This page is devoted to all of the Buns we retired from Hot Cross Buns and kept as our own pets. We have placed so many bunnies who were very dear to us, but these little Buns have remained with us for various reasons and we hope to love them all the days they are blessed to live.
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Date of Birth: August 25, 2017
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Goldilocks came from our dear friends at Hook's Hollands and has been a joy to us. Goldi is a sweetly obstinate little girl, who tends to be rather particular about her space. She currently resides in a two story KW bunny condo and has to have everything just-so. Every day I put a clean snuggle mat on the top floor and another on the lower floor. Every day, she pushes and shoves the mat on the upper floor down the ramp to the lower floor. We can't figure out why she does this, but she started this routine with her last litter of kits and hasn't stopped yet. We're curious to see if having her recent spay will change this behavior or not. If a two-level cage is not available, she would be very happy with an exercise pen and some comfy blankets and a box or two in her habitat.
She had five litter of babies with us, resulting in 15 kits. Two of her little bucks, Pumpkin Roll and Hamish, are now wonderful additions to our breeding program. She was an incredible mother to her babies and fostered/nursed several other babies when their own mothers couldn't/wouldn't care for them. Goldilocks loves to eat. She will sit by her hanging food bowl, paws braced on either side of the bowl, waiting for her food for hours if she isn't redirected towards some other activity. Her favorite activities are eating and sleeping, which makes for a roly-poly doe. She enjoys hopping around and will follow us around the house, or go off in search for another Bun to visit. She likes the other bunnies and never feels threatened by their presence, so would be an excellent doe to consider as a bonding buddy. She isn't phased by dogs or cats, but seems to prefer the cats if she wants to make a new furry friend. Goldi views people with fondness, but also as a means to an end. She can be quite affectionate, but usually has ulterior motives (ie, if I'm especially cute and let them pet me, maybe they'll give me a treat.) She is very good about allowing us to clip her nails and clean her up. She head butts and gives nose boops when she wants pets and cuddles. She is always gentle and curious and loved head rubs. For the most part, she is fairly middle-of-the-road, with a sweet side that makes her easier to handle. |
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Date of Birth: October 4, 2016
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Sweet Tart is as sweet and gentle as her name implies (in other words, she is the complete opposite of Plum Bun.) Born on October 4, 2016, she is our youngest son's special Bun. He was so proud of himself when he purchased her with his own savings. Her heart belongs to him, although she still gives affection to the rest of us.
Sweet Tart is a quiet, unassuming little doe, and never causes a stir. She likes to fly below the radar and live a peaceful life. Food is her love language. LOL She needs to be encouraged to exercise during her free-roam, but usually ends up being a little Bun-muffin in a quiet, cozy spot. Sweet Tart was a very attentive mother to her 10 kits (in five litters) and was the mother of our award winning Cake Pop, who won Best of Breed as a junior and senior doe at our county fair. |
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Sukie - pet spayed doe Date of Birth: October 20, 2019 Breed: French Angora Color/Pattern: Harlequin Meet Sukie! She is the official "Bun Warmer" of Hot Cross Buns. A lovely harlequin French Angora, Sukie provides extra-warm wool to help line the nests of the Holland Lop mamas who don't pull enough fur of their own to keep the little Buns cozy. She is a spunky little girl (although she weighs almost eight pounds, more than twice the weight of a Holland Lop!) and loves to binky and play. She was spayed on September 16, 2020. She has become a sweet favorite in our rabbitry and has earned her status as as a pet Hot Cross Bun. <3 |
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Cookie holds a very special place in our hearts. She had the very first litter of Holland Lops at HCB and was a wonderful mother. When we decided to retire her, she was spayed and was listed as being available to a pet home. A client who had gotten one of our retired bucks (Winston) was matched with her and they enjoyed the bond that quickly grew between them all.
After a few years, a family member developed allergies to the bunnies and it seemed as though both would be coming back to us, but they found a way to stay together and all went well for some time. When Winston passed away, they briefly considered adding another new bunny to keep Cookie company, but the allergies were causing more concern. It was decided that Cookie would come back to HCB to enjoy her golden years. We have had her back with us for about a year (as of March 2023) and love this sassy, somewhat bossy little being keeping us on our toes. We tried to bond her to a couple of different Buns, but none of the hoped-for bonds formed, so she lives in an exercise pen on her own. Her Winston was her one true love and we respect that. We make sure to give her good neighbors to "talk" with and she always has another retired Bun in the pen next to her. Her most recent neighbor was Molly (who was later adopted) and she now has Boopsy for a friend. Cookie is very confident and helps the more timid Buns become braver and more lively, before they are placed with their new families. She does a great job and still has very meaningful work to do, even in her retirement. <3 |
The section below mentions our beloved pets who have passed away.
