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.
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July 31, 2021
Little Bagel (now named Scooter) went home with his loving family yesterday! He is settling in very well and will be bonded to Cooke (HCB's Banjo) when he has been neutered. Wee Croissant (now named Cedar) joined her new family this morning. There were tears in her new mama's eyes when they met. We hope that they will be very happy together. <3 |
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July 22, 2021
We just posted new pictures of Genevieve's (Jenny's) babies. They are very cute and are definitely on the more mellow side of the scale. They are having some exercise pen time, and are chilling out, grooming themselves and each other, rather than zooming or binkying. The new photos are on their listings on the Available Bunnies page. :D |
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July 20, 2021
You know that old saying about deaths coming in threes? Well, we have had our three. Crouton's passing was the first, followed by Miss E's Pekin drake Wiggles going missing (we believe a fox carried him off), and then Miss E's hamster passed away last night. Hammie had a good, long life of close to three years and we could tell he was nearing the end because he wasn't grooming himself in his usual fastidious manner. He was a very handsome little Russian Dwarf with a rather cantankerous personality and a very strong case of "Big Dog Syndrome," but we will miss him and the laughter he added to our daily lives.
I was contacted by a person looking to re-home her six month old (unspayed) harlequin doe last evening. The doe was not one of ours and because I know nothing about her nor how she was kept/raised, combined with the fact that we are already at full capacity, I had to turn her away. I offered some (hopefully) helpful suggestions, but felt terrible for not being able to offer a place for her.
We continue to struggle daily with what our path going forward will look like. We have already decided to retire Goldi, Molly, Trixie, Isla, Gulliver, and Pumpkin Roll, and will have them spayed/neutered as our funds allow and will then offer them to pet homes. (Primrose will also be retired, but will be remaining with us because she is my special cuddle Bun.) I had been planning to breed Molly and Goldilocks once more each, but things have come to a standstill as far as interest in babies and older bunnies is concerned. This time last year, we were inundated with requests, but this year, we hear crickets chirping. We fully realize that, in part, this may be our own fault for requiring references on our newly updated New Bunny Questionnaire, along with several other questions which require more thought to answer. I promise that we have not become snobs about judging people's fitness to care for one of our Buns, but we are asking people to look deeply within themselves to make certain they have the time, the space, the energy, and the dedication to devote to a rabbit for 5-12 years, not a few weeks or months until they (or their children) lose interest. If this means that people turn away from our rabbitry because they aren't ready to fully commit to a rabbit all the days it is blessed to live, then so be it. We aren't running Hot Cross Buns to make money (believe me, we aren't making any!), but to share our love of rabbits, particularly Holland Lops, with those special people who truly care for them and will remain their "always" families, rather than being fair-weather friends and disposing of them when they are no longer convenient.
We are very happy to announce that Bagel has been matched with a returning client. They adopted one of Goldi & Joey's chestnut does who was Banjo, but is now named Cookie. Bagel's new name is going to be Scooter, which should suit him perfectly!
We're planning to take some photos of the newer babies, KitKat (Romily), and Imogen (Skye) today, so there will be some new Bun-joy to share. :D
You know that old saying about deaths coming in threes? Well, we have had our three. Crouton's passing was the first, followed by Miss E's Pekin drake Wiggles going missing (we believe a fox carried him off), and then Miss E's hamster passed away last night. Hammie had a good, long life of close to three years and we could tell he was nearing the end because he wasn't grooming himself in his usual fastidious manner. He was a very handsome little Russian Dwarf with a rather cantankerous personality and a very strong case of "Big Dog Syndrome," but we will miss him and the laughter he added to our daily lives.
I was contacted by a person looking to re-home her six month old (unspayed) harlequin doe last evening. The doe was not one of ours and because I know nothing about her nor how she was kept/raised, combined with the fact that we are already at full capacity, I had to turn her away. I offered some (hopefully) helpful suggestions, but felt terrible for not being able to offer a place for her.
