# floppy ear in a Cali



## shan777 (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi guys. Bought a Cali in Australia the other day ( hard to come by over here).

The lady swore it was purebred and no lop in it but it has one floppy ear.

I tend to believe her, just wondering if anyone else has had this and the reason for it?


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## galoreherd (Mar 31, 2012)

shan777 said:
			
		

> Hi guys. Bought a Cali in Australia the other day ( hard to come by over here).
> 
> The lady swore it was purebred and no lop in it but it has one floppy ear.
> 
> I tend to believe her, just wondering if anyone else has had this and the reason for it?


yes this is possible in any breed but very rare.  does the rest of the rabbit look like a cali? it could be a throw back from a lop ancestor many generations ago.


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## montverdechick (Mar 31, 2012)

I have a NZ that has a floppy ear. She is purebred. My avitar picture is of her.


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## shan777 (Apr 1, 2012)

hmmm ok. So it is possible in the purebreeds.
I'm a little skeptical and think there may be some lop in there way back.
 ..... but then again, it does look completly like a Calli.

 I guess there's nothing left to do but breed her and see how she goes in all things Motherhood.


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## mama24 (Apr 1, 2012)

It can be caused by neurological damage. My son's school has 2 pet bunnies. I'm not sure what they are, but they are big and fluffy with ears that stand up. I assume they are a pet breed or maybe mixed b/c I don't know much about those. They let them out in a pen in the play yard on nice days, and one day a hawk tried to pick one up (and failed miserably b/c these are big fat bunnies!!! At least 12lbs ea) Anyway, the rabbit was ok, but spent some time at the vet. One of the moms at the school is a vet, and so is her husband, so they spent a lot of time with that poor bunny. He was NOT doing well for a few weeks, but now is fine, but still has a floppy ear. She said the hawk pecked him in the ear and caused some neurological damage.


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## Bunnylady (Apr 1, 2012)

Obviously, rabbit ears do not contain bone.  They have a base structure of cartilage, and have some muscles that allow the rabbit to move the ears around. Damage to or weakness of the cartilage, muscles,  tendons, ligaments, or the nerves that control the muscles can cause an ear to droop. 

I raise Harlequins. Harlies have large ears, that are supposed to be carried in a V-shaped position. Harlies that grow up here during the intense heat of the summer often have problems with ear carriage, sometimes resulting in one or both ears failing to stand up properly. I know an English Angora breeder who has the same problem with her animals; she often tapes their ears together to try to keep them up. Once an ear starts to fall over, it can be nearly impossible to get it to stand up again. An ear falling over is not a sign of lop blood, nor is it a sign of some kind of genetic "weakness." It may just be the result of some sort of environmental stress that the rabbit was subjected to at some point.


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## shan777 (Apr 1, 2012)

great replies, thanks so much guys. That could be just it. Some hot weather or other environmental stresses. Thanks once again, what a great forum.


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## Hutch (Apr 9, 2012)

Check for ear mites.


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## shan777 (Apr 9, 2012)

yeah have done. Not exactly sure what they look like though...... like fleas I'm guessing?


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## mama24 (Apr 9, 2012)

No, they are so small, you can't see them. Of course I've never seen them in rabbits, just cats and dogs. Their ears just get irritated looking and sometimes crusty. That's all I have ever seen. I have never seen the actual mites. On chickens, mites look like little tiny white specks, too small to make out what they actually look like, but moving specks are mites.


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## shan777 (Apr 9, 2012)

mama24 said:
			
		

> No, they are so small, you can't see them. Of course I've never seen them in rabbits, just cats and dogs. Their ears just get irritated looking and sometimes crusty. That's all I have ever seen. I have never seen the actual mites. On chickens, mites look like little tiny white specks, too small to make out what they actually look like, but moving specks are mites.


Thanks heaps for that . Will check but so far her ear looks pretty healthy. I'll check again today after work


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## InBox485 (May 16, 2012)

Personally I reject for lop in my rabbits. If the breed isn't supposed to have a trait, there is no reason to continue the trait. On the other hand, if you have a rabbit that by breed is not a lop, but has one lop ear, chances are most of the offspring won't have the lop, and you can select it out later. So if you don't see yourself getting a breed you want any other way, then sure why not. I guess here (US) cal / NZ are so common, there just isn't a reason to accept less than ideal stock.


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