Bunny Lane French Lops
Specialising in Otters and Steel Free Selfs

A Bit About Me and My Aims 

It is actually very hard to produce Tan Patterned French Lops, with sufficient size, type, pattern and colour. I like a challenge and want to improve the breed. I do not just breed for breedings sake, every litter is carefully planned. And I do not breed any of my does more than once or twice a year. 

First and foremost my rabbits are much loved pets. They are all individuals and I enjoy them for who they are (warts and all). I intentionally focus on only one breed. This allows me to keep the number of rabbits I own down to a minimum. I keep no more than 5 or 6 rabbits at any one time, so I often have to rehome adults (and my much loved pets) to move forward with my aim. Keeping my numbers down is the only way every bunny in my care can be given lots of individual attention. If I kept them all I would have 20 plus rabbits by now, and it would be impossible for me to look after that number properly.

My rabbits are given freedom every day. I am very lucky as I have a completely safe garden, enclosed by a 6ft wall, with very deep foundations! At the top we have a large area of sandy soil so the rabbits can burrow easily and without damaging the lawn. They do tend to stick to this (well mostly!). 

Some breeders consider it is a risk to allow rabbits to run in the garden as they say they may pick up diseases. I think this point is overstated, and the risk of them becoming diseased from running free is actually very small. It is of course greater if you keep them in fixed runs and the area has been contaminated from a sick rabbit, or your garden has been visited by wild rabbits.

I would say there is a need to put risk in context. There are risks in most of the things we do. Arguably there are far greater risks in taking them to a show. Here they are exposed to hundreds of rabbits some of whom may be diseased. They might also suffer stress from travelling, or just be stressed by the sights and sounds of the show. On the other hand you might show your rabbit for many years with no ill effects. Some rabbits even seem to enjoy and thrive on the experience of showing. 

Its just the same when you allow them freedom, there are risks, but then there are also so many benefits. To me the more serious risks in allowing your rabbits some freedom comes from natural predators. Opportunists, like Crows, Magpies, Gulls or Cats are a risk when the babies are very young. Foxes, Stoats, Weasels and of course strange Dogs are a risk at any stage in their lives. This is is just nature, but you can reduce these risks by applying some sense and supervising your rabbits! Also make your garden and hutches as safe as possible.

The benefits in allowing your rabbits freedom comes from their  mental state. My rabbits are always much more contented and peaceful after their daily run around. Even if this is just a turn in the house to give them a change of scene. Whichever, this time out seems to settle them.  

I have only been breeding French lop rabbits for 2 years, but I have kept rabbits all of my life. Bubbles, my 'New Zealand White' lived in a stable (when we lived on a farm). He ran free around the yard almost every day of his life and he survived to the ripe old age of 14. I don't know how he escaped myxi as the wild rabbits often caught it, and/or being stood on by the horses, who he sometimes followed around the field (much to my concern). But he did, and he lived a very long and happy life! 

Self Coloured French lops and The Modified Steel Problem

Warning do not read this if you only want a pet rabbit. It will not be of interest to you!!

Ok so you are thinking of breeding french lops. Here is a little learning outcome that I can pass on to you...

One of the first things I learned on venturing into world of French Lops, is the breed has a problem with modified steels. All is not as it seems!

Modified Steels visually look like exactly like Self coloured rabbits but genetically they are not Selfs, they are Steels. 

Many of the modified steel rabbits were originally imported into the UK from Holland. They tend to be very nice types. Breeders typically breed modified steel to modified steel, so the babies all look like selfs. The the real colour will only show through if they breed back to a rabbit that is recessive, then, as if by magic, out pops a little steel baby! I will explain later.

 In 2009 and early 2010 the majority of Chocolates Selfs being bred (and shown) in the UK were/are Modified Steels. There are a number of studs that are breeding true Chocolate Selfs, like Hampton Stud in Worcester, and Chocolate and Orange French Lops in Winchester. Others seem to be doing a bit of both. Hopefully as people become more aware they will choose true selfs over mod steels, and the number of mod steels being bred will reduce.

