Hot Cross Hoppenings
Updates, announcements, and little glimpses of life at Hot Cross Buns.
July 24, 2026
Lots of Goings-On
We received pictures of a couple of birthday Buns to share!
Gus, pictured below, celebrated his 6th birthday with his family recently. He gets cuter every year. <3
Celebrating her 1st birthday is darling Oona! She loves doing zoomies through her tunnel!
You may notice that Lark, Robin, Wren, and Sparrow's listings are currently not available on the Available Buns page. They have been removed so we can get them scheduled for their spays and neuters. We're going to try to get the does done first, in late August, and the bucks done in September, so they can all be re-listed in early October, after they fully recuperate. In the meantime, they will be hanging out here, getting loved on and spoiled, before they make a reappearance as already-altered companion pets.
July 20, 2026
A Small Update That Means a Great Deal
One of the things we love most about raising rabbits is getting to know the families who hope to welcome one into their lives. Every application tells a story, and every thoughtful answer helps us understand what kind of home may be the very best fit for one of our Buns.
Over the past few weeks, we've spent a great deal of time refining our Placement Form. While many of the questions remain the same, we've reorganized the form to make it feel more welcoming, more conversational, and easier to complete while still helping us learn what we need to know about each family.
Some of the questions help us understand your home, your daily life, and the kind of rabbit you're hoping for. Others simply help us understand where you are in your rabbit journey. No one is expected to know everything before bringing home their first rabbit. We're far more interested in applicants who are willing to learn, ask questions, and provide thoughtful, lifelong care than in those who simply know all the "right" answers.
At Hot Cross Buns, our rabbits are placed as cherished indoor companions, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Thoughtful matching has always been at the heart of what we do, and we hope our updated Placement Form reflects that philosophy even more clearly.
If you've been considering welcoming a rabbit into your family, we invite you to take a look. We genuinely appreciate the time and care each applicant invests in completing the form, and we personally review every application with the attention it deserves.
Thank you for trusting us with such an important decision. It is a privilege we never take lightly.
July 17, 2026
Little Basil (Hot Cross Buns' Mosey) has gone home with her wonderful new family! Although she was a little shy, we have no doubts that she will soon emerge into a confident, curious girl once again when she settles in to her new home. She has a room of her own, done in pinks and greens, so we have a feeling she will be a bit of a pampered princess when all is said and done. Thank you, Cassidy and Mike, for opening your hearts and home to little Basil!
July 11, 2026
SURPRISE!!!! Nothing is where it used to be and some things look very different. We are giving our website a facelift, glow-up, rebrand - whatever you call it when you completely change a website. We're doing this to commemorate 10 years as a rabbitry and loving Holland Lops.
Over the coming days I will do my best to complete the remaining pages and put it all in some semblance of order. Most of the normal pages are still there, but they might be "hiding" in some of the drop down menus. Well done for finding the Hoppenings page, by the way! The new flow will go something like this:
Home
Meet the Buns [which will have drop-downs to Available Buns, The Nursery, and The Hot Cross Buns Herd (formerly Meet the Hot Cross Buns)].
Then will be everything pertaining to the placement process under the heading of Thoughtful Rabbit placement (drop-downs to Before You Apply, Placement Form, Sales & Placement Policy, and Spay/Neuter Agreement)
Rabbit Care & Guidance will have drop-downs to All Things Bunny Blog and Bunny Care Supplies
Frequently Asked Questions
And, finally, About Hot Cross Buns (with a drop down to Hot Cross Hoppenings.)
The order of appearance of the main heading may change until I'm happy with it, but it shouldn't take too long to get all the kinks ironed out.
If you notice any glaring issues, PLEASE send me a quick message at hcbhollands@gmail.com. I will be forever grateful.
Please be sure to check out the Available Buns page, along with Thoughtful Rabbit Placement, and Before You Apply. Those pages are largely complete and we so hope you like them!
July 11, 2026
Courtesy Post: Snowball Needs a Loving Indoor Home
We recently received a plea for help finding a new home for Snowball, a handsome rabbit whose family is facing a very difficult situation.
Snowball’s owner is seriously ill and can no longer provide the care he needs. Her adult grandchild has been trying to help make safe arrangements for him, but re-homing a rabbit responsibly can be difficult, especially when trying to avoid people who may not have good intentions.
Snowball is not from Hot Cross Buns, and we do not know where he was originally acquired. Because of that, we do not have direct knowledge of his background, health history, temperament history, or what he may have been exposed to. For the safety of the rabbits here, we are not able to bring him into our rabbitry.
However, we can still help by sharing his information and helping screen potential homes.
Snowball appears to be a healthy, handsome, unneutered buck. What matters most is that he needs a safe, committed indoor home where he will receive the time, attention, and care he deserves.
He is currently located in Delaware, Ohio. His family is willing to meet in the area, and arrangements can be discussed with them.
A $150 re-homing fee applies. This is intended to help discourage unsafe or dishonest inquiries and protect Snowball from being taken by someone with less than honorable intentions. Snowball will come with his pen, carrier, food, toys, and other belongings to help make his transition into a new home easier.