We continue to struggle daily with what our path going forward will look like. We have already decided to retire Goldi, Molly, Trixie, Isla, Gulliver, and Pumpkin Roll, and will have them spayed/neutered as our funds allow and will then offer them to pet homes. (Primrose will also be retired, but will be remaining with us because she is my special cuddle Bun.) I had been planning to breed Molly and Goldilocks once more each, but things have come to a standstill as far as interest in babies and older bunnies is concerned. This time last year, we were inundated with requests, but this year, we hear crickets chirping. We fully realize that, in part, this may be our own fault for requiring references on our newly updated New Bunny Questionnaire, along with several other questions which require more thought to answer. I promise that we have not become snobs about judging people's fitness to care for one of our Buns, but we are asking people to look deeply within themselves to make certain they have the time, the space, the energy, and the dedication to devote to a rabbit for 5-12 years, not a few weeks or months until they (or their children) lose interest. If this means that people turn away from our rabbitry because they aren't ready to fully commit to a rabbit all the days it is blessed to live, then so be it. We aren't running Hot Cross Buns to make money (believe me, we aren't making any!), but to share our love of rabbits, particularly Holland Lops, with those special people who truly care for them and will remain their "always" families, rather than being fair-weather friends and disposing of them when they are no longer convenient.
We are very happy to announce that Bagel has been matched with a returning client. They adopted one of Goldi & Joey's chestnut does who was Banjo, but is now named Cookie. Bagel's new name is going to be Scooter, which should suit him perfectly!
We're planning to take some photos of the newer babies, KitKat (Romily), and Imogen (Skye) today, so there will be some new Bun-joy to share. :D
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July 14, 2021
Four of Jenny & Joey's babies have been listed. We are still working on videos and hope to have all of them completed by tomorrow. We have contacted the first family on the waiting list and are awaiting a response. We are holding off on listing wee Crouton for the foreseeable future. She is still very tiny and needs some extra TLC to get her to a nice, sturdy weight before she can be placed. A VERY SAD UPDATE: We lost little Crouton this evening. Although she responded to the wry neck treatment beautifully, she must have had something else simmering under the surface (perhaps an infection that triggered the e. cuniculi in the first place) that we didn't know about. She was doing so well and suddenly began losing a lot of weight over the past few days. We did everything we could to help her (the vet wasn't available and it would most likely have been too late to help her by the time we could have had her seen) and are deeply saddened by her passing. We truly though she was going to make it. :( |
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July 12, 2021
Yet again Miss Sukie is the only rabbit currently waiting to be matched. She is a personal favorite of Miss E, so we definitely don't mind continuing to be her caregivers. She is a poofy bunny with loads of flair!
Some of our eagle-eyed followers may be wondering what happened to Wispy's remaining kit, Victoria. We decided to pull her listing and will retain her as a breeding doe. We hope to breed Goldilocks once more and will then retire her to a loving pet family. If all goes well, Victoria will stay with us and be as wonderful of a mama as Wispy as proven to be. We're actually working on finding a new name for her, as we don't think Victoria suits her...we're trying out Poppy for a few days to see if that sticks. Once she has her new name, we will add her to the Meet the Hot Cross Buns page.
Yet again Miss Sukie is the only rabbit currently waiting to be matched. She is a personal favorite of Miss E, so we definitely don't mind continuing to be her caregivers. She is a poofy bunny with loads of flair!
Some of our eagle-eyed followers may be wondering what happened to Wispy's remaining kit, Victoria. We decided to pull her listing and will retain her as a breeding doe. We hope to breed Goldilocks once more and will then retire her to a loving pet family. If all goes well, Victoria will stay with us and be as wonderful of a mama as Wispy as proven to be. We're actually working on finding a new name for her, as we don't think Victoria suits her...we're trying out Poppy for a few days to see if that sticks. Once she has her new name, we will add her to the Meet the Hot Cross Buns page.
July 11, 2021
The Hot Cross Buns Creed
We believe that every rabbit deserves a loving and dedicated family.
We believe in doing our best for every life (rabbit and human) we are blessed to know.
We believe in expecting the very best care for the Buns by housing them indoors and treating them as members of the family.
We believe in asking a lot of questions on our New Bunny Questionnaire to help us determine who has what it takes to be a great Bun family.
We believe in requiring spaying/neutering for all of the Buns' long-term health and well-being.
We believe in giving life-long support, education, and encouragement to all of our clients.
We believe God brings the right family for the right rabbit at the right time.
