Hot Cross Hoppenings is THE place for Rabbitry Updates.
Visit this page for all the latest news, important information, water bottle gossip, and quirky musings.
February 18, 2019
We updated pictures of all the babies today. :) See them on the Baby Holland Lops and Available Bunnies pages. Enjoy!
We updated pictures of all the babies today. :) See them on the Baby Holland Lops and Available Bunnies pages. Enjoy!
February 16, 2019
Patty Cake is on her way home! She is the special Birthday Bun of a young lady who is as sweet and lovely as she is. She may be given a new name (possibly Lucy) along with her new home. No matter what they decide to call her, Patty Cake is a delightful little Bun with a wonderful new family. :)
Patty Cake is on her way home! She is the special Birthday Bun of a young lady who is as sweet and lovely as she is. She may be given a new name (possibly Lucy) along with her new home. No matter what they decide to call her, Patty Cake is a delightful little Bun with a wonderful new family. :)
February 10, 2019
There are new videos of Sweet Pea and Tidbit posted with their listings on the Available Bunnies page. Cuteness overload. :)
There are new videos of Sweet Pea and Tidbit posted with their listings on the Available Bunnies page. Cuteness overload. :)
February 9, 2019
After a couple of scheduling hiccups, Little Royce (formerly called BubbaBunny) is now on his way home with his lovely family. We will miss him, but I think Sweet Pea and Tidbit will miss him even more.
After a couple of scheduling hiccups, Little Royce (formerly called BubbaBunny) is now on his way home with his lovely family. We will miss him, but I think Sweet Pea and Tidbit will miss him even more.
February 7, 2019
Patty Cake has a new video on the Available Bunnies page and Plummy's babies are starring in a little video of their own on the Hot Cross Babies page. :)
Patty Cake has a new video on the Available Bunnies page and Plummy's babies are starring in a little video of their own on the Hot Cross Babies page. :)
February 6, 2019
We added a short video of Matilda's adorable chinchilla baby to the Hot Cross Babies page. :)
If you visit the Available Bunnies page and scroll down to Tidbit and Sweet Pea's listings, you will notice the addition of a weight gain and formula consumed chart for their morning and evening supplemental feedings. I thought this might help their perspective families keep involved and be able to rejoice with the gaining of each gram.
We added a short video of Matilda's adorable chinchilla baby to the Hot Cross Babies page. :)
If you visit the Available Bunnies page and scroll down to Tidbit and Sweet Pea's listings, you will notice the addition of a weight gain and formula consumed chart for their morning and evening supplemental feedings. I thought this might help their perspective families keep involved and be able to rejoice with the gaining of each gram.
February 5, 2019
New photos of Matilda's baby and Plum Bun's kits have been posted on the Hot Cross Babies page. They are growing so fast and are absolutely adorable. :)
I forgot to tell everyone that Molly and Lucy ended up not being pregnant, so we will breed them, along with Marilla, Tabitha, and Dulcie, later this week. It is my daily prayer that God will only bring into our lives the number of babies we can match with wonderfully loving families who are ready and waiting to care for them. It may sound like breeding five does at once is a lot but, in reality, we will most likely have kits from only two of them, as Molly, Lucy, and Tabitha will all be first time mamas.
Tidbit and Sweet Pea have families ready and waiting for them. Tidbit has actually gained weight more quickly, as her frame is smaller, but Sweet Pea has been experiencing a lot of bone growth, which makes it difficult for her to gain actual weight and plump up. Tidbit is weighing in at 47 grams, and Sweet Pea is 42. Forty grams is the major "hump" in weight gain among tiny bunnies; once they hit 40 grams, they usually gain weight much more easily and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. There are new pictures of these little girls (along with Patty Cake and Royce "BubbaBunny") on their Available Bunnies listings.
New photos of Matilda's baby and Plum Bun's kits have been posted on the Hot Cross Babies page. They are growing so fast and are absolutely adorable. :)
I forgot to tell everyone that Molly and Lucy ended up not being pregnant, so we will breed them, along with Marilla, Tabitha, and Dulcie, later this week. It is my daily prayer that God will only bring into our lives the number of babies we can match with wonderfully loving families who are ready and waiting to care for them. It may sound like breeding five does at once is a lot but, in reality, we will most likely have kits from only two of them, as Molly, Lucy, and Tabitha will all be first time mamas.
