The place for news, updates, announcements, and water bottle gossip from the Buns and their humans.
Hot Cross Hoppenings
February 22, 2024
Hot Cross Buns' (Breeding) Doe of the Week: Hopscotch
We haven't posted new pictures or done a new video of this beautiful, sassy girl in ages. She was so funny during filming. With every hop, she released a poo ball. I spent more time removing her bunny beans than I did in getting usable footage. Re-watching it gave me motion sickness because it was continual repetition of: focus on Hopscotch, notice poo ball(s), switch camera to left hand, crawl into light box to remove said poo balls for disposal, sit back down, switch camera back to right hand, focus on Hopscotch, and continuing the cycle again and again. I think she did it seven times before I finally gave up and went with what we had. LOL
Hopscotch is a little sassy imp and we love her for it. We so hope that she will be a mama someday soon, but that will all depend upon our ability to place at least eight of the eleven currently listed Buns before the end of the year and securing enough interested people (we'd aim for four) willing to place Waiting List deposits if the decision to continue breeding is made. Unless all of that happens, Hopscotch (as well as Chummy, Zinnia, and Noelle) will be spayed and they will stay with us as beloved pets.
We received a wonderful update from Mochi (HCB's Sand Dollar) and her family. She is settling in beautifully and is truly enjoying her new life. <3
September 22, 2025
Here's an updated flyer of our church's pet fair and blessing!
Evelyn with be there in her capacity as a baker for Faith Baked Goodies on the Go. She will be making: Apple Pie Scones, Cranberry Orange Scones, Chunky S'more cookies, Blueberry Streusel bread, Pumpkin bread, Cinnamon Bun Cookies, Specialty Paw Print Cookies (all proceeds from this product will benefit the Friendship APL), Chocolate Chunk Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ginger Cookies, and Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies. She typically sells out of just about everything, so please come early for best selection.
I will be wearing a few different hats at the event. My Hot Cross Buns Homestead banner will be visible, and I will have overflowing tables of bunny and homestead animal-related crocheted items available. I'll also have an area with pens set up for three or four of our currently available Buns and information about our adoption process. I'm really excited to be there.
So much work has gone into planning and preparing for this event! At last count, there were approximately 40 vendors signed up to participate, so there's sure to be something for everyone. Please stop by to say hello!
Introducing Our New Pre-Screening Questionnaire
To better guide families through our adoption process, we’ve added a short Pre-Screening Questionnaire. This first step helps us understand your adoption timeline, plans for altering your Bun, and a few other basics that ensure we’re moving forward at the right time together.
Families whose answers align with the life we envision for our Buns will receive the link to the full New Bunny Questionnaire within 12 hours (usually much more quickly). If it seems the timing isn’t quite right, we’ll encourage you to reach out again when you feel ready.
At this time, we are focusing on families who are hoping to adopt within the next three months. Interest in later placements may influence whether we continue our breeding program next year, but that decision will depend on first finding forever families for at least eight of our currently listed Buns by the end of this year.
You’ll find the new Pre-Screening Questionnaire located in our Ready for a Bunny? section.
September 21, 2025
We're preparing for a bittersweet goodbye as we prepare Sand Dollar (now named Mochi) to go to her new home later this evening. SHe has been such a blessing to us and we know she will continue to shower her new family with her own special kind of sweet joy in the years to come. <3
We hope you enjoy this clip of Driftwood sprucing himself up in his search for his forever family, too.
September 20, 2025
It's Baby Bun Picture Update Day!!!!
All six of the babies have new photos at the top of their galleries on their listing pages. Sneak peek pictures are below...
Speaking of listings, did any of you notice that little Sand Dollar has been matched? We're so excited to meet her new family and are in the process of scheduling her Pick-Up Day!
In order top to bottom and left to right, we have :Sand Dollar, Driftwood, Frisbee, Cabana, Kayak, and Scuba. <3
September 19, 2025
And a little video of Sand Dollar before she goes home tomorrow!
Waiting Bun of the Week: Gumption
Gumption (AKA Bubba Gump/Gump) is a larger than average false dwarf boy. He is neutered and has a calm, somewhat reserved disposition. We know he's holding out on revealing all the sweeter facets of his temperament until he's settled in with his forever family, but we know he has a heart of gold in his teddy bear-sized body. He loves his treats and will boop for more.
We hope you enjoy this clip of Gumption being very Gump-y.