The Hot Cross Buns Creed
We believe that every rabbit deserves a loving and dedicated family.
We believe in doing our best for every life (rabbit and human) we are blessed to know.
We believe in expecting the very best care for the Buns by housing them indoors and treating them as members of the family.
We believe in asking a lot of questions on our New Bunny Questionnaire to help us determine who has what it takes to be a great Bun family.
We believe in requiring spaying/neutering for all of the Buns' long-term health and well-being.
We believe in giving life-long support, education, and encouragement to all of our clients.
We believe God brings the right family for the right rabbit at the right time.
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July 10, 2021
We have pictures of the newest arrivals! Aren't they sweet? |
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July 9, 2021
Kit Kat has been matched with a wonderful new family! She will remain with us for a while longer until everything is made ready for her, but we are thrilled to work with her new family once again. They are such a blessing to us and we know they will be a blessing to her! Her new name is Romily which means God's beloved one.
Little Imogen has also been matched! She is going to be placed with the family who adopted her litter mate Fergus (HCB's Ryan). She will be remaining with us until she is spayed and has had time to recuperate, and until Fergus recuperates. Her new family is going to love her to pieces and we hope they will be regular visitors until she is ready to go home. Her new name is Isle of Skye, Skye for short.
Kit Kat has been matched with a wonderful new family! She will remain with us for a while longer until everything is made ready for her, but we are thrilled to work with her new family once again. They are such a blessing to us and we know they will be a blessing to her! Her new name is Romily which means God's beloved one.
Little Imogen has also been matched! She is going to be placed with the family who adopted her litter mate Fergus (HCB's Ryan). She will be remaining with us until she is spayed and has had time to recuperate, and until Fergus recuperates. Her new family is going to love her to pieces and we hope they will be regular visitors until she is ready to go home. Her new name is Isle of Skye, Skye for short.
July 8, 2021
We have been hard at work revamping the New Bunny Questionnaire to better aid us in finding families who will be committed to caring for their Buns throughout their lives. We are open to other suggestions from our friends and clients. Whatever we can do on the front end to help us ensure happy, life-long placements for the Buns means so much to us. We are eternally grateful to our clients who willingly open their hearts and homes to bunnies who need re-homing, but we long for all of the Buns to need one and only one placement, with a family who will be devoted to providing the very best of loving care to their Bun, so that re-homing is not necessary. Please take a look at the NBQ and tell us what you think (including any typos you notice!) :D
We have been hard at work revamping the New Bunny Questionnaire to better aid us in finding families who will be committed to caring for their Buns throughout their lives. We are open to other suggestions from our friends and clients. Whatever we can do on the front end to help us ensure happy, life-long placements for the Buns means so much to us. We are eternally grateful to our clients who willingly open their hearts and homes to bunnies who need re-homing, but we long for all of the Buns to need one and only one placement, with a family who will be devoted to providing the very best of loving care to their Bun, so that re-homing is not necessary. Please take a look at the NBQ and tell us what you think (including any typos you notice!) :D
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July 7, 2021
Smudge isn't the only mama in town! Primrose and Boopsy gave us some wonderful surprises, too! Primrose has one beautiful kit, and Boopsy has three. :D We will post pictures in a few days. I forgot to mention that we have some new updates on the Happy Results page from a few days ago, so if you're in need of some new photos to enjoy, hop on over there. :) We have started creating a listing for Kit Kat and are hoping an experienced family will be found for her. She is such a lovely girl, but she needs someone who will help her trust again. We took pictures of Jenny's kits today! These little muffins will be listed next week for matching with families on our waiting list. |
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July 6, 2021
We have babies! Smudge and Pumpkin Roll became the proud parents of three little babies yesterday. Smudge is doing beautifully as a first-time mama and is very attentive to her kits. All of these babies will be harlequin or tricolor. We will post photos in a few days.
We can't believe Jenny & Joey's babies are five weeks old already! All are doing remarkably well and we are planning to list them for matching next week. Bagel and Crouton are the more outgoing, playful babies, while Beignet, Baguette, and Croissant tend to be more mellow. They (and Sukie) had a wonderful time playing with our friend Natalie yesterday. She was one of our very first clients and we always love it when she can visit and help us socialize the babies. We have missed her visits during Covid and are hoping to resume regular playtimes with our trusted Bun-loving friends.
