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Our Lion Lops

We went and did it! Who couldn't resist their little faces. Thank you Hengistbury Stud for our magnificent foundation stock!
 
We feel as though we are embarking upon a new adventure, thus we have symbolically named our foundation three after Colubus' three ships on his first voyage, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Lets hope our maiden voyage in to the new territory of lion lops is as successful.

Maria
Geneotype aaBBccddEe

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Maria is a red eyed white single mane doe. She is young and proven. This doe just oozes quality, she has a lovely short thick coat, beautiful head/ears, mahooosive shoulders and produces beautiful babies.

 




Flying Cloud

Bred by Hengistbury Stud
 

REW Doe

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Here is another rew double maned doe (or maybe a teddy, although she has cleared a fair amount of her coat). She has a good width to her shoulders. We are looking forward to mating her when she's old enough to see what she produces.




Pinta
Bred by Hengistbury Stud
 
Geneotype aaBBcchlcDdE?

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Pinta is a double maned medium siamese sable buck. He is a compact little chap with a superb width to his shoulders! His coat has cleared really well for his age. He is currently going through a moult to his adult coat and looks to be keeping a nice mane. We can't wait to get him out and about!
Pictured here moulting to his adult coat.


Ni
ña
Bred by Hengistbury Stud

Geneotype aaBBcchlcddE?

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Nina is a single maned, medium siamese smoke brood doe. Who couldn't fall in love with her colour? She has a super coat for a lion lop and nice wide crown. We can't wait to get her mated!
Pictured here as a young adult.






Acorn
Bred by Val Gamble
 
Geneotype aaBbC?DdEE

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Acorn has come to us all the way from Scotland.
He is a double mane black self that carries blue and chocolate. Born mid March so still a baby. On first impressions he seems to be a nice weight, with good head and ear carriage. We are eagerly awaiting to see how he matures.










Understanding this lovely new breed

 

Lion Lops are a relatively new breed, they are basically a mini lop but with a mane.

As a breed they are adorable, cuddly bundles of fluff. I have yet to meet a lion lop that actually roared! They have such sweet temperaments and are worthy candidates as pets.
Their coats do not get tangled and a simple groom of their mane once a week will suffice.

People are often confused by the different manes. Basically there are double manes and single manes. Both types are show-able but the aim is to have a good typed rabbit with a quality coat and a mane that circles the head as it would with a lion!

Because lion lops are a new breed some people are confused by what they think is a mutant baby (and horror of horror we have been told that they were going to have it put to sleep, until put right by another person) These supposed mutants are affectionately known as 'gremlins' or double mane babies.
See the photographs below of the difference between a single mane and double mane at ten days old.

Double/gremlin on right in each photo!


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Photos by kind permission of Jane Bramley.
www.uptonlops.co.uk
President & Chair if LLUK (lionlopsuk)
BRC Senior Lop & Fancy Judge

Probable outcome of breeding various mane types

Single to single - Doubles 25% singles 50% mini lops 25%
Single to double - Doubles 50%, singles 50%
Double to double - Doubles 100%
Double to mini lop - Singles 100%
Single to mini lop - Singles 50%, mini lops 50%

Double to Double can sometimes throw 'Teddies'.
These have very very thick woolly manes and they rarely moult out the coat.

Breeding for different manes does not relate to the quality or length of the mane or body coat, it is the modifiers that control that and is down to careful breeding. Remember don't lose type while working on manes though!



BREED STANDARD

MINIATURE LION LOP


RING SIZE K   POINTS
Weight and Type

25

Coat

20

Mane

20

Head Crown eye Colour and Ears

20

Colour and Pattern

10

Condition

5

TOTAL

100


1. WEIGHT and TYPE -

Bold thickset and firm. The body should be short, broad and well muscled with little visible neck. The well muscled rump is short and well rounded. The chest is broad and deep with curved sides where it meets the shoulders which are broad and strong. The front legs are short and straight. The hind legs are short, strong, powerful and carried parallel to the body. The tail is straight and well furred. A small dewlap is permissible in adult does but not desirable.

Adult Weight



Ideal
Maximum
Lbs/oz
3.4

3.8

Kg
1.5

1.6

2. COAT

The coat to be dense and of good length, roll back with an abundance of guard hairs. Legs and pads to be well furred. A small amount of extended fur around flanks is permissible on under five months exhibits.

3. HEAD, CROWN, EYES and EYE COLOUR and EARS -

The head is bold, broad and well developed. The profile of the head is strongly curved with a good width between the eyes, full cheeks and a broad muzzle. The eyes are bold, bright and large. The basal ridge of the ears should appear prominent across the top of the skull to form the crown. Ears should be broad, thick, well furred and rounded at the ends. They should be carried close to the cheeks giving a horseshoe like outline when viewed from the front. The inside of the ears should not be visible from any angle when carried correctly.

4. MANE

The mane should be between 2-3 inches in length to form a full circle around the head, extending to a 'V' at the back of the neck falling into a fringe between the ears.

5. COLOUR

Black - A deep solid black, carried well down hair shaft with blue/black undercolour. Eyes dark hazel or black.

Blue - Deep or medium slate blue carried well down hair shaft with slate blue undercolour. Eyes dark blue.

Agouti - Rich chestnut top colour with black ticking over an intermediate orange band with dark slate undercolour. Ears laced black. Eye circles, belly and undertail white with slate blue undercolour. Pale top colour a fault. Eyes deep hazel.

Sooty Fawn - Even shade of orange/fawn to carry well down hair shaft to a blueish white undercolour. Ears, belly, undertail to be blueish black (sooty), cheeks and flanks to be shaded/topped with sooty tips. Eyes hazel.

