The place for news, updates, announcements, and water bottle gossip from the Buns and their humans.

Hot Cross Hoppenings

February 22, 2024

Since we determined Quinoa's kits all appear to be little does, we worked on naming them this morning, continuing with the beach vacation-theme that Evelyn started when she named Sand Dollar and Driftwood (Penelope's babies.)

Using the pictures we took on Friday, we're pleased to introduce (left to right), smaller chestnut doe is Scuba, broken opal doe with more white ear markings is Frisbee, larger chestnut doe is Cabana, and broken opal doe with more solid ears is Kayak.

August 12, 2025

Since we've updated all of the breeding and pet Buns' pictures over the last few weeks, we're going to take a break from doing that for now and will start up another round in a couple of months.

We took another peek at Quinoa and Loofah's babies' genders today. It's looking like all four of them are little does. It would have been nice to have another buck or two among the babies, but Penelope's tort baby, Driftwood, is the only one. That's okay, though. We love the beautiful little ladies we get to care for until they are placed with their forever families.

August 11, 2025

Baby pictures have been added to The Nursery page! Here's a peek.

Penelope and Sullivan's babies have names and genders. The little tort is a buck and Evelyn decided to call him Driftwood. The (we think) frosty is a little doe and she is called Sand Dollar (Dolly for short.) We're about 95% sure of her gender, but will check weekly until we know for certain.

Quinoa and Loofah's babies are still too small in the bits and bobbles department to ascertain gender, but we hope to know by next week. They are all lovely little Buns and are very sweet in temperament.

August 8, 2025

HCB's Waiting Bun of the Week: Boggle

Boggle is a wonderful Bun! (Shhh! Don't tell the others, but I think she's my favorite of the currently waiting rabbits.) It takes her a little while to warm up to new people, but once she does, she has a new friend for life. Boggle is playful, adventurous, and very entertaining, but she also has a sweet, lovable side. She's an all-around great spayed doe. I wouldn't mind keeping her with us forever, but we know she would do great as a family pet and wonderful friend. This comical girl looks like a plush toy rabbit when she sits still, and has a very expressive little face.

Check out Boggle's Page to learn more about her!

August 7, 2025

This week's blog post: Diagnosing and Treating Fur Mites

Tomorrow will be an update about Waiting Bun Boggle.

Friday will bring new pictures of the litters and possibly a gender reveal for Penelope's babies (if they cooperate.) I checked genders for all the kits the day they were born, but am waiting to see if they were correct. :D

Last year, in early October, Evelyn and I had a special matching process event for our waiting Buns. This year, we're actually going to be participating at our church's Pet Fair and Pet Blessing on Saturday, October 4th. Evelyn will be there in her capacity as owner of Faith Baked Goodies On the Go, while I will be both helping her, and getting the word out about Hot Cross Buns. I will be bringing two or three Buns along and helping to educate people about rabbits and their special care needs. More information will be provided as we get closer to the date. If you live in the Greater Cleveland area, we so hope to see you there!

August 6, 2025

HCB's Breeding Bun of the Week: Henrietta

Sweet Henrietta is a wonderful mama. She is very devoted and attentive, without being a Helicopter parent. Chocolate-colored Buns typically have a reddish cast to their eyes, which is usually only noticeable when taking pictures and sometimes when the light hits their eyes at a certain angle. Henrietta is mama of our waiting does Holly and Ivy. Henrietta is having a goofy hair day due to beginning a molt. <3

August 4, 2025

Today was one of those days we had hoped to do some quick content and be on our way with other work, but it didn't work out that way. LOL. Nothing bad happened, but not much has gotten done. We decided to do a video of the two litters of babies playing together, but when we went to film it, discovered the camera had zero battery charge, so had to wait a few hours for it to recharge. Then, during filming, the babies were being so cute and playful, it was difficult to decide when to stop. Usually, they play for a couple of minutes and then curl up in the corners for naps, but they were little Energizer Bunnies today. All that adorable footage made editing very difficult, so the video is about three time longer than normal. We captured several beginner-level binkies today and tried to include them all. We hope you enjoy it!

August 1, 2025

New Blog Post: When to Call the Vet in the Event of an Emergency

All the babies are doing great. We're planning to list the kits (descriptions, videos, and other pertinent information) on Friday, August 22 and will begin contacting people interested in being matched that day. They will be ready to go to their new homes on September 5th (Penelope's babies) and September 8th (Quinoa's babies.)

July 30, 2025

I'd intended to share a new bunny cookie recipe today, but, when I went to make a sample batch for my furry taste-testers, discovered more of the Raspberry-Thyme cookies, Since we're careful to not waste perfectly good treats, we decided to hold off for another week or two before doing some more Bun-baking.