September 18, 2025
Blog Post of the Week: The Hidden Side of Raising Rabbits
September 17, 2025
Bun Fact of the Day: Did you know that, pound for pound, rabbits drink more water than dogs? They need 2-3 times more water per pound of weight than does a dog.
Here's a quick reel of Cabana.
September 16, 2025
Breeding Bun of the Week: Zinnia
We've added a few pictures of our spunky little girl to her gallery. She was wriggling too much to get an abundance of good pictures, so we had to settle for four, taken over 20 minutes. LOL.
Our visiting Buns, Hamish, Sweet Pea, Rosie, and Basil went home with their Bun-Mom Robyn on Friday afternoon. We loved spending time with them over the ten days they were with us. As an added bonus, we received a visit from Madison J, who adopted one of Sweet Pea's litter mates. Madison spent time meeting Sweet Pea and all the baby Buns, exclaiming over every one of them. We were so appreciative that she stopped by to donate some mis-ordered bunny food that her buck, Crush, refused to eat, and left with plans to tell lots of people about the Buns who are looking for loving forever families.
In looking back over nearly 10 years of our existence as Hot Cross Buns, we can truly say we have been blessed to know some of the most amazing bunny-loving people, Robyn and Madison among them.
September 15, 2025
Waiting Bun of the Week: Ivy
Although she's molting and hates having her picture taken, Ivy is still a sweet girl who tucks her head under my chin when I give her a cuddle. She's our shy girl who likes to fly under the radar and prefers to come to us when she's in the exercise pen or hopping around in free-roam fashion. She has so much love to give and will melt the heart of the right person.
September 11, 2025
Blog Post of the Week: Hidden Benefits of Adopting an Older Rabbit
My apologies if the blog post isn't up to normal standards; I have a miserable migraine and concentration just isn't happening.
I forgot to share a few of the projects I've been working on for the Pet Fair and Pet Blessing. I built the backdrop yesterday, which is a huge improvement since bunnies can't do much damage when they chomp it.
September 10, 2025
We've shared a few new pictures of each of the baby Buns today. They are continuing to do really well. It's time for them to be weaned and to separate the bucks and does. Frisbee will handle it okay, but I have a feeling Driftwood will be heartbroken without his mama and sister. We'll observe them closely to make certain all is well.
September 9, 2025
Breeding Bun of the Week: Loofah
Little Loofah is the sire of Scuba, Kayak, Frisbee, and Cabana. He's a laid back but alert buck. His daughters Kayak and Cabana are most similar to him in temperament. Loofah likes peace and quiet, but he can't help taking a peek when something sparks his interest. He enjoys a bit of a cuddle, but hops away after a few minutes to do some exploring on his own. He's a wonderful Middle-of-the-Road boy and we love him!
September 8, 2025
A while back I mentioned an event that a few of the Buns would be attending. Attached below is additional information for any of you who may be available to join us. Evelyn will be there in her capacity as a baker, selling cookies and scones, mainly, although her menu of selections is continuing to grow and change with each passing day. I will be sharing information about rabbit care and our available Buns, while also selling some of my bunny-themed crochet products and getting the word out about Hot Cross Buns Holland Lops and Hot Cross Buns Homestead.
Over 30 rescues and vendors have committed to participating. We are praying for wonderful weather and a great turnout.
We would absolutely love to see you and your Bun-friends there!
We've been enjoying our four guest bunnies for a few more days.
Rosie (broken orange doe) is very sassy and opinionated. She isn't afraid to share her big feelings. She is supposed to be taking some medicine while she's here, but I end up wearing most of it...that's how big her feelings are.
Basil (solid opal buck) is a loving little guy, when he wants to be. He let us give him some very nice cuddles a couple of nights ago. When we were taking his picture, Basil took a page from Rosie's book and decided to express his displeasure by ripping a hole in the contact paper I had just used to cover the back drop. He's such a handsome boy, but we had to chuckle over his naughtiness.
Sweet Pea (tricolor doe) lives up to her name. She is very sweet tempered and gentle. She is a bit shy and timid around us, which is normal behavior during her visit, since she only sees us a few days every year. Sweet Pea has a sensitive tummy we have to watch carefully during her visits.
Hamish (solid harlequin buck) is a sweetie, although he has been more standoffish during this visit. He was one of our breeding bucks for a couple of years and we love him dearly, but he's more comfortable with his Bun-Mom at this point in his life. It's been a challenge to realize he's not our little cuddle Bun anymore, but we respect his need for time and space as he gets used to us again.