We have babies! Smudge and Pumpkin Roll became the proud parents of three little babies yesterday. Smudge is doing beautifully as a first-time mama and is very attentive to her kits. All of these babies will be harlequin or tricolor. We will post photos in a few days.
We can't believe Jenny & Joey's babies are five weeks old already! All are doing remarkably well and we are planning to list them for matching next week. Bagel and Crouton are the more outgoing, playful babies, while Beignet, Baguette, and Croissant tend to be more mellow. They (and Sukie) had a wonderful time playing with our friend Natalie yesterday. She was one of our very first clients and we always love it when she can visit and help us socialize the babies. We have missed her visits during Covid and are hoping to resume regular playtimes with our trusted Bun-loving friends.
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July 1, 2021
We are overjoyed to announce that Crouton is doing much, much better! We took some pictures of both of the cream Buns today (poor lighting, yet again) so you can see how he/she is coming along. There are a couple other photos on the Baby Holland Lops page. We also took a couple of pictures of KitKat. She truly is a beautiful girl. Since we cleaned her up on Saturday, she has remained tidy and does not smell of urine and does not have a wet bottom, so she is not exhibiting any signs of having a UTI. I'm still giving her a daily grooming session and sniff check of her bottom (she hates that!), but she is coming along nicely. The molt is getting more manageable and she tolerates her grooming sessions pretty well, but she starts digging at my shirt when she has had enough. We respect that. |
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June 27, 2021
Hello, Friends! Miss E. and I are back from our brief trip to Michigan (it rained the entire time we were there, and it seems as though the rain followed us home). We so appreciated the kind and encouraging messages so many of you sent in response to our previous post. We still haven't made any decisions, but those messages meant the world to us. We will be responding to each one of you as time permits.
There are new photos of Jenny's little ones on the Baby Holland Lops page, along with an update. We also have the footage for a brief video that I will hopefully post later this evening. Update: Video has been posted!
We have Miss KitKat back with us and she is a bit of a mess. She is going through a heavy molt and had not been brushed in quite a while, so it will take several grooming sessions to relieve her of all that loose fur. Her nails hadn't been trimmed in a very long time. Some were quite long but, even worse, a lot of them had gotten caught on things and had pulled all the way out, which is horribly painful for the bunny. We trimmed all the nails that could be trimmed and she looked considerably more comfortable when we were done. Her teeth are a bit long, so we will be giving her some first cutting timothy and some compressed hay cubes to help her wear them down a bit. We're trying to discern if she has a urinary tract infection, or if her bottom and vent area were very dirty and messy because of the lack of grooming. We gave her a quick bath for her bottom (she was not a fan) but it was absolutely necessary. She had a bit of urine scald and we shaved her down as much as possible so we could get her clean and apply some soothing ointment to the irritated areas. KitKat is confused by her sudden arrival at the rabbitry, but seems to be comfortable and is just as sweet as can be. She accepted all of our ministrations (except for the bath, but we can't blame her, because it probably stung her lady bits) very well and looks much better already. We are keeping a close eye on her bottom to see if there is any sign of urine leakage which would require a trip to the vet for antibiotics. Once we are convinced that she is healthy, physically and emotionally, we will be looking for a very special home for this older girl who still has a lot of love to give. She is an absolutely gorgeous solid black tort girl and reminds us so much of her sweet mama and daddy, Cookie and Coconut Cream.
Hello, Friends! Miss E. and I are back from our brief trip to Michigan (it rained the entire time we were there, and it seems as though the rain followed us home). We so appreciated the kind and encouraging messages so many of you sent in response to our previous post. We still haven't made any decisions, but those messages meant the world to us. We will be responding to each one of you as time permits.
There are new photos of Jenny's little ones on the Baby Holland Lops page, along with an update. We also have the footage for a brief video that I will hopefully post later this evening. Update: Video has been posted!