Tidbit and Sweet Pea have families ready and waiting for them. Tidbit has actually gained weight more quickly, as her frame is smaller, but Sweet Pea has been experiencing a lot of bone growth, which makes it difficult for her to gain actual weight and plump up. Tidbit is weighing in at 47 grams, and Sweet Pea is 42. Forty grams is the major "hump" in weight gain among tiny bunnies; once they hit 40 grams, they usually gain weight much more easily and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. There are new pictures of these little girls (along with Patty Cake and Royce "BubbaBunny") on their Available Bunnies listings.
January 31, 2019
Dulcie passed two stillborn kits this morning and will most likely pass another one before the day is over, given her size and the fact that she isn't interested in food. This was expected, but it does hurt to know she is mourning her babies.
I'm beginning to doubt that Lucy and Molly are pregnant. Lucy refuses to let me touch her sides to feel for babies, but she is lounging around a lot, which leads me to believe something is going on. She has not nested or pulled fur, which lead me to believe she is not pregnant. Molly is acting exactly the same way, so perhaps it's a family thing. Sigh. Someone really needs to invent a rabbit pregnancy test...preferably one that turns the poo balls bright blue when the bunny is expecting so you can't mistake the results. LOL
Dulcie passed two stillborn kits this morning and will most likely pass another one before the day is over, given her size and the fact that she isn't interested in food. This was expected, but it does hurt to know she is mourning her babies.
I'm beginning to doubt that Lucy and Molly are pregnant. Lucy refuses to let me touch her sides to feel for babies, but she is lounging around a lot, which leads me to believe something is going on. She has not nested or pulled fur, which lead me to believe she is not pregnant. Molly is acting exactly the same way, so perhaps it's a family thing. Sigh. Someone really needs to invent a rabbit pregnancy test...preferably one that turns the poo balls bright blue when the bunny is expecting so you can't mistake the results. LOL
January 30, 2019
What do you think of the new look of the website? I've been playing with it all day (my apologies to any new visitors who may be going batty with the multitudinous page changes) and have come to a stopping point, for today at least. LOL
New features include:
We still have nothing new to report about our (presumably) expectant mamas. Lucy is the current ticking bunny bomb. I have no expectations of living kits, as this is her first litter, but am concerned as she is a couple days overdue. I'm praying she kindles tonight, for her sake.
What do you think of the new look of the website? I've been playing with it all day (my apologies to any new visitors who may be going batty with the multitudinous page changes) and have come to a stopping point, for today at least. LOL
New features include:
- Visible Main Headings with collapsing sub headings
- A NEW Blog where you can find health and behavior-related topics, with a categorized archive, rather than one organized by date. My hope is that our readers and visitors will be able to find the information they need, quickly and easily. The blog has a new name to reflect the content: Healthy Bunny, Happy Bunny
- None of the information you are accustomed to seeing has been deleted; it has most likely been placed as a sub tab under a larger heading.
- The FAQ page has been expanded
- Meet the Hot Cross Buns now serves as a meeting place for all of the rabbitry bucks and does, rather than pages for each gender. The bucks are listed first, followed by the does, in no particular order.
- The page of Hot Cross Babies (who are too young to be listed) can be viewed by following the link on the Meet the Hot Cross Buns page. It is also a sub tab of that heading.
- We have two recent updates from clients posted to The Happy Results! page. Pictures of KitKat (now called Momo) and Peggy are included!
We still have nothing new to report about our (presumably) expectant mamas. Lucy is the current ticking bunny bomb. I have no expectations of living kits, as this is her first litter, but am concerned as she is a couple days overdue. I'm praying she kindles tonight, for her sake.
January 28, 2019
11:15 A.M. I am absolutely astonished, befuddled, and bemused. I just took a peek in Plum Bun's nest box to make certain her three kits were being fed, and found that she had kindled even more babies! There were five squirming kits where, 12 hours ago, there had been only three. (There was also a deceased baby that could have been stillborn, but I believe it had squirmed away from the protective warmth of the fur-lined area where its litter mates were warm and content.)