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Date of Birth: June 15, 2016
Date of Death: August 30, 2023 |
Little Boy Blue holds a very special place in our hearts. He is such a loving little chunky-headed boy. He is always ready for cuddles and attention. Ever good-natured with just a touch of determination, he has been such a delight to know and love. A not-so-great-day is instantly brighter when I see this little muffin of a man. Bluey is a great listener and has always been more respectful and considerate of the does when we paired a lucky lady with him for breeding. Before he was neutered, we bred him with several of our does in an effort to get a Mini-Me out of his lines. We are hopeful that there may be a baby Bun or two who makes our hearts flutter the way Little Boy Blue does. (ETA We retained his daughters Rosie, Posey, and Theodosia...aka Dozey, so she rhymes with her sisters) He is very laid back and just enjoys life. When he is enjoying free-roam time, he loves to visit the ladies and say hello. We believe he will do very well with a companion Bun when he fully recuperates from his neutered and will enjoy watching him build a devoted bond with his chosen lady. |
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Joey took his sire's place in the rabbitry. This son of Wee Walter and Dulcie was sweet and playful. He lacked Wee Walter's impish streak, but did inherit his wonderful litter box habits. Dulcie got carried away when cleaning him up at birth and nibbled a couple of his toes off, so his feet were a bit wonky. We had a soft spot for this little buck and his gentle, endearing little face.
************************************************* Once again, it has taken us several weeks to adjust to the passing of our beloved Joey and share this distressing news. We missed the signs of GI Stasis in the midst of fair preparations and caring for my mother before she received necessary surgeries. I blame myself for being "too busy" to pay close enough attention to our darling, unassuming little Joey. He never demanded a thing in his entire life, but was the sweetest little buck imaginable. Date of Birth: August 23, 2019 Date of Death: August 5, 2022 |
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Date of Birth: September 7, 2016
Date of Passing: January 15, 2022 |
Luigi caught our attention a long time ago. Born and raised by the wonderful folks at Hook's Hollands, this gorgeous chestnut charlie buck came to live with us on his first birthday. We are so blessed to have this friendly, well-socialized little man in our lives. Tiny and of excellent type, Luigi is absolutely delightful and loves cuddles and attention. We hope to bond him with one of our retired does after he recuperates from his neuter.
Luigi is a special needs Bun in that he suffers from a condition called mega-colon, which affects the way he digests food. (This condition is fairly common among charlies, and it is only being diagnosed and more understood in recent years. Sadly, many charlie rabbits die from this condition because their humans don't know their bunnies have it or how to care for mega-colon bunnies.) His tummy gets thrown into a tizzy by any changes in diet, so we have to be very careful to feed him only extruded bunny pellets, first cutting hay, digestive support tablets, and only parsley for treats. We also need to be extra diligent with his grooming when he blows out his coat, as ingested fur exacerbates the issue. When Luigi is out for playtime, his favorite thing to do is follow his nose wherever it may take him. We often joke that Luigi is part bloodhound. His babies often inherited this trait from him. It has always been difficult to photograph him, because his focus is always downward and we rarely get to see his nose off the ground. :D ************************************************* It has taken us a long time to announce the passing of our beloved Luigi. We had had so many losses in a short time and I just could not come to terms with our beloved Luigi being gone. HIs empty cage still hurts my heart every time I see it. There will never be a bunny like Luigi and we will never forget the joy he brought to our lives. |
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Date of Birth: March 4, 2016
Date of Death: March 26, 2022 |
Plum Bun was our first Holland Lop and we love this obstinate, demanding little doe, from tip to tail. We were so blessed to find our way to Hook's Hollands for this little girl when Miss E was 8 years old and wanted a Holland Lop to show for 4-H. She did very well on the show table and was an even better herd matriarch when we decided to try our hand at breeding Hollands. She kindled her babies easily and was always a very dutiful mother to her many kits. She still holds the record for our largest litter of eight kits in one litter.
Plummy has been in charge of us since the day we brought her home. She is smart as a whip and learned how to unlatch her cage at a very young age. It was quite a surprise to have her show up in bed with me at 3am one night when she decided to do some exploring while the rest of the house slept. Her favorite treat is banana and she does "hootchie-cootchie twitchy hips" every time she gets a chunk. When she was spayed and retired, we tried to move her into Miss E's room in a fancy cage, where she could free roam and play all day, but she grew very despondent. She missed life in the busy rabbitry and wanted to to go back to oversee the cage cleaning, feeding, watering, playtime, and breeding of the other Buns. When her door is opened, Plum Bun comes bursting forth and proceeds to visit all of the other Buns, making the rounds with a keen eye and an opinion on everything. Plum Bun is missing a bit of fur on her nose after sticking it into Sukie's pen one too many times for Sukie's liking, so she gave Plummy a good nip. Plummy hates being picked up and will "cuss" at us every time we need to trim her nails and check her teeth. She thumps and flicks her feet with the flair of a toddler having a tantrum. We love our sassy girl and hope to have many more years with her. |