Lop bunny- one ear up and one ear down constantly?!

[jcottonl02]

My new dwarf lop Pippin, who I got about 3 weeks ago, for the first week both his ears were down all the time, and now, for the past couple of weeks one ear has been up and one ear down constantly- always the same one too.

Is this really strange- or do other people have lop bunnies that have one ear up all the time? :S

I've gently pushed it back down a few times and it stays there a few seconds and then slowly goes upright again.

Why??? lol

 

[ellissian]

I love Lops ears, they have a mind of their own. lol

Sometimes Milly has both ears down and other times, like now he has one sticking straight up! I have'nt a clue why but they make me smile.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Is this bun really young? Could be a case of helicopter earsand it's just starting to show. This happens when buns are a mix of two different breeds.

 

[Aliena]

They don't always have to be a mix of two breeds. I have a litter of mini lops that are nine weeks old, their parents, grand parents, great grandparents, etc were all mini lops but for some reason these kits ears just haven't lopped. Two have aeroplaned and the other one has one up one down. 'Tis a mystery.

 

[katt]

hopefully i won't confuse anyone in this. . .

lopped ears are caused by basically a boney growth between the ears called a "crown". . . if the crown is to tight (meaning it isn't large enough) it will cause the "drunk bunny look" as we call it here where you get one ear up and one ear down. it can also cause both ears to stand up at times, or for the ear to have a curled in appearance instead of a flat, spoon look. also if the crown is placed to far back (known to breeders as being a "slipped crown") the ears will do the same thing.

a lops ear control is determind by age and genetics. during high growth periods a lop may go into stages of sometimes having ears entirely up, sometimes entirely down, and sometimes one up one down. just like a kid growing up may have long legs and arms at different points of growth.

purebred lops can have ear control issues just as easily as a mix breed.

here is a website about holland lop type, i posted the link directly to the "crown" portion:

http://www.geocities.com/hollandstandard/crown.html

you won't be able to tell what his ear carriage will be till he is full grown. it is normal and not strange at all!

 

[jcottonl02]

Lol thanks everyone- now I know that his ear is not broken or anything

Yes- he is about 11 weeks old so I guess his ears etc. are not fully grown.

Aeroplane? I didn't even realise the ears could have different......positions etc. lol. I mean- Benji's (my other dwarf lop who is an adult) have always been down completely- he moves them when he's listening but never completely up- just forward- but Pippin constantly has one up now.

I guess it will just be his cute lil characteristic lol!

Hehe

 

[Tingelina]

It's so cute!My first bunny, a male mini-lop, had one ear up and one down and was the cutest little bunny ever. They eventually went down both of them. I get so sad when breeders tell they are so dissapointed on their lops with "defect" ears.

 

[Bugsy12]

My Bunny named Bugsy always has 1 ear up and 1 ear down so dont get stressed over it.

 

[qtipthebun]

Helicopter bunny!!!!
My dad has one, and the ear is the cutest thing in the world. Makes her look perpetually inquisitive. Pictures please...I love helicopter bunnies!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Lilli's ears stick strait out her left slightly lower than the right. Looks like she's getting ready to taxi down the runway and fly off. She can put them up when she wants but they never go all the way down.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

haha I always thought bunnies with helicopter ears were completely adorable!

 

[n.nash7]

My mum has a bun that started as a lop. Then one day one ear went up, not long after the other went up and now he looks like a hare. They never go down and they are huge!!! But he's handsome anyway and very much loved