This is a courtesy listing only. Snowball is not part of the Hot Cross Buns placement program, but we will do what we can to help connect his family with a thoughtful, responsible home.
If you are seriously interested in Snowball, please complete the Placement Form on our website and mention “Snowball” in your responses. We realize that not every question will apply to this situation, but we can work through that with you.
Snowball’s family loves him and wants him to be safe, cared for, and loved.
Please share this post with anyone you know who may be able to offer Snowball the kind of indoor home he deserves. A video is viewable on our Facebook or Instagram pages, linked below.
July 10, 2026
We're nearing the end of our annual summer visit with Stewart. He goes home on Sunday, and we wanted to be sure to take a video and some new photos to share (with his family's permission, of course!) Stewart is a cuddle Bun with an extreme helping of social butterfly on the side. We don't get a lot accomplished when Stew is with us, but that's fine with us! He's working on a molt, so looks a little quirky, but the video does a better job of catching his essence. <3
We did manage to get the videos of Noelle's babies completed and are in the process of uploading the (this should hopefully be completed by 6:15pm), and then we're going to get started on revamping the Available Buns page.
July 9, 2026
Noelle's babies have been listed!
Although all five does have been listed, I still need to work on creating new videos for each of them. That will be accomplished tomorrow as today has already stretched out long enough. We know the Available Buns page has become quite unwieldy, and I'm going to work on creating individual profile pages for each rabbit (the way we used to do it), accessed through a page with links on the picture/name of each rabbit. Videos first, then revamping the Available Buns page. It's on the To-Do list.
We have received wonderful updates about both Henrietta and Francesca settling in well with their new families. It warms my heart to be able to share that, while not completely drama-free in their early, limited interactions with their new bunny friends, all the rabbits are much happier being in side-by-side pen proximity to each other and, with time and gentle patience, we are hopeful of loving relationships being established.
July 8, 2026
We received some devastating news from our friend Robyn S. yesterday. She had to make the very difficult decision to have her beloved Sweet Pea euthanized at the vet's office on Monday. What was suspected as being a GI Stasis episode was diagnosed as being a large cancerous mass. The possibility of exploratory surgery was discussed, but the chances of her surviving the procedure were not good. Robyn made the only loving decision she could and said goodbye to her precious Sweet Pea.
Sweet Pea and her three friends, Hamish, Rosie, and Basil, have been annual visitors at Camp Hot Cross Buns for several years, during Robyn's annual vacation. We shared updated pictures every year. Sweet Pea had her own fan club among those who knew her and she was pampered and made a fuss over every time she went to the vet's. Rosie and Basil are doing fine, but Hamish is especially feeling her loss, as he was her devoted admirer and friend.
All of us at Hot Cross Buns are sending our love to Robyn, Hamish, Rosie, and Basil during this difficult time. You will be so missed, beautiful Sweet Pea.
July 6, 2026
We have wonderful news!
Four year old doe Francesca has been placed with Ashley and her amazing rabbit-loving family who have adopted from us before. Initially, they had adopted a bonded pair called Pillow and Jimmy, in need of rehoming due to allergies in their first family. Pillow passed away after some time and they returned for a new friend for Jimmy. They adopted our girl Meringue. Jimmy and Meringue continue to thrive in their care.
The family had two other bonded pairs and they all enjoyed free roaming in separate areas of the home with their bonds. Their original bonded pair consisted of Fernando and Blanca (neither from HCB). Sadly, Blanca passed away and Fernando was struggling to find his way forward without her. At seven years of age, Fernando has some health struggles and hasn't been eating his hay as well as everyone would like. After consulting with their vet, the decision was made to try introducing a new companion to give Fernando a new lease on life.
Arrangements were made and this morning we welcomed Fernando in to meet the spayed does we thought might be appropriate: Quinoa, Mississippi Mud Pie, and Francesca. Quinoa was ruled out immediately because she was only recently spayed, so her hormone levels are too high for an older gentleman like Fernando to handle. Missy was more interested in gazing at his nice bowl of hay than in gazing at him. (The grass is not always greener, Missy!) They basically ignored each other the whole time. Fernando tried to say hello nicely through the ex-pens at one point, but Missy refused to acknowledge his presence, snubbed him brutally, and they both spent the rest of their date on opposite sides of their respective pens, napping.
Francesca was the only one who elicited mirroring behavior and they rubbed noses a few times through the pen. Frankie normally goes into defensive mode around another rabbit, but she didn't put on her boxing gloves at all with Fernando. She was gentle and polite and, when the pen doors were opened to allow them to interact directly under close supervision, more brief, but gentle, interaction occurred. Frankie was a very nurturing mother to her only litter and she seems to have called on those skills to interact sweetly with Fernando.
Was it love at first sight for both of them? No, we can very honestly acknowledge that they will need time and side-by-side pen interaction before they give indications of being ready for the next steps of bonding. We were promised updates about the progress and to make certain everyone is still happy and content as their relationship moves forward. The main thing we all hope for is that Fernando takes a page from Frankie's book and starts eating his hay with gusto once again, so he has a better chance of a longer, healthier life.