Since the new recipe didn't happen, we decided to post...more Baby Bun pictures!!!!! They are growing so quickly and are changing by the minute. Although the background is the same as that of the previous pictures, it's fairly easy to distinguish between the two batches of photos, based upon the babies' sizes. We hope you enjoy!

July 29, 2025

HCB's Breeding Bun of the Week: Rosie

Rosie has always been one of my all-time favorite does. She is so sweet and has just the right amount of sass to keep her from being too predictable. We're going to try breeding her once more before retiring her this fall. Once retired, she will remain here as a beloved pet Bun. <3

July 28, 2025

We have some updates from the families of already-placed Buns to share this week!

First up, a very Happy (Belated) Birthday to Gus! This handsome boy is now five years old and continues to love his humans, Pam and Bob, his bonded bunny sister Gabi, and his best doggy friends, Annie and Rosie. We're so happy to know he is living his best life surrounded by the many people and animals who adore him.

Next, we have an update and pictures about Princess Parcheesi from her new family, Brittany and daughter A. Brittany writes,

"She’s settling in very nicely! The first day was definitely an adjustment and it took a little while for her to warm up to us but we’re all getting playful sniffs and nose boops now. She’s had a great appetite, especially at night. She loves to stretch her legs and explore when we let her out for some supervised roaming, but always hops back to her pen periodically and she’s up to about 90% compliance with the little box now. She loves to lounge in the tower of her castle like a true princess! I will say that as far as treats go, Evelyn’s homemade ones are her absolute favorite!"

We're so excited that Princess Parcheesi is doing so well and is loving her new life as a pampered princess. <3

We've also been receiving very positive messages from Matt D. about Rosey (HCB's Nora) settling in nicely, along with some occasional questions. Rosey is becoming braver about exploring, one tiny step at a time, and is opening up to Matt and daughter F. as she learns to trust them and accept their love and affection.

July 26, 2025

New pictures of the babies have been posted on The Nursery page! They are all gorgeous and growing beautifully. A few images are shared below.

Tomorrow's Hoppenings will involve some fun updates and pictures from our clients who have given us permission to share.

July 25, 2025

HCB's Waiting Bun of the Week: Francesca

Francesca (aka Frankie) is a gorgeous magpie spayed doe awaiting an experienced rabbit-loving person/family. Most people are taken in by her beautiful coloring, but there's a lot more to this sassy, opinionated girl than just a pretty face.

Frankie hates having her picture taken. She mostly dislikes being touched, unless it's her idea. She loves treats. She makes noises similar to guinea pig squeaks if she needs to be picked up. Frankie loves to hide under boxes and wears them like turtle shells, scuttling around under them. She adores her deep litter box which also doubles as a diggy-box when it's clean and fresh. She can be quite persnickety and wants everything tidy and just-so. Francesca has very large opinions and will thump in displeasure when she's not being heard. If that doesn't work, she will close her eyes and pretend the offending person isn't there...or she'll turn her back and give the cold shoulder.

We know there is a sweet, lovable doe inside her rather easily-offended furry body. For this reason, we prefer a person/family who has experience with stubborn, sassy does to be her new caregiver. They won't be as upset by the cold-shoulder routine, and will even be able to chuckle about her airs. A person new to rabbits would definitely have some hurt feelings over Frankie's less-than-enthusiastic daily interactions. She just needs to find the right person who understands and speaks her language with much gentle determination and persistence.

If Frankie doesn't find her people by the end of 2025, she will be stuck with us as her forever family, and will become one of our pet Buns, as she has been listed for quite a while. We love this outspoken girl, but believe there is a special person out there who is better able to turn her into the pampered princess we know she secretly longs to be.

July 24, 2025

A new blog post about helping your bunny stay cool in the hot summer days has been added to the All Things Bunny Blog.

The babies are growing like weeds! We expect Penelope's kits' eyes to open any day now. They already managed to wiggle their way out of the nest box. <3

July 23, 2025

HCB's Breeding Bun of the Week: You Are My Sunshine (AKA Sunny or Sunshine)

Sunny's incredibly sociable and sunny disposition earned his name. We adore this wee buck and are so pleased with how he has grown and filled out. We're hoping he will sire a successful litter in the fall, after the temperatures cool down. The kits were all stillborn in the first litter he sired, so we're optimistic that things will go better the next time around. More pictures have been added to his photo gallery, accessible through his image on the Meet the Hot Cross Buns page (a subtab through our HOME page.)

July 21, 2025

We're celebrating Princess Parcheesi's placement with her amazing family today! We have a feeling that this beautiful girl isn't going to think twice about life at HCB as she begins this new chapter in her life as a beloved pet Bun. We look forward to hearing how she settles n over the coming days and weeks.