I have taken on the challenge of breeding true Selfs in Scotland and it is easy to avoid the mod steel poo trap when you understand the genetics.

You can keep your self line free from the modified steel gene by applying a little thought to your breeding programme. Go ahead and buy the nice big rabbits from Europe or the progeny of these rabbits from breeders here in the UK, but stick to recessive colours that cannot carry steel. If you find a steel in your litter from what you thought was a self, and there are also other agouti patterns like agouti, opal, lynx or cinnamon in the litter, keep them. You have just confirmed your self is actually a modified steel, but those babies that cannot mask steel like the visual agoutis, and visual otters, will not carry steel. Keep them and breed them to something similar like a agouti (carrying self or otter), or to a visual otter (carrying self). This way in time you will produce your own steel free self lines. 

I was fortunate to be given some very good advice by Donna at Hampton Stud, early on in my breeding programme. Look at her site (google Hampton Rabbits) and you will see a good article on mod steels. Although I have been involved with French lops for just over 2 years now, it took me around 18 months just to reach my start point. I did not risk buying in selfs although it was very tempting as some were gorgeous, Instead I bred my own true self line from agoutis carrying self to an otter carrying self.  I have kept my line pure . I have not bought in any selfs, and a wiff of a self line from dutch bred self parentage (even in the background) sends me running for the hills. I now have 2nd generation steel free self stock, that I am 100% sure are true selfs. This I will guarantee. The bonus is they are also nice types, and are now winning through on the show benches. 

Why does the modified steel gene bother me? If the rabbit looks nice so what?  

The real problem to me with the modified steel issue is an animal welfare consideration. I do not breed many rabbits because I am always concerned when it comes to rehoming  babies. There are enough unwanted rabbits in the UK today without me needlessly adding to their numbers. I do enjoy breeding, but I want to be responsible too. To be able to improve otters and selfs whilst keeping the numbers of litters I breed to a minimum, I need to be 100% sure the rabbits I am working with carry the right genes. If I buy in a Self that is really a Mod Steel, genetically it is dominant to the colours I am trying to breed, and I will never move forward no matter how many babies I breed.  So if you are breeding mod steels and not true selfs, then fine, but please just tell people so they know what they are actually working with.

 Contact Me: 

Rabbits can and do breed like rabbits. It is not that difficult to produce one or two good bunnies if you breed scores of litters each year, but this is not my intention.  The challenge to me is in improving the quality of otters and selfs, from just a select few matings each year. I know this way it will take me many years to achieve my aim, but all the time my lines are improving. The bottom line is my rabbits are family pets before anything else and their welfare will always come first. 

I will occasionally have babies and young adults for sale as I cannot keep them all, but you may have to wait for a suitable kit. If you can wait, please e-mail me on bunnylanelops@fsmail.net and I will try my best to help.  

Mocha at 8 months old

Here is a picture of a black otter doe from Willow and Stella.  Her name is Mocha. Mocha has a lovely nature, very nice roll back coat, no white hairs and is a good solid type. She carries dilute. I would like to improve on her head and crown. I plan putting Mocha to a very nice Opal Buck Johnie who I bred last year. I sold him on to a lovely pet home but the lady has kindly allowed me to take a mating from him. He is a very big buck with a particularly good head and crown. I will mate Johnie and Mocha in the spring of 2010.  Johnie also carries either Self or Otter. My hope is for a nice Blue Otter buck.

Here is a picture of my very first litter at about three weeks old . I was so pleased with them and took hundreds of photos from birth. The colours from left to right are Blue Chinchilla, Opal, Ghost Chinchilla, and Fawn. They were so amazing; all so different and equally pretty, but not an Otter or Self amongst them!  

Lesson 1, it was likely Amber their mum (a fawn doe) was AA and did not carry Otter or Self. She also carried Cchd, Cchl, or REW.  

Lesson 2, Stella their dad (a Blue Otter) carried non-extension, and either Cchd (Chin) or REW.