September 7, 2025
Blog Post of the Day: Three Things That Surprise First-Time Bun Families
We're staying fairly quiet today. Evelyn is quite swollen and uncomfortable from having her wisdom teeth removed, poor girl. No matter how frequently she rotates ice packs, the swelling and bruising are worsening. My other four kiddos were fine with their procedures, but my final duckling decided to be different.
We have a new reel of Cabana and Kayak scheduled to publish on Facebook and Instagram tonight at 6:41 (don't ask me why it's at that time...I didn't look that closely. LOL) We think they're pretty cute. If you don't follow us on FB or IG, you can connect with us in the footer on the bottom right side of any page on our site by clicking the icons.
September 3, 2025
We're going to be a bit quieter than normal for the next few days. Miss Evelyn had her wisdom teeth removed today (all four) and she's not feeling quite her normal, happy self. Hopefully she will heal quickly and be back to bouncing and loving on the Buns very soon. <3
We have a new video of Sand Dollar and Driftwood playing together! I've added it to both of their listing pages, but here it is for today's fun.
September 2, 2025
Later in the day...
We're enjoying the arrival of four of our favorite visitors who annually attend "Camp HCP" for about 10 days while their BunMom is on vacation. Rosie, Sweet Pea, Basil and Hamish are here! We're delighted to have them with us and plan to share some pictures later this week.
I've been having computer challenges all day pertaining to uploading the video footage and photos we took today. We have been uploading more short reels to the Facebook and Instagram accounts because I need to upload videos to YouTube before I can add them here, so it can be a time consuming process. I finally have a tiny bit of Driftwood cuteness to share.
September 1, 2025
Providing the very best of loving care to the Hot Cross Buns has always been the heart of what we do. Every Bun reminds us daily of the sweet soul they have within. Over the years the Buns have led us to discover different ways they bless our lives in unexpected ways, from the compost that enriches our soil, to creative projects inspired by their unique personalities.
We're so excited to share our news with you! We have a new website: Hot Cross Buns Homestead. It's a dedicated place to bring our knowledge of rabbits, composting, homestead life, gardening, and creative expression together. We hope it will serve as a little window into the “bigger picture” of life here, where caring for all of our animals, tending the land, and working to find sources of income generated from our land can come together.
Hotcrossbuns.org will continue to have updates about our Buns. If, in the future, we shift away from breeding, the Homestead site will become our main hub. We pray it, too, will contain evidence of our faith, hope, and joy as we see what the future holds. My mind is filled to the brim with ideas and I need a place to let them into the warmth of the sunshine, to see if they will bloom and grow as our beloved Buns have done for nearly ten years.
Admittedly, the new site is rather sparse. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to grow and develop it into something beautiful, useful, and helpful to anyone who cares to follow along.
Here's a link to the new site: Hot Cross Buns Homestead
Thank you for being part of this journey with us—we truly couldn’t do it without your interest and support!
September 1, 2025
I've been burning the candle at both ends to try to get ready for the next step on our little homestead. I desperately want to update baby Bun pictures, but that's going to have to wait another day or two. Lots of "hurry up and wait" things are happening and I believe we will be ready to share them with you on Monday. If you don't mind sitting tight until then, we hope you will understand why our normal routine has been so "off" lately.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this picture of Chummy. We had a good cuddle and grooming session and she was looking pretty relaxed...for Chummy. :)
August 30, 2025
This Week's Blog Post: Emergency Evacuation With Your Rabbit
Looking Ahead...
For the current time, we are focusing on placing the beautiful Buns we currently have available -- six newly listed babies and six already spayed/neutered adults. Future litters are never guaranteed, and because we want to give our current Buns the time and attention they deserve, we will not be planning additional litters until more of the Buns have been placed in their forever homes. If that doesn't happen by the end of 2025, we may step away from breeding altogether.
Caring for the Buns is truly a labor of love -- and a full-time job. From daily cleaning, grooming, and handling, to photographing, creating videos, and spending special time with them, each Bun receives hours of dedicated attention each week. Veterinary care, food, hay, toys, and supplies all add up quickly, but we continue because we believe every rabbit deserves a loving, carefully chosen family -- a place where they will be truly cherished.
If you have been considering welcoming a Hot Cross Bun into your life, now may be the best time to do it, because future litters are uncertain.