May bonding go smoothly for Fernando and Francesca, and may the whole family welcome her with wide open arms. We're going to miss our beautiful, sassy girl, but that little character deserves the most wonderful of homes and families, to live her very best life.
July 1, 2026
I'm finally making progress on the videos. We were able to delete the current version of the software and reinstall the version for which we have a "perpetual" license, so we may have lost a few newer features, but harmony and joy have been restored to our video-making endeavors. We added videos of Wren and Lark, along with newly-listed Kipling and Quinoa. Sparrow is next on the list for today and we'll hopefully get some new pictures of Mississippi Mud Pie and Francesca later today or tomorrow.
We have an lovely update to share from Ally, who adopted Oona. She writes:
Hello Amy!
I thought you would enjoy an update, as it’s now been a little over a month since I picked up sweet girl Oona!
She has adjusted very well and is enjoying her life here (as she has shown me with daily binkies and zoomies). She loves her cage as her home base but enjoys spending most of time hopping around my room. She still absolutely loves her food and keeps her place very tidy. It has been such a treat seeing her come out of her shell and become more sure of herself and her environment each day. She can definitely be quite the sassy girl, which I’ve loved seeing, especially after having my sassy Winnie.
Each day she is starting to approach me more on her own terms. She my little supervisor and likes to watch what I do throughout the day. She has also adapted to the nickname “Oonie” and my friends and family all adore her as well. She has truly been such a blessing in my life so far, and I can’t wait for more memories to come :)
June 30, 2026
Progress is being made!
We took new pictures of all the babies, the juniors, and the Buns who are being retained as potential breeding Buns, along with newly altered Kipling and Quinoa, who will be listed tonight or tomorrow. Kipling is fully healed and will be available for immediate placement. Quinoa still has some healing to do, but she will be available in another month or so. Since it typically takes does a bit longer to find forever homes, we figured listing her a bit early will be a good thing.
We are retaining four Buns at this time and are evaluating them to see if they will have a place in the rabbitry as future parents. Toboggan and Saunter are the does, and Darius (formerly called Bluebird) and Tiptoe are the bucks. All are pictured below.
Off to work on videos!
Although I've been working on videos, I'm running into software issues and have just loaded an old program I could never figure out onto my computer. There's a learning curve, so videos will be appearing more slowly than desired, but will hopefully improve with time. I'll keep plugging away at it and will upload as they are completed. I'm sorry for the wait!
10:10pm...I managed to get a video of Noelle's babies posted to The Nursery site, and videos of Toddles, Waddles, and Robin on the Available Buns page. I'm still knee-deep in trying to understand what's going on, but I'm hoping to figure it out tomorrow, when I have more time and patience.
June 27, 2026
Toddles & Waddles have been listed! We're going to need another day or two to make some videos to add to their listings, but the important information is on the Available Buns page.
Our breeding doe Quinoa was spayed last week and will be listed in a few more weeks. She is a fun, sassy girl who will be a blast for the right family.
Our buck Kipling was neutered about six weeks ago. He, along with Henrietta and currently unlisted older does Francesca and Mississippi Mud Pie, will be meeting a family today. Depending upon the outcome of that meeting, he will be available beginning July 1st, as will Francesca and Mississippi Mud Pie, as bonding friends for older rabbits who have lost their beloved bunny friends.
On a sad note, we lost our beloved breeding doe Penelope a few weeks ago. Nothing abnormal was found in the necropsy and she had been a very healthy, sassy doe prior to her sudden passing. We were keeping news of her passing private until we had more pertinent information to share, but the reason for her death is a medical mystery in a seemingly healthy rabbit.
UPDATE...Henrietta has found a family! She and the Bun family who came to visit today really hit it off. She was very sweet and mellow, patient and altogether an ideal candidate for this rabbit-loving family and their six year-old Bun. They got along great and we're thrilled that the bonding process is off to a terrific start!
June 25, 2026
Apologies for not posting much!
We are in the ugly process of re-doing our living rom, from ceiling to floors and it has been a pain in the tush x 10! Every time I thought something was almost done, I had to make three more trips to the home improvement store and a one-week project is heading into week four. You know what it's like.
Anyhow, because of all that fun, I haven't had much time to do updates, videos, and the like, but chose to spend my little spare time actually interacting with the rabbits, without a camera in hand. We're hoping to work on some things today for posting tomorrow, but wanted to let you know all is well here. The Buns, young and old are doing well, and we're looking forward to officially listing Waddles and Toddles (two of Coreopsis and Sweet Tea's daughters) and revealing more about Noelle and Kipling's babies in the next few days.
The living looks like it will be (mostly) done by tomorrow. I'll need to do some trim-work around the walls and doors after that, but we're praying for smooth sailing the for the rest of it.
More about the Buns will be posted soon!
Copyright 2016-present. All rights reserved by Hot Cross Buns Holland Lops. All images and content fall under the sole ownership of Hot Cross Buns Holland Lops.
Hot Cross Buns Holland Lops
Oberlin, Ohio
Indoor companion Holland Lops raised with care since 2016.
Email: hcbhollands@gmail.com