Periwinkle's Page
Interesting Facts About Periwinkle...
Periwinkle was born at Hot Cross Buns on April 22, 2022, to our blue doe Boopsy and our broken blue buck Finnegan.
She was one of a litter of seven babies!
The litter was named after different musical instruments.
Periwinkle's original name was Mandolin Her littermates were called Fife, Oboe, Cello, Tuba, Kazoo, and Piccolo.
Her nickname is Peri.
Despite repeated efforts, Peri was not able to have any litters of living babies.
She tends to be a bit shy and is definitely an observant Bun.
About Periwinkle...
Date of Birth: April 22, 2022
Color: Solid lilac
Gender: spayed female (doe)
Parents: Boopsy (retired) & Finnegan
Status: Available to clients with approved New Bunny Questionnaire status
Availability date: On or after August 9, 2024
Placement Fee: $250 ($100 for Periwinkle and $150 spay fee)
Periwinkle has taken over the role of HCB's resident curmudgeon. (We have not had a full-fledged curmudgeon since the early days of our rabbitry, when we had a lovely blue tort doe called Gladys.) No matter how much affection we try to give Peri, she just turns into a little loaf Bun and stares with her big, beautiful eyes. She is definitely a slow girl when it comes to warming up to people, although we know she has a sweet side to her, that longs to be loved and understood. Peri has always been more accepting of my daughter Evelyn's attention than my own, but she will approach and sniff me when I offer my hand to her. We are so hopeful that she will mellow considerably once her hormone levels decrease from her spay.
Periwinkle is a small doe, but is almost as round as she is long. We call her a little fluffy eggplant. She muffins when held on a lap and will accept pets, but it's very rare to get her to relax and enjoy being loved on. She has a very well developed sense of self-preservation that tends to keep her on high-alert, no matter how safe her environment may be. She is not demanding and never wants to be the center of attention. Peri would like nothing better than to be left alone to do her own thing, but we know that would not be best for her. She needs to learn to enjoy life and love but will need a very gentle, patient person to help her find her binky moments and celebrate every tiny step forward in her progress towards living life as a pampered pet. We pamper her to an extent, but our efforts apparently haven't reached into the depths of her little being and found the things that will bring her the most joy. We hope and pray there is an extra special bunny whisperer who will help her find her joy.
She wasn't always like this. We believe it began when she lost her first litter of kits (all were stillborn) and she grieved. She withdrew into herself and began to spurn our attempts to interact with her as her heart healed. She seemed to do a bit better while she was expecting her second litter, but when those babies were also stillborn, her sparkle disappeared. After that point she lost another litter and failed to conceive several times, so we decided to have her spayed earlier than is typical for a breeding doe because she was so sad. If only we had known how difficult her journey was going to be, we would have placed her as a pet Bun when she was a baby and saved her from all of this sorrow.
Initially, she would do best as the only rabbit in her new home, while she learns to trust her person/people and settles in to life as a happy, beloved pet,. We can't predict if she would ever be a good bonding bunny for another rabbit. She seemed to have a love/hate relationship with the bucks we paired her to and could be a bit aggressive during breeding. We think she would be interested in a home that has a cat and, perhaps as time passes, very slow and gentle bonding with a guinea pig could be a possibility. Once her breeding hormones taper off, Periwinkle could be in a bond with another rabbit, but she would need to have a say in how she feels about the relationship and should meet several neutered bucks before letting her decide with which one she is most comfortable.
Periwinkle will go to her new home with a bag full of goodies including: a packet of bunny care information, a small bag of transition food and hay, a snack baggie of old-fashioned raw oats for treats, a toy, and a fleece snuggle mat.
Please contact us at hcbhollands@gmail.com if you have any questions about Peri.
9/6/24 UPDATE...Periwinkle seems to be coming out of her shell a bit more since she has fully recovered from her spay. She has become quite the inquisitive little doe, sticking her nose into things and watching the goings on around her with curiosity, rather than fear or concern. She seems to be feeling good and has a more optimistic outlook on life. We may have to re-think her title as the rabbitry curmudgeon, which would be absolutely wonderful! We believe she would initially do well in an exercise pen (rather than in a cage, which causes her cage-defensive side to activate) and be given more free-roaming space as she and her new family get to know each other and develop a more trusting and comfortable relationship.
10/22/24 UPDATE...Peri is getting braver and more relaxed. She has been hopping closer to us out of curiosity, but then scampers back to her home base (her litter box) when we make a move to reach out and pet her. She will get there, though! We think bribery may help her over this hurdle.