Fawn - Bright rich fawn free of black/blue guard hairs, shading to a white undercolour. Chest to match flanks. Eye circles, inside of ears, underside of jowl, belly and undertail to be white. Black/blue guard hairs to be considered a serious fault. Eyes hazel.

Black Fox - To be an even jet-black with undercolour as dark as possible extending to the skin. The chest, flanks and feet to be well and evenly ticked with silver-tipped guard hairs. Any extension of the ticking up the side and/or over the back to be considered a beauty and not a fault. The eye circles as neat as possible, a pea spot in front of the base of each ear. Inside of ears, line of jaw, underside of tail and belly all to be white, undercolour permissible. Triangle to be white but as small as possible. Eyes brown or grey.

Black Otter - Body colour to be lustrous black, uniform throughout, with slate blue undercolour to reach skin. The belly and underside of the chin and tail to be creamy white with blue or white undercolour, to be divided from the body colour by a distinct border of tan. Nostrils and nape of neck to be tan. Eye circles and inside ears to be fawn. Chest to be a mixture of black and tan, merging with the main body colour. The fore feet on the front shall be predominantly black, the tan border between belly and flanks shall be continued down to the hind feet. Faults - brown or rust tinge to the body colour. White or tan hairs other than in the patterned area. Grey belly surface. Eyes brown.

NB: the colour standard for the Otter is based on the Otter Rex, the remainder are all based on the Dwarf Lop standard.

*Blue Eyed White - White as pure as possible, eye colour dark blue.

*Orange - Rich orange, free from ticking, belly white. White or cream undercolour. Eyes hazel.

*Siamese Sable - Medium - very rich sepia on ears, face, back, outside of legs, and upper side of tail shading to a paler undercolour. Saddle colour shading off to a considerably paler colour on flanks and belly, the dark face colour to shade off from eyes to jowl to blend with the chest and flanks. All blending to be gradual, avoiding any blotches or streaks and consisting of a soft and varied diffusion of sepia shadings. Eyes to have a distinct ruby glow.

Light - as medium, but colour to be rich sepia.

Dark - as medium but colour to be very rich dark sepia.

Faults - brown eyes.

*Butterfly pattern. - Colour of butterfly nose marking to fully cover nose and top lip. Head markings, white to be in proportion to body colours. Ears to match the body colour. Body colour to extend from tail to shoulders, patches of colour on white of shoulders permissable. Body colour to extend down falnks. Flanks, chest and belly white, teat spots permissable. No white to be present in general colour.

Faults - Too many white hairs in nose, top lip and body markings

**Red Eyed White - As pure white as possible, eyes ruby red.

**Opal - Top colour pale shade of blue, with fawn band between this and the slate band under colour. Ears laced blue. Eyes circle, underside of tail to be white with slate undercolour.

**Siamese Smoke - Saddle to extend from nape to tail to be smoke in colour, shading to pearl grey on flanks, chest and belly. Head, ears, feet and upperside of tail to match saddle as near as possible. All shadings to be gradual to avoid blotches or streaks. Under colour to match surface as closely as possible following the varied shadings throughout. Eyes to have a distinct ruby glow.

FAULTS: Brown eyes and white hairs.

***Steel - Dark chamois or light sandy colour down to the skin, faintly ticked with blue. Hairs tinted light at base, medium in middle and darker at tips. Blue shading on flanks, muzzle, edges of the ears. Top sides of hind legs beige, pads blue;forefeet same as body. Tail beige on top, blue under. Belly beige with deeper blue shading

***Beige - Dark steel grey merging to a slate blue undercolour. The whole interspersed with black guard hairs. Extreme tips of the fur to be tipped with steel blue or grey. The mixture to carry well down the sides, flanks and hind feet. Belly colour will be a lighter shade varying with the top colour, underside to tone with belly colour. Ears to match body. Eyes deep hazel.

FAULTS: White or frosty nose. White whiskers. Blue too dark, brownish or rusty colour

6. CONDITION

The exhibit should be in a perfect state of health and bodily condition, free from all soiling, particularly on the feet, ears and genital parts. The coat should reflect the overall good health of the exhibit, which should appear alert and vigorous.

FAULTS

Long coat on ears and body, excessively short or long mane, body too long, head not sufficiently characteristic of breed, pimpled or damaged ears, poor ear carriage, ears folded, crown not developed, fly back coat, large dewlaps in does, rear feet not parallel to the body, light soiling of feet, ear and genital organs, bare pads, fur slightly soiled or matted, long toenails, lack of vitality.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Complete lack of mane, Maloccluded or mutilated teeth, over weight limit, deformities and mutilations, deformation of the teeth, feet bowed or bent, white toe nails in coloured exhibits, crooked tail, any discernible illness or disease, blindness or partial blindness, incorrect eye colour, any parasitic infection, much soiling, matted coat, sore pads (where skin is broken or scabbed) any evidence of irregular preparation for exhibition including trimming and dyeing.

*Additional Colours added to the Standard as at 1st July 2007.

**Additional Colours added to the Standard as at 1st July 2008

***Additional Colours added to the Standard as at 1st July 2009

There are many more colours and patterns yet to be accepted for the breed standard which requires a lot of hard work and dedication by a few. Three generations of the same colour/pattern have to be presented to a panel for consideration. This can cause problems as not everyone has the room to breed new colours that are unstandardised and possibly not show-able.
Such a shame and here's hoping the dedicated few succeed. Maybe one day if our rabbitry expands we may be able to assist in some way.

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