Let’s talk about lop-eared rabbits.
Having their ears hanging down instead of standing up is an awful thing humans have done to rabbits. It’s completely unnatural, just like flat faces, and comes with health issues. According to Swedish law, you’re not allowed to breed animals in such way that would cause the animal harm. Unfortunarely, no one keep breeders in check and anyone can breed on their own, without any kind of knowledge of the animals.
The problems with lop ears are many. Imagine a water hose where the water flows through when kept straight. Now bend the water hose. Less water, or none at all, will be coming through. This is what happens to the ear canal of lop eared rabbits – but instead of water it’s the air and sound that doesn’t come through. Which means that they will have less (or no) hearing, less vision (due to the ears hanging in their line of sight) and get wax buildup – and worst case, infections that could lead to death. There are rabbits getting such severe ear infections that it causes harm to the skeleton and will be beyond help. Or it’ll simply be so painful that they stop eating.
There’s a reason why it’s called a torture breed. The rabbits gain nothing from having hanging ears. It’s just an awful thing humans have done to them.
So, never ever buy these rabbits from breeders. Or buy any kind of rabbits from breeders.
Always adopt, don’t shop.
And make sure you get your rabbits checked at a rabbit savvy vet at least once a year. We do it twice.
Some further reading about the health issues in lop-eared rabbits:
Royal Veterinary College: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/research/research-centres-and-facilities/rvc-animal-welfare-science-and-ethics/news/lop-eared-rabbits-more-likely-to-suffer-from-ear-and-dental-problems-study-confirms-for-first-time
Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund: https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/brachycephaly/
Sveriges Kaninvälfärdsförening: Förekomst av öronsjukdomar hos kaniner med hängande eller stående öron: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DY_ItJB1vzm816S7YSvO1Yokrd4_qPGR/view
Kaninvaernet: Kanininformation, kaninvaernets medlemsblad nr. 7. Vinter 2023. https://www.kaninvaernet.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Medlemsblad-vinter-2023_full_size.pdf
Kaninliv 