Let's think this through. She kindled the first three babies sometime between 11 PM Saturday night and 1 AM Sunday morning (I'm leaning toward Saturday night because they were very clean and calm when I discovered them shortly after 1 AM on Sunday.) Plummy was stretched out nearby, looking very pleased with herself. She even hopped out of her cage for a short run around while I placed the babies into a nest box for warmth and safety, before jumping back inside to enjoy her pellets, parsley, and a few sunflower seeds, before checking her babies and stretching out again.
I checked her nest box again at 9:30 Sunday morning...three kits. I checked them at 2:30 pm...three kits, 8 pm...three kits, and 11;30pm...three kits. Twenty-four hours after she kindled, there were still only three kits in her nest box and she gave no indication that she was in labor, wanted privacy, or that we were disturbing her in any way. She had hours of privacy and quiet when we were out of the house and she could have kindled.
You may be wondering why I am so baffled by this. Normally a rabbit kindles all of her kits withing a 20-45 minute window, sometimes a bit shorter or longer, depending upon the size of the litter. If there is a larger than normal kit that gets stuck and prevents the kits behind it from being expelled for any length of time, the unborn kits die. I have had an odd case or two when the mama added a kit or two within a couple of the birth of her first kit(s), but never 24+ hours later. I did not think it was physically possible for live kits to be born after such a long gap.
Regardless, we welcome these little ones and consider them extra-special blessings sprinkled on top of the already beautiful babies she kindled earlier.
And in case you were wondering, yes, Plum Bun appears to be doing a great job of feeding them! :D
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you visit the Meet The Hot Cross Buns page, you will notice the addition of a few does down towards the bottom of the page. They are not altogether unfamiliar faces, as they are home grown ladies from Tootsie's last litter, sired by the blue-eyed, Vienna Marked, buck Hamlet we had for a short time. Originally we had planned to keep only one or two of the does from this litter, and listed the others, but they did not get any interest, so we decided to hold on to them for a test breeding or two before deciding if 1) any carried the Vienna gene, 2) any were suited to life as a rabbitry brood doe, and 3) to enjoy them even longer.
Lucy, Molly, and Dulcie have all been bred and we are hoping for at least one successful litter over the next few days. Lucy is huge and looks like she could pop any minute. She is a false dwarf, so kindling will hopefully be easier on her than on most first-time does. Molly is acting pregnant, but doesn't look look a bowling ball with ears yet, so she may have a smaller litter, if any survive. We suspect she is also a false dwarf. Dulcie is a furry bowling ball with ears, but because of her petite size, I am more than a bit anxious for her and will watch her closely. Tabitha will hopefully be bred for the first time in February.
We have definite plans to downsize soon and will be considering each doe's future carefully.
11:15 A.M. I am absolutely astonished, befuddled, and bemused. I just took a peek in Plum Bun's nest box to make certain her three kits were being fed, and found that she had kindled even more babies! There were five squirming kits where, 12 hours ago, there had been only three. (There was also a deceased baby that could have been stillborn, but I believe it had squirmed away from the protective warmth of the fur-lined area where its litter mates were warm and content.)
Let's think this through. She kindled the first three babies sometime between 11 PM Saturday night and 1 AM Sunday morning (I'm leaning toward Saturday night because they were very clean and calm when I discovered them shortly after 1 AM on Sunday.) Plummy was stretched out nearby, looking very pleased with herself. She even hopped out of her cage for a short run around while I placed the babies into a nest box for warmth and safety, before jumping back inside to enjoy her pellets, parsley, and a few sunflower seeds, before checking her babies and stretching out again.
I checked her nest box again at 9:30 Sunday morning...three kits. I checked them at 2:30 pm...three kits, 8 pm...three kits, and 11;30pm...three kits. Twenty-four hours after she kindled, there were still only three kits in her nest box and she gave no indication that she was in labor, wanted privacy, or that we were disturbing her in any way. She had hours of privacy and quiet when we were out of the house and she could have kindled.