We have Miss KitKat back with us and she is a bit of a mess. She is going through a heavy molt and had not been brushed in quite a while, so it will take several grooming sessions to relieve her of all that loose fur. Her nails hadn't been trimmed in a very long time. Some were quite long but, even worse, a lot of them had gotten caught on things and had pulled all the way out, which is horribly painful for the bunny. We trimmed all the nails that could be trimmed and she looked considerably more comfortable when we were done. Her teeth are a bit long, so we will be giving her some first cutting timothy and some compressed hay cubes to help her wear them down a bit. We're trying to discern if she has a urinary tract infection, or if her bottom and vent area were very dirty and messy because of the lack of grooming. We gave her a quick bath for her bottom (she was not a fan) but it was absolutely necessary. She had a bit of urine scald and we shaved her down as much as possible so we could get her clean and apply some soothing ointment to the irritated areas. KitKat is confused by her sudden arrival at the rabbitry, but seems to be comfortable and is just as sweet as can be. She accepted all of our ministrations (except for the bath, but we can't blame her, because it probably stung her lady bits) very well and looks much better already. We are keeping a close eye on her bottom to see if there is any sign of urine leakage which would require a trip to the vet for antibiotics. Once we are convinced that she is healthy, physically and emotionally, we will be looking for a very special home for this older girl who still has a lot of love to give. She is an absolutely gorgeous solid black tort girl and reminds us so much of her sweet mama and daddy, Cookie and Coconut Cream.
June 23, 2021
We have been keeping a low profile of late, mainly because there have been a lot of things happening behind the scenes that we haven't been up to sharing.
First of all, Tabitha is back with us, through no fault of her own. I thought we had made a good placement for her, but I was wrong. She was left in the care of some people (other than the ones with whom we had placed her) who had no idea how to properly care for her. I was contacted and was told she wasn't eating or drinking, but there didn't seem to be any degree of urgency on their part to have her checked out by the vet. I was finally given her location and brought her back to the rabbitry. It was touch and go for a couple of days, but the bottom line is that rabbits do not belong in garages on 90+ degree days without fans or air conditioning to cool them, especially when said rabbit has a very thick double-coat. She was very dehydrated and I thought we were going to lose her, but she thankfully pulled through. I am still simmering with anger over what happened to her and have been questioning my judgement and ability to place the Buns in safe, loving, caring homes. Tabitha still isn't "speaking" to me and thumps every time I approach her, She is determined to punish me over her close brush with death and I don't blame her. She used to be such a cuddle Bun and loved pets and nose rubs. We are working to re-establish trust with her and have promised she will stay with us the remainder of her days so she will never be subjected to such conditions again.
Secondly, we are going to be getting a 3.5 year old spayed doe back this weekend. She is a solid black tort from a litter born in March 2018 and was originally called Kit-Kat. Miss E and I are actually going up to Michigan tomorrow for a mini vacation and will pick her up on our way home on Saturday. We will need a bit of time to get her settled in and reassessed for temperament and placement needs, but we ask for your prayers in helping her to find a wonderful family who will be overjoyed to have her as their very own Bun.
Lastly, you may have noticed that we haven't posted any photos of Jenny's babies recently. Part of it was due to busyness, but part was due to the fact that one of the cream babies has developed wry neck. :( We haven't had a case of e. cuniculi (the organism that is at the root of most wry neck cases) in quite a while and it is very disheartening when it surfaces. The vast majority of domestic rabbits carry e. cuniculi, but it rarely becomes active or causes symptoms, unless the bunny develops an infection or has a stressed immune system. We are doing everything we can to get this little Bun healthy again and will treat Jenny and the other babies upon our return from Michigan on Saturday. Our treatment regimen involves 2 doses of Ivomec and 30 days of Safe-Guard goat wormer. The affected baby will also receive supplemental feedings as an increase in caloric intake seems to help faster healing. We wanted to share this news before posting any pictures of them, because the affected baby will be included in the photos. The other babies are all doing great and are bouncing and binkying around. The affected baby tries to get involved, too, but has balance issues that make it more challenging. We will plan to share some new pictures this weekend.
