Does
Ready To Bring A French Lop Home?
We are located 1 hr south of Columbus Ohio and 1 hr north of Cincinnati Ohio.