Parcheesi wasn't the only departure of the day. Wee Stewart went back home with his family, too, so life is going to be considerably quieter without him and Parcheesi to keep us hopping. We so enjoyed Stewart's visit and hope for many more in the coming years. <3

July 20, 2025

Pictures of the new babies and new updates have been posted on The Nursery page! We know many of our readers have been awaiting this day. Can you believe these are our first babies since December? 2025 is more than half of the way over, and we're barely out of the starting gate. LOL

Here's a sneak peek!

July 18, 2025

I completely forgot to mention that Boggle (Available Bun) and Princess Parcheesi (already matched Bun) both did very well with their spays yesterday. They are home and resting as comfortably as possible, with their daily doses of pain medication and lots of gentle nose rubs when they want attention.

Today's Waiting Bun of the Week is Gumption!

Gumption is a total Eeyore Bun. He keeps his head down and muddles through life the best he can. His expression rarely changes, and I every time I interact with him, I think I hear him say, "Thanks for noticing me," in his best Eeyore voice. That's not to say he doesn't have some spirit and sass to him. He does! His thumps are true thumps and even startle our nearly deaf elderly dog from across the room and down the hall. He does not like to have his picture taken and went so far as to nearly chomp through the wire for the lightbox light. Thank goodness for electrical tape! I have learned to sit across the room and use my longer range camera lens to try to get better photos that show off more of his personality. If I sit too close to him, he puts his head down and goes full Eeyore.

Gumption is a big boy, weighing just shy of 6 lbs. Holland Lops are supposed to weigh no more than 4 lbs, but since he's a false dwarf boy, he gets a pass. He could definitely benefit from more exercise and space to free-roam on a regular basis. As a lilac Bun, his eyes do have a reddish cast in certain photographs, but they are a lovely blue-gray color in real life.

All in all, Gumption is a good egg and we love his rather droopy, observant self.

July 17, 2025

Today's blog post is about when an why rabbits grind their teeth. https://hotcrossbuns.org/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-teeth-grinding

Princess Parcheesi and Boggle are currently having their spay procedures. We're praying that all is well for both of these lovely does.

All the newborn kits are continuing to do a good job of sleeping, nursing, and eliminating, all of which are age-appropriate. <3

July 16, 2025

Check out the Nursery page for some exciting news!

Breeding Bun of the Week: Sweet Tea!

Sweet Tea is a life-of-the-party, affectionate little buck. He is so adorable and is always energetic and playful. He loves to free roam in the Bun Room and visits as many of the other Buns as he can reach to rub noses. Although not always the brightest bulb in the box, Sweet Tea's loving heart makes up for any other shortcomings. He adores his food and treats. Head rubs fall just behind spending time with the ladies in his ranking of favorite things. As an opal buck, he brings the dilute gene to the table and is responsible for a wider range of color possibilities in each litter. We're hoping he will sire a litter in our next round of breeding. Additional photos are available through the Meet the Hot Cross Buns page.

July 15, 2025

Pet Buns of the Day: Stewart (Visiting Bun) and Princess Parcheesi (Going Home soon!)

Usually we take pictures of one of our own pet Buns on Mondays (when time permits), but we're changing things up today!

Many of our long-term readers will recognize chinchilla buck Stewart. He has returned to HCB for annual visits all his life (if memory serves, although we may have skipped the year of Covid). Stewart is a very special tiny buck who is full of energy! Despite his petite stature, this little man can make some mischief and has been quite the Houdini until we remember his old tricks and remember how to keep him safely contained. He will be turning six years of age in November and shows no signs of slowing down. He was climbing all over my daughter Evelyn and me last evening, using us as human slides while we were supposed to be cuddling with him on the couch. LOL We love his yearly visits and always look forward to hearing from his Bun-Mom Taylor when she schedules the next one. Stewart will be with us through Sunday.

Princess Parcheesi is going to have quite the week ahead of her! This darling orange doe is going to be spayed on Wednesday morning (along with waiting-to-be-matched doe Boggle), so we're nervous and prayerful for all to go well for her. She will spend the first few days of her recovery with us, but then will go home with her new family on Sunday, as they are so looking forward to helping her heal and shower her with love upon their arrival home. After taking pictures of this beautiful girl for seven months, I think these are some of her most striking photos. <3 (There are others on her listing page.)

July 14, 2025

We have some wonderful news to share! Nora has a family! We're doing quite the happy dance because our quiet little mouse of a Bun found her person. Matt D. from Ohio knew just the right love language to melt her into a squishy puddle of contentment. We had a nice visit and shared some great laughs about rabbits and life. We're looking forward to an update in which we will learn Nora's new name and how she has settled into life as a very pampered Bun and the only pet in her household. We suspect she will eat it up!

We have been working on some projects around the homestead, so haven't been on the ball with writing and updating pictures this week. We're hoping to make some announcements in the near future about some changes in our life (all good, we think!). For today, we're just going to be thankful for Nora's new life and home.