You may be wondering why I am so baffled by this. Normally a rabbit kindles all of her kits withing a 20-45 minute window, sometimes a bit shorter or longer, depending upon the size of the litter. If there is a larger than normal kit that gets stuck and prevents the kits behind it from being expelled for any length of time, the unborn kits die. I have had an odd case or two when the mama added a kit or two within a couple of the birth of her first kit(s), but never 24+ hours later. I did not think it was physically possible for live kits to be born after such a long gap.
Regardless, we welcome these little ones and consider them extra-special blessings sprinkled on top of the already beautiful babies she kindled earlier.
And in case you were wondering, yes, Plum Bun appears to be doing a great job of feeding them! :D
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If you visit the Meet The Hot Cross Buns page, you will notice the addition of a few does down towards the bottom of the page. They are not altogether unfamiliar faces, as they are home grown ladies from Tootsie's last litter, sired by the blue-eyed, Vienna Marked, buck Hamlet we had for a short time. Originally we had planned to keep only one or two of the does from this litter, and listed the others, but they did not get any interest, so we decided to hold on to them for a test breeding or two before deciding if 1) any carried the Vienna gene, 2) any were suited to life as a rabbitry brood doe, and 3) to enjoy them even longer.
Lucy, Molly, and Dulcie have all been bred and we are hoping for at least one successful litter over the next few days. Lucy is huge and looks like she could pop any minute. She is a false dwarf, so kindling will hopefully be easier on her than on most first-time does. Molly is acting pregnant, but doesn't look look a bowling ball with ears yet, so she may have a smaller litter, if any survive. We suspect she is also a false dwarf. Dulcie is a furry bowling ball with ears, but because of her petite size, I am more than a bit anxious for her and will watch her closely. Tabitha will hopefully be bred for the first time in February.
We have definite plans to downsize soon and will be considering each doe's future carefully.
January 27, 2019
1:25 A.M. Plum Bun kindled three kits very late last night or very early this morning. They seem to be doing well. :)
2:50 P.M. I checked Plummy's kits and, at this point, all three are potentially broken black tort or chestnut. We'll know for sure in a few days.
Unfortunately, I also need to announce that Polly is not suited to being a breeding doe. She kindled early this morning and again chewed the skin off of her single kit. We humanely euthanized the kit to end its suffering. :( This was her second breeding and we don't want to risk the same outcome again. We had so hoped her behavior towards her first litter could be chalked up to her being a first-time mama and not knowing what to do, but she cannot and should not be bred again. We will keep her here for a while and prepare her for life as a pet bunny. She will be listed in a few weeks if anyone is interested in sweet but shy 10 month old solid sable point doe. Spaying will be required after placement. She would do best with a family who has experience with bunny care.
1:25 A.M. Plum Bun kindled three kits very late last night or very early this morning. They seem to be doing well. :)
2:50 P.M. I checked Plummy's kits and, at this point, all three are potentially broken black tort or chestnut. We'll know for sure in a few days.
Unfortunately, I also need to announce that Polly is not suited to being a breeding doe. She kindled early this morning and again chewed the skin off of her single kit. We humanely euthanized the kit to end its suffering. :( This was her second breeding and we don't want to risk the same outcome again. We had so hoped her behavior towards her first litter could be chalked up to her being a first-time mama and not knowing what to do, but she cannot and should not be bred again. We will keep her here for a while and prepare her for life as a pet bunny. She will be listed in a few weeks if anyone is interested in sweet but shy 10 month old solid sable point doe. Spaying will be required after placement. She would do best with a family who has experience with bunny care.
January 26, 2019
If the website seems a bit different to you, it is. You aren't imagining things. I have spent the entire day with my fanny glued to the chair, trying to streamline and simplify the site, while doing some search engine optimization. Oddly enough, our website now has lower rankings after accomplishing most of the tasks that were supposed to give us higher rankings. Sigh. I wish I had the day back.
Nest Box Watch - no news yet. The mamas-to-be are all busy eating their dinners, which mean they probably won't pop until tomorrow (at the earliest.)
If the website seems a bit different to you, it is. You aren't imagining things. I have spent the entire day with my fanny glued to the chair, trying to streamline and simplify the site, while doing some search engine optimization. Oddly enough, our website now has lower rankings after accomplishing most of the tasks that were supposed to give us higher rankings. Sigh. I wish I had the day back.
