Fuzzy Hollands are a fluffy, adorable pain in the butt. Yes, they're cute. Yes, they're impossibly fluffy. But they are a real pain for Holland breeders! And here's why.
So what is a fuzzy Holland? Well, basically, a while back, English Spots were crossed with Holland Lops to introduce the Broken gene. But this resulted in loss of the rollback fur type as the offspring inherited the flyback fur of English Spots. To solve this, these flyback Hollands were bred to French Angoras to regain the correct rollback fur. However, they also inherited the wool gene from the French Angoras, which is recessive to the normal Holland Lop coat type. So, by crossing two Holland Lops that carry the wool gene, about 1/4 of the kits will be something called a 'fuzzy Holland', which is essentially a Holland Lop with wool.
The woolly Holland Lops were later made into a breed of their own - the American Fuzzy Lop. NOTE: American Fuzzy Lops are NOT the same things as fuzzy Holland Lops. They are now a separate breed and should be treated as such. A fuzzy Holland can technically be entered and shown as an AFL, but it is NOT an AFL and should be referred to as a Holland Lop on pedigrees etc..
Fuzzies unfortunately do not have any use in a Holland breeding program, so they are usually petted out (sold to pet homes), where they make adorable and delightful pets. They do need a little more grooming than your average non-fuzzy Holland, but they are super adorable so it is totally worthwhile for responsible owners who are okay with a little extra work! However, some AFL breeders will use fuzzy Hollands in their breeding programs. The standard for AFLs is only very slightly different from Hollands (AFL have a medium head mount whereas Hollands have a high head mount), so oftentimes fuzzy Hollands can compete against and even beat purebred AFL on the show tables! It is up to the breeder to decide whether they want to use fuzzy Hollands in their programs, or keep their AFL line pure.
So what is a fuzzy Holland? Well, basically, a while back, English Spots were crossed with Holland Lops to introduce the Broken gene. But this resulted in loss of the rollback fur type as the offspring inherited the flyback fur of English Spots. To solve this, these flyback Hollands were bred to French Angoras to regain the correct rollback fur. However, they also inherited the wool gene from the French Angoras, which is recessive to the normal Holland Lop coat type. So, by crossing two Holland Lops that carry the wool gene, about 1/4 of the kits will be something called a 'fuzzy Holland', which is essentially a Holland Lop with wool.
The woolly Holland Lops were later made into a breed of their own - the American Fuzzy Lop. NOTE: American Fuzzy Lops are NOT the same things as fuzzy Holland Lops. They are now a separate breed and should be treated as such. A fuzzy Holland can technically be entered and shown as an AFL, but it is NOT an AFL and should be referred to as a Holland Lop on pedigrees etc..
Fuzzies unfortunately do not have any use in a Holland breeding program, so they are usually petted out (sold to pet homes), where they make adorable and delightful pets. They do need a little more grooming than your average non-fuzzy Holland, but they are super adorable so it is totally worthwhile for responsible owners who are okay with a little extra work! However, some AFL breeders will use fuzzy Hollands in their breeding programs. The standard for AFLs is only very slightly different from Hollands (AFL have a medium head mount whereas Hollands have a high head mount), so oftentimes fuzzy Hollands can compete against and even beat purebred AFL on the show tables! It is up to the breeder to decide whether they want to use fuzzy Hollands in their programs, or keep their AFL line pure.