I have been questioning a lot about the future of Hot Cross Buns. We love what we do, but there seem to be more and more Buns coming back to us for rehoming, and it's becoming difficult to ensure the health of our breeding rabbits and babies when we continue to take rabbits back without knowing if they have been exposed to any contagious diseases. We want to help all of our clients who need to re-home their Buns, but are worried about Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease and other diseases affecting the health and safety of our herd. Something needs to give because I literally lay awake at night, worrying over the health and well-being of all the Buns we have helped to bring into the world. We need to choose if we are going to continue to breed baby Buns and place them while helping to re-home older Buns via contacts through our website (without them actually being brought back to the rabbitry), or if we will end our breeding program and focus upon re-homing older Buns and perhaps become more of a rabbit rescue, instead. Hopefully we will have a bit of time before needing to make that decision, but it is looming before us. We would appreciate your prayers and thoughts on the matter, if you would like to share. We want to be responsible and caring in all of our decisions and actions, so this is weighing heavily on our hearts.
We have been keeping a low profile of late, mainly because there have been a lot of things happening behind the scenes that we haven't been up to sharing.
First of all, Tabitha is back with us, through no fault of her own. I thought we had made a good placement for her, but I was wrong. She was left in the care of some people (other than the ones with whom we had placed her) who had no idea how to properly care for her. I was contacted and was told she wasn't eating or drinking, but there didn't seem to be any degree of urgency on their part to have her checked out by the vet. I was finally given her location and brought her back to the rabbitry. It was touch and go for a couple of days, but the bottom line is that rabbits do not belong in garages on 90+ degree days without fans or air conditioning to cool them, especially when said rabbit has a very thick double-coat. She was very dehydrated and I thought we were going to lose her, but she thankfully pulled through. I am still simmering with anger over what happened to her and have been questioning my judgement and ability to place the Buns in safe, loving, caring homes. Tabitha still isn't "speaking" to me and thumps every time I approach her, She is determined to punish me over her close brush with death and I don't blame her. She used to be such a cuddle Bun and loved pets and nose rubs. We are working to re-establish trust with her and have promised she will stay with us the remainder of her days so she will never be subjected to such conditions again.
Secondly, we are going to be getting a 3.5 year old spayed doe back this weekend. She is a solid black tort from a litter born in March 2018 and was originally called Kit-Kat. Miss E and I are actually going up to Michigan tomorrow for a mini vacation and will pick her up on our way home on Saturday. We will need a bit of time to get her settled in and reassessed for temperament and placement needs, but we ask for your prayers in helping her to find a wonderful family who will be overjoyed to have her as their very own Bun.
Lastly, you may have noticed that we haven't posted any photos of Jenny's babies recently. Part of it was due to busyness, but part was due to the fact that one of the cream babies has developed wry neck. :( We haven't had a case of e. cuniculi (the organism that is at the root of most wry neck cases) in quite a while and it is very disheartening when it surfaces. The vast majority of domestic rabbits carry e. cuniculi, but it rarely becomes active or causes symptoms, unless the bunny develops an infection or has a stressed immune system. We are doing everything we can to get this little Bun healthy again and will treat Jenny and the other babies upon our return from Michigan on Saturday. Our treatment regimen involves 2 doses of Ivomec and 30 days of Safe-Guard goat wormer. The affected baby will also receive supplemental feedings as an increase in caloric intake seems to help faster healing. We wanted to share this news before posting any pictures of them, because the affected baby will be included in the photos. The other babies are all doing great and are bouncing and binkying around. The affected baby tries to get involved, too, but has balance issues that make it more challenging. We will plan to share some new pictures this weekend.
I have been questioning a lot about the future of Hot Cross Buns. We love what we do, but there seem to be more and more Buns coming back to us for rehoming, and it's becoming difficult to ensure the health of our breeding rabbits and babies when we continue to take rabbits back without knowing if they have been exposed to any contagious diseases. We want to help all of our clients who need to re-home their Buns, but are worried about Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease and other diseases affecting the health and safety of our herd. Something needs to give because I literally lay awake at night, worrying over the health and well-being of all the Buns we have helped to bring into the world. We need to choose if we are going to continue to breed baby Buns and place them while helping to re-home older Buns via contacts through our website (without them actually being brought back to the rabbitry), or if we will end our breeding program and focus upon re-homing older Buns and perhaps become more of a rabbit rescue, instead. Hopefully we will have a bit of time before needing to make that decision, but it is looming before us. We would appreciate your prayers and thoughts on the matter, if you would like to share. We want to be responsible and caring in all of our decisions and actions, so this is weighing heavily on our hearts.