Nest Box Watch - no news yet. The mamas-to-be are all busy eating their dinners, which mean they probably won't pop until tomorrow (at the earliest.)
January 25, 2019
There are some updated bunny pictures on the Available Bunnies page. Tidbit wasn't photographed yet, as she had to have a partial bath due to messy eating of her supplemental food. As soon as she is dry and fluffy, we will get the camera out again. :)
Visit the Hot Cross Babies page to see pictures of Matilda's wee one.
There should hopefully be another Nest Box update (or two...or three) by the end of the weekend involving Plum Bun, Polly, and Lucy (this is her first litter.)
There are some updated bunny pictures on the Available Bunnies page. Tidbit wasn't photographed yet, as she had to have a partial bath due to messy eating of her supplemental food. As soon as she is dry and fluffy, we will get the camera out again. :)
Visit the Hot Cross Babies page to see pictures of Matilda's wee one.
There should hopefully be another Nest Box update (or two...or three) by the end of the weekend involving Plum Bun, Polly, and Lucy (this is her first litter.)
January 23, 2019
That week went by quickly! We have been so thankful knowing that all of the Buns are snug and warm. We had some seriously cold temperatures for a couple of days and are having a warmer reprieve before the temps plunge again. Stay warm and safe, everybunny!
Available Bunny Update: BubbaBunny is being reserved, and Sweet Pea has an interested family (we're just watching her temperament for another week before taking steps to make a firm decision). We have a family getting ready for Patty Cake, so interest in these little ones has been very good, considering the time of year. Little Tidbit is still tiny, slowly gaining weight, but she is spunky and loves to explore.
We will hopefully have a Nest Box Watch report later today. Miss Matilda is building a nest (finally), but hasn't gotten down to kindling just yet. This is her first litter with us, so I have no idea what her usual MO is and will be just as surprised as you. :) I wasn't certain she was pregnant until I finally felt a little kick while feeling her tummy last night. I don't think she's going to have a large litter, but I'll be thrilled with anything at this point.
Later in the day....
Nest Box Watch news! Matilda kindled one little Bun this afternoon. I haven't had a good look at him/her yet, because Matilda was being protective and I didn't want to upset her. It looks like either a broken chestnut or black tort (I couldn't see well enough to check for the agouti markings) but hope to have more to report by tomorrow. The challenge will be in keeping this wee one warm since he/she has no one to snuggle up with.
That week went by quickly! We have been so thankful knowing that all of the Buns are snug and warm. We had some seriously cold temperatures for a couple of days and are having a warmer reprieve before the temps plunge again. Stay warm and safe, everybunny!
Available Bunny Update: BubbaBunny is being reserved, and Sweet Pea has an interested family (we're just watching her temperament for another week before taking steps to make a firm decision). We have a family getting ready for Patty Cake, so interest in these little ones has been very good, considering the time of year. Little Tidbit is still tiny, slowly gaining weight, but she is spunky and loves to explore.
We will hopefully have a Nest Box Watch report later today. Miss Matilda is building a nest (finally), but hasn't gotten down to kindling just yet. This is her first litter with us, so I have no idea what her usual MO is and will be just as surprised as you. :) I wasn't certain she was pregnant until I finally felt a little kick while feeling her tummy last night. I don't think she's going to have a large litter, but I'll be thrilled with anything at this point.
Later in the day....
Nest Box Watch news! Matilda kindled one little Bun this afternoon. I haven't had a good look at him/her yet, because Matilda was being protective and I didn't want to upset her. It looks like either a broken chestnut or black tort (I couldn't see well enough to check for the agouti markings) but hope to have more to report by tomorrow. The challenge will be in keeping this wee one warm since he/she has no one to snuggle up with.
January 16, 2019
Our current kits have been listed! If you are interested, please THOROUGHLY fill our the New Bunny Questionnaire and we will get back to you ASAP. We look forward to finding wonderful, caring homes for these little ones.
Our current kits have been listed! If you are interested, please THOROUGHLY fill our the New Bunny Questionnaire and we will get back to you ASAP. We look forward to finding wonderful, caring homes for these little ones.