We are deeply grateful to the many families who have already opened their hearts and home to a Hot Cross Bun. Each message, photo update, and kind word serves as a reminder of why we do what we do. Thank you for being a part of the Hot Cross Buns family. It's only through your help that we are able to give each Bun the life and family he/she deserves. <3
August 27, 2025
Breeding Bun of the Week: Chummy
I don't know why we are calling this little girl a breeding doe. LOL. She's coming up on her first birthday and has refused to have anything to do with with a buck when we put her in a pen with one to breed. No matter how "ready" her body looks, she scampers away and gets annoyed. Her littermate Nora was the same way, but we had been more optimistic about Chummy cooperating eventually. Nora has been spayed and is now living with a very loving family and is now named Rosey. We hope that Chummy will cooperate, but if she hasn't been bred by December, we will have her spayed. She is a very sweet girl, so much like her mama Rosie, in both looks and temperament.
August 25, 2025
Waiting Bun of the Week: Hot Cross Buns' Holly
Holly is always going to have her expressive airplane ears. We find them absolutely charming, and love to watch the ways she uses them to express herself. She is a very alert girl, and often looks rather alarmed. When first put in our laps for a cuddle, she usually stands up and tucks her head under our chins, to hide until she feels safer and calmer. After she relaxes, she will settle down and sit on our laps or explore timidly. She would do best in a quieter home environment and definitely prefers cats over dogs who bark frequently.
If interested in this sweet, spayed doe, please complete the New Bunny Questionnaire to tell us about yourself and the kind of home you can provide for Holly.
August 21, 2025
Today is picture and video day for all the babies. If I manage to complete all six videos completed, I will post them, but if more time is needed, please look for them tomorrow.
UPDATE: The listings are now complete! All the babies have videos and new pictures. We hope you enjoy them! Please share our website information with anyone you know who might be a great fit for one of our special Buns.
With two new baby Fuzzy Holland Lops to place in loving homes, we decided today's blog should delve into the subject of how fuzzies came to be part of Holland Lop breed. Here's a link to today's post: What Is a Fuzzy Holland Lop?
I have a busy day planned but will get back to working on the baby Bun descriptions as soon as time permits. I'll update later when there's more to share!
UPDATE: All six of the babies have a basic information page with photos on the Available Buns page. Clicking on their photo will take you to their individual pages. They will have new photos and short videos added to their listings on Friday, when they are officially ready to match.
Because we were focusing on placing some of our older, waiting Buns to make room for babies, we were honest about telling interested people that we might not have any new litters for a while. Apparently, I shot myself in the foot by doing that, because we now have no one on our waiting list. I'd rather tell people the truth than have them wait many, many months before new kits arrive.
If anyone is interested in being matched with one of the current babies or already spayed/neutered adult rabbits listed on the Available Buns page, please thoroughly complete and submit the New Bunny Questionnaire. This is the first step towards working with us to adopt one of the Hot Cross Buns.
PS...I just corrected the redirecting problem that was brought to my attention, and now all of the baby Buns' photos connect to the correct information pages. I'm so sorry about that!
August 20, 2025
We've started working on writing listings for the Baby Buns. Sand Dollar and Driftwood's descriptions can be accessed from the Available Buns page. We will add new videos and pictures when their listings are fully active on Friday. I was hoping to get to Quinoa's babies, too, but spent far too much time writing and doing other computer work today. Hopefully tomorrow!
August 19, 2025
My elder daughter visited yesterday and I introduced her to all the little Buns. Upon meeting Driftwood and Sand Dollar, she exclaimed delight over their fuzzy coats, so my "in denial" glasses had to come off. LOL Driftwood and Dolly are definitely fuzzies. Quinoa's babies all have normal Holland Lop coats.
We will be listing all of the kits by the evening of August 22nd. Clients who have already gone through our approval process (after completing the New Bunny Questionnaire and having their references verified) receive first choice in being matched with the Available Buns. We ask anyone interested in these babies to complete the NBQ as soon as able so they can be moved through the approval process as quickly as possible and be matched with their new friend.
I'm going to be working on photographing some of the older Buns today and will post some new pictures of our breeding buck Sullivan. He's the sire of Penelope's kits and is as sweet and gentle-natured as can be...and so are his offspring.
August 18, 2025
New Baby Bun pictures and updates have been added to The Nursery page. Everyone is doing beautifully and they are growing up so quickly!
From left to right: Scuba (chestnut doe), Kayak (broken opal doe), Cabana (chestnut doe), Frisbee (broken opal BUCK - surprise!), Driftwood (black tort buck), and Sand Dollar (frosty doe.)
August 15